5 shaves in! All going rather well

Hoorah! Since getting my straight for christmas, I've just now finished my 5th shave with it (my beard grows fairly slowly). Today has been the first day I've not had to (I still reasonably could though, mind you) touch up with my old cartridge afterwards. Obviously I'm far from proficient still, though, and so I thought I'd summarise my experience so far and ask a few questions afterwards too.

It was only after my fourth shave that my friend (also new to the art) pointed out that I was using the wrong hand for each side of the face, which made things slightly easier today, although not by much. For now I've been sticking with a single WTG pass with a relather and going over for difficult bits, which for me is mainly the jawline. I also suspected for the last few that I'd been forming the lather incorrectly, which was confirmed this morning when I saw this: Making basic soap lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki here, since I have the same bowl and soap setup, but have been trying to create the lather in the soap bowl without a second. It's difficult to do that without it going everywhere, and so today's was much easier in that regard. Better yet, I didn't really know what lather is supposed to be like before, but now I do know I was able to create a much better (thought probably still quite imperfect) lather.

As for stropping, I'm stropping directly before each shave at the minute, although I'm not that confident with it yet. I pull the strop taught with my left hand and find it much harder to do the pass coming from the wall to my hand (it doesn't seem to make the same delightful rasping noise as much.) I will of course look for some videos on proper stropping technique later, but does anybody have any favourites that would be suitable in particular?

Most of my cuts have been silly and avoidable, and I think a lapse in concentration is to blame in 90% of them, but I haven't seriously cut myself to bits yet. Thankfully.

I haven't got a hone yet but I've got a paddle strop as part of the starter kit, so I'll be good for a while hopefully, but are there any telltale signs that a blade needs honing to refresh the edge I should look out for? I think I'll probably go gung-ho and get my own hone straight away when I need it, as I'm going to have to learn eventually.

I'm really enjoying it so far and can't wait to get better. I've been consistently clean-shaven for the first time in a long while now, thanks to the fact that I now actually look forward to shaving. I think I had some more things I wanted to ask but I can't think of them at the moment, so I'm calling it a day with this post. Thanks for all the information and support here!

Nice!

I also did my 5th shave with a straight yesterday and it keeps getting better and better each time.

This was my second WTG, XTG and ATG, it makes for one smooth shave!

> I pull the strop taught with my left hand and find it much harder to do the pass coming from the wall to my hand (it doesn't seem to make the same delightful rasping noise as much.)

I think there are two reasons. One, the leather lays differently coming back than going out, so the sound will be different or even absent in one direction. Two, coming back really is just a different movement. AND, if you're not careful, you'll start trying to "correct" your back stroke in search of that sound. I know I tend to get a little nutty over-correcting my return stroke, and that's when I screw up by (say) lifting the spine at the toe and rasping the blade along the edge of the strop. It's like a golfer getting the yips on the green.

Even now after a few years, I'll occasionally pull out the butter knife and practice my stropping stroke, so I can "play" a bit without ruining an edge or a strop. It helps me get past the ridiculous over-thinking trap that I occasionally get into.

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Originally Posted by willbobaggins

I haven't got a hone yet but I've got a paddle strop as part of the starter kit, so I'll be good for a while hopefully, but are there any telltale signs that a blade needs honing to refresh the edge I should look out for? I think I'll probably go gung-ho and get my own hone straight away when I need it, as I'm going to have to learn eventually.

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Pretty much if you notice pulling or tugging or you have to increase pressure to get the blade to shave, it's time for a touch up. I would suggest that you only get a barber's hone or a Naniwa 12k for touch ups. Also, if you decide to go whole hog and learn to hone from start to finish, I would suggest a 2nd (or third) razor so that you can have one that is shave ready while you learn on the other (introducing a third would be better in that you could rotate to a freshly honed blade, send the one you've been using out for honing and keep learning to hone on the third).

As for learning to do your own touch ups, Glen (gssixgun) has a great video on YouTube on using a barber's hone for touch up work. About every 5th shave with any particular razor, I'll follow his advice to the letter using my barber's hone and then strop and shave as normal. It's been working like a charm.

There is no such thing as failure- just opportunities to learn (don't know who said that first).

You are doing great. Another great hone to refresh your blade on and learn honing skills on that is inexpensive is the Guangxi stone (AKA-Chinese Nat, c12k, Phig) just my 2¢.

Willbo, there is no "wrong hand" for shaving a particular side of the face. Some guys shave with just one hand, some use the right hand on their right side, some reach across and use the left on their right side. Some change hands between WTG/XTG/ATG. Where I'm going with all this, is it's what ever feels right for you. And the technique you deploy today, may not be the same 6 months from now. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by deepweeds

AND, if you're not careful, you'll start trying to "correct" your back stroke in search of that sound.

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Ahh, thank you, I have indeed already noticed myself doing this. I might try your butter knife technique!

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Originally Posted by crouton976

I would suggest that you only get a barber's hone or a Naniwa 12k for touch ups. As for learning to do your own touch ups, Glen (gssixgun) has a great video on YouTube on using a barber's hone for touch up work.

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Thank you, my birthday isn't too far away so I think the Naniwa can be safely requested then. When you say "learning to hone from start to finish", do you mean learning to hone a totally knackered blade into shave ready quality? I would quite like (eventually) to have that skill, but I assume for the time being I can do with just the refreshing part of honing?

Correct. I mean taking a blade from butter knife dull and setting the bevel all the way to shave ready.

For now, I would mainly focus on learning to shave well and getting consistent, fantastic results before learning to hone beyond just a touch up. With so many new aspects to learn, adding more to the pile could end up being more frustrating than it's worth.

I somewhat learned from necessity to hone (though my skills aren't professional by any stretch and it's still hit or miss for anything complicated) because I did not heed the same advice I'm giving you now. Thankfully, I am extremely good with my hands and there is so much knowledge shared freely here that I was able to get passable results and, eventually, good results. Save yourself the headache I went through and wait.

Doing touch ups, on the other hand, is pretty easy and will also give you a good foundation to learn the more in depth techniques of honing. It's kind of like Ralph Machio in "The Karate Kid"... who knew waxing a car would lead to proficiency in self defense? :)