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  1. #1
    Senior Member minstrel's Avatar
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    Default First tentative try with a straight

    I recently bought a Wester Bros. Anchor Brand "Manganese Steel" straight razor, shave ready, from xChris in the classifieds here. Since I'm unemployed and don't have a lot of money to spare for extravagant shaving utensils I thought this would be a good and inexpensive way of acquiring a straight razor, but I didn't know whether I would actually have the guts to use it for its intended purpose, or whether it would just be an addition to my case of curiosities.

    To give you a bit of background on my shaving experience, I started shaving with cartridge razors and "goo in a can" in my teens, and up until autumn last year I had been shaving with a Mach 3 and nothing but water for years. Then a friend who has been lurking on the shaving forums got me interested in traditional wetshaving with a DE razor. I first used a cheap Chinese razor, and later a Gillette Super Speed and a Merkur HD.

    Today, I decided to try shaving with the straight razor. Just the cheeks, mind you, since I'm still a bit wary about putting a knife to my throat. I lathered up with European Palmolive shaving cream, using my Edwin Jagger Best Badger brush, and then opened the straight razor and gripped it like Dr. Moss described in his fine guide, which I re-read yesterday in preparation for this shave. Then I put the edge to my cheek, stretching the skin with my other hand, and using the slightest tough possible let it slide along my skin.

    It was an interesting experience for sure. My nervousness disappeared after the first stroke and was replaced with curiosity. I could hear the blade make little "tink" noises with each hair it came into contact with, and I felt a slight tugging on the hairs. I have no idea if I used the optimal angle or not, but I kept shaving with the razor, being very light on the touch, and trying to manouver it so that the spike point wouldn't catch me, and since I also sport a goatee and moustache I was trying to manouver the blade so it wouldn't remove too much of my beard. I'm sure some of my positions would have made true master shavers cringe, but hey! I'm a newbie!

    After shaving my cheeks I put the straight razor away and finished the first pass with the Merkur HD. I then felt my shave, and the cheeks were still stubbly, so I guess my technique sucked. Still, it was very interesting to try it, and I did cut the beard, going by the stubble trapped in the lather on the blade. I don't know when I will try this again, though, since I don't have a strop, and don't know whether I will buy one anytime soon either. So for now, the straight razor will have to rest in its box.

    /Nicholas

  2. #2
    Loudmouth FiReSTaRT's Avatar
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    Nicholas, no wonder your shave was underwhelming. You should strop at most 30min before the shave, ideally right after you lather up. The difference in the results is amazing.

  3. #3
    Senior Member minstrel's Avatar
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    I guess I'll have to let the straight razor rest until I get me a strop, sometime in the future, then.

  4. #4
    Loudmouth FiReSTaRT's Avatar
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    If you have a smooth soft leather belt, it will also do the trick. That's what I used for a few weeks before getting my hands on one of Tony's pieces.

  5. #5
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    Don't put the razor away. It really is worth persevering. The most rewarding things in this life don't come easily. I have been shaving with my cutthroat razor for almost 2 years now. I invested in a cheap Rockwell (spit! cough!) strop from ebay which did me fine for the first year. It served me well and did the job but get some strop paste with the strop if you buy one.
    I also didn't have a job at the time I started and had very little money, but mach3 blades aren't cheap so I justified the expense.

    Go on ..... get a strop

  6. #6
    Senior Member minstrel's Avatar
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    I don't have any smooth leather belts, and the largest piece of thick leather I have otherwise is only about a foot long. Is that long enough for a strop? Otherwise, is balsa wood possible to use as a strop, perhaps glued to a piece of wood for support?

    I can't afford a real strop at the moment. I have already spent way too much on shaving supplies, and I have other things I need to put my money on.

  7. #7
    Loudmouth FiReSTaRT's Avatar
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    If you lay it flat on the edge of a desk, it should do, just keep the pressure light, make it slow and do about 50 strokes instead of 30 you'd do on a normal strop.

  8. #8
    Senior Member, Moderator floridaboy's Avatar
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    That's true, Just keep the strokes light, and you should do fine, Don't put that razor away just yet. Keep at it you'll get it. Let us know how you do.

  9. #9
    The Hurdy Gurdy Man thebigspendur's Avatar
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    There's that old Chinese saying about a journey of 1000 miles begining with a single step. Well you've taken that first step so keep on going!

    Straight shaving is a skill and it has to be mastered and it does not come quickly. Some learn faster than others and more easily than others but everyone learns if they want to. Remember at one time it was the only way to shave. So keep at it and little by little your confidence will increase with your skill.
    No matter how many men you kill you can't kill your successor-Emperor Nero

  10. #10
    Senior Member minstrel's Avatar
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    Which side of the leather do you use for stropping, the skin side or the meat side? I've read about using the meat side for pasted paddle strops for stropping knives, but if you want to use one unpasted to strop straight razors, do you still use the meat side?

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