Thread: Newbie's Blog Ouch!!!!

03/21/07 Wednesday, Day 2
Did the same shave prep as yesterday.
Soaked my face in lots of hot water under the shower...
Hot Water Baby Oil, KOS Alpha Oil, HB Headslick, and then regular shaving soap...

I really stropped the razor good this time - 30 passes. I'm not sure from the directions whether that means 15 passes each side or 30 passes each side.

Perhaps with the "Well Shaved Gentleman" 4 sided "beginners" paddle strop I need to strop the razor 30 passes each side...

So I did 15 passes each side, which is more than I did yesterday. Maybe tomorrow I'll do 30 each side...

Also I tried to stick to "the plan" and only shaved the cheeks and jowl...well almost...

Shaved the old dome with my HeadBlead...don't think I'm ready to shave the old bean with a str8 Razor just yet ....

I go much better results no nicks until..... heee, heee, hee,

I confess I got over-confident again and thought I'd give my neck below the chin line a pass or two... damn... gotcha!
Only one nick.... though... but I'm now a believer... stick to the program...
Rubbed styptic all over the nicked area...

Finished up with my Mush 3 razor...

Have to report the areas I shaved with the STR8 (cheeks, jowls, neck) stayed nice and smooth until the late evening, whereas the area where I shaved with my MUSH 3 was Velcro by noon!
OK, lesson learned... Patience...

I 'll stay on the cheek and jowl above the chin line and wait until I get the DVDs that I orered from Lynn and John repsectively...

Avoid the chin, mouth, and neck below the chin line...until I get the first area down perfect...

Keep practicing the stopping technique...I'd really like someone to give me some "hands on" training with the stropping and honing...

Ordered some stuff from Classic (Alum Block, Razor Oil, Stropping paste, etc.. and ordered a 3" Best Strop from "Well Shaved Gentleman".

BTW Thanks guys! for PM'ing me... Please include your contact info so I can call you and ask questions...

Thanks guys... continued tomorrow

Tony

Hi Tony:

I'll answer you question about passes on the strop.

1 pass = 1 round trip

So 30 passes would mean you run the razor up the strop, flip it, and run it back down 30 times.

As for the rest, sounds like you've got a good plan. I look forward to hearing about your progress.

Steve

Most people do more passes with a paddle since its shorter.

I usually strop about 50-60 laps. (up and back, so each side)

X

Thursday 03/22/07 Day 3

Yikes! Today was no so great!

Prepped as before, lots of hot water...etc...

Everything went fine just shaving my cheeks and jowls above the chin line until I got over confident AGAIN, and decided to try the area around the chin and mouth... and whamo! 5 nicks in a NYC second!!!!!

Had to rub Styptic all over...

Finished up with my MUSH 3 shaver....ahh the humiliation of it all!

Here's a questrion for the experts...how can one use a microwave to make a hot steam towel? Anybody tried it yet???

A couple of guys have left me their contact info in a PM and I'm gonna try and link up with them next week in NYC...

All the best guys!

May all your shaves be smooth and nickless!

Tony

I’m no expert, but I would be wary that the microwave would heat too unevenly, causing a high risk of a dangerous hot spot or two. Not tried it myself, just a thought. I seem to think that perhaps some others here do it with no problems?


-Michael

Friday 03/23/07 Day 4

Well things are looking up... last night I "honed" (stropped??) my Dovo 5/8 Str8 razor on the the 0.5 micron side of my 4 sided pallet strop. I could actually "feel" the blade of my Str8 razor get sharper with each pass...

I then "stropped" my razor on the latigo leather strop side 50 passes each side. Then I tested my razor by runnning over my wet thumbnail, and it was smooth but also just biting into my nail a little... definitely a scary feeling..

This morning shave was fine. I prepped my face, lathered up as per usual AND ONLY shaved my cheeks and jowls above the chin line with the grain, and then stopped using the the STR8... Guess what? no nicks...I finally get it... practice only one segment/quadrant of my face at a time, and don't move on to another segment/quadrant of my face until I've mastered one area first.

