Little Tips

Here are some little tips to help you guys out:

Using a good slow honing stroke is critical. Equal pressure, equal distance, equal angle on each side.

Use a slow hone and take your time. The 8K or a barber hone helps control the amount of steel removal. Also controls the amount of damage you can do with a bad stroke.

A good bevel smoothed out patiently is worth the wait.

Stropping should include a slight x pattern added to it in both directions.

Keeping the strop taught is important.

When the edge gets better after each shave you know your stropping correctly.

Rubbing the cream into your whiskers and letting it soak a little extra time will help a lot.

The point of greatest purchase is just in front of the fingertips stretching the skin. Once you slide out beyond 3 inches from your fingers, your fingertips aren't providing much support.

One of the most important tips with a straight is to use the time and focus you must achieve to carefully ensure you get a good shave. Sloppy is not tolerated or helpful. Its not a swipe/swipe affair with a straight.

Each part of your face needs a certain angle and direction of blade movement.

Don't relegate yourself to WTG, ATG, etc. The angle and direction you attack any part of the face is up to 360 degrees in direction. You can go against and across in any variety you choose.

Thanks for the important summary, Alan. As a newbie, it's well appreciated.

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

The point of greatest purchase is just in front of the fingertips stretching the skin. Once you slide out beyond 3 inches from your fingers, your fingertips aren't providing much support.

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How do you maintain good grip this way? It's difficult on freshly lathered skin.

Justin

Justin:

I won't answer for Alan but I'll say that one of the things I do is start on a dry spot (say eye level) then take a stroke and move my hand down. To get right behind the blade, I'll place my stretching hand on my skin first, then place the blade right in front of it (be very careful!)

Once I start getting down into the lathered part of the face, the blade has clean that off and I just press hard into the skin with the pads of my finger tips. Works pretty well for me.

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Originally Posted by steve

Justin:

I won't answer for Alan but I'll say that one of the things I do is start on a dry spot (say eye level) then take a stroke and move my hand down. To get right behind the blade, I'll place my stretching hand on my skin first, then place the blade right in front of it (be very careful!)

Once I start getting down into the lathered part of the face, the blade has clean that off and I just press hard into the skin with the pads of my finger tips. Works pretty well for me.

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Very good Steve --- I was thinking about using well "placed" thumb tacks --something to hold on to. But no, I like your idea better.:) I guess certain types of creams and soaps will make this more or less difficult as well. I've also heard of using alum to get a better grip ---that cute little multi-purposed block of stuff.

Justin

Justin

Everyone has to experiment with a stretching routine thats best for them. personally I don't like keeping the finger in front of the razor I prefer in back of it, its safer that way. I usually stretch from my sideburns on my face and grab the skin on the bottom of my neck and really stretch hard and just move my fingers as the razor moves. Even though the razor is in fromt of my fingers there its pretty far away to do any damage.

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Originally Posted by jaegerhund

How do you maintain good grip this way? It's difficult on freshly lathered skin.

Justin

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You should continue placing your fingertips into the areas you've already shaved, not into areas you have lather. Its just a practice and work out whats best for you kinda thing, as mentioned by BigSpender. I use the sideburn then work my way down. You just lose a little quality if you hold and stroke out really far as you'll get less support.

Well said, Alan. This is concise and complete and right on the money in my book.

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