The Hat Trick

Thanx everyone; everyone from Lynn to newbies newer than myself. My third SR shave went better than the first two. As suggested by the founder in his DVD, I've shaved only parts of my face, and added a little more each time. Through my third shave, I've shaved everything except my chin, WTG only. Then I clean up XTG & ATG with my DE. The only nicks and dings I've gotten have been from the DE, and I think that was because of the Blue Bird blade. I switched back to a Derby today, and didn't have any nicks. The chin will be a challenge, though, I'm sure. Also, since I'm right-handed, switching to my left hand still needs some practice, but is going better than I anticipated. All the encouragement I've received has been very helpful, but I also believe Lynn's DVD was almost essential. I watched the whole thing before I did my first shave. B.t.w. I used to shave for years using a shavette, during my mid-twenties. I remember drawing blood most of the time, but considered it part of the game. So far, the SR has been much more forgiving. I've also been able to trim up my mustache with my SR, something I've usually done with the shavette. There was a time when I thought I'd never learn how to ride a bicycle. But one day, it happened. There was a time when I thought I'd never learn how to drive a car with a manual transmission. Eventually, that happened, too. If you're having less than perfect results, don't get discouraged. Listen to the Elders of the Blade. They know what you're experiencing, because they've experienced the same. The things worth doing are worth working at. Since I'm getting close to retirement, I have less and less reason to shave. That is, until I got back into wet shaving. Now, I enjoy shaving again, and can't wait for the next shave. Bear in mind, that I only have three SR shaves under my belt. But I started with only a little bit, and built on success. Further, doing only a little at a time, left me wanting to do more each time. I can see that if I don't want to spend money on a second SR to use when I send the first out for honing, I'll have to buy some stones, so I can do it myself. I just haven't decided if I want to go all Naniwa (3k, 8k, 12k) or Norton 4/8k and a 12k Naniwa to finish. Of course, I'd also have to buy the lap stone and slurry stone for the 12k. Any ideas on this?