Finished up with my MUSH 3....

I think that I'd like to buy a couple of cheapo new/old or used/mint s/h razors to practice the honing anf the stropping... cause that was where the most improvement was today... my razor was definitely the sharpest today that it's ever been...and that's what made the difference....

OK I think I"m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...

Easy does it, but do it...

all the best!

May we all be blessed with close, smooth, cool, & nickless shaves...

Tony

Tony,

Glad to hear you're making progress. Let me offer a piece of advice. Never run the edge of your blade over your thumbnail AFTER stropping. You can actually dull the edge that way.

Old barber manuals describe what you did as a test to determine the keenness of the edge after honing on a barber's hone (and today, Nortons and such). If you want to test the edge after stropping, a thumb PAD test is an option.

However, I would recommend holding off on the test for right now. Let the shave be your first and best guide to the razor's sharpness. The shave test is the most dependable anyway.

Congrats on an improved experience!

Steve

Saturday 03/24/07 Day 5
Prepped and shaved the old dome with my HeadSlick & HeadBlade, prepped my face in the shower with hot water KOS shaving oil and then shaving soap & hot water with the mug and brush only and and only shaved my cheeks and jowl above chin line with the Str8 razor...The Str8 shave was a little smoothet, I think I'm getting a little more cnfidence and a little less fearful. Only one nick! I also stopped the Str8 50 passes each side. Finished up with the ole MUSH 3.

I had the totally un-original idea of making hot towels in my microwave, and I posted an inquiry on this forum and a whole bunch of guys have answered me saying that they use a microwave to heat up their towels... I'm going over to Walmarts to pick up some large face washcloths which should just the right size.

I also won an interesting Str8 Razor on eBay, mainly because it was cheap. I set a limit of $10.00 and this is the only one I won for that price. $10 + $6.00 postage sounded like a reasonable price for a razor that I can learn to hone and strop. The stainless part might be a problem, but we'll see...

Does anyone know anything about this particular type of razor... any tips on how to prep the razor for honing? etc....

MASTER USA Straight Razor STAINLESS &wood handle
eBay item: 320095535272



All the best guys!

May you be blessed with smoothe, cool, close, nickless shaves...

Tony

Sunday 03/25/07 Day 6

After yesterday's eBay $16.00 embarrassment, I was really determined to get a few decent "working" razors....to practice honing & stropping...

I guess the truth is there is no free lunch....ESPECIALLY ON EBAY!!!

If it's too good to be true, it probably is... I've been monitoring the razor auctions on eBay, and the going price for a good honest work- a-day new/mint, renovated, honed, "ready to shave" (sic) from one of the "good guys", is somewhere between $30-$60.... Obviously there's the "collectors' razors for the seriuosly RAD addicted... that can go into the several hundreds.... Some of the those razors are real beauties... There were several really sweet razors on eBay Sunday, but I had set a limit for myself of $40.00....

Anyway Sunday's shave as ok, I tried the microwave hot towels, which my nuker 1-2 minutes seems to do the trick. I lathered up then applied the hot towels for four minutes, then lathered up again before shaving...

I'm still going very slowly with the Str8 razor face shaving... keeping mainly to my cheeks & jowls... tried a couple of strokes below the chin line...no nicks!!!!! Still finishing up with my MUSH 3.

A couple of guys from this forum who live in the NYC tri-state area area have contacted me, so I'll try to link up with them sometime during the week either during lunch or after work....I want to compare and

I'm surprised that there isn't a "Shavers Club" inthe NYC tr-state area that meets regularly. I know at least couple of "Old Style" barber shops that might be persuaded to host a monthly "Shaving Club" meeting...(definitely NOT the Art of Shaving"... anybody interested?

Later on Sunday, I managed to bid successfully on 4 "working razors" via eBay, I'll post the pictures tonight.... I missed some really sweet Solingen razors but they were TOTALLY out of my price range... and you really have to know how to snipe to get them...

All the best, may you ALL be blessed with close, smoothe, nickless shaves....

Tony