Thread: Ok newbies..Iam going to pay it forward.......

That's right newbies....with less than 10 posts...with the best story why I should send you a shave ready straight...for free, US only...but I do love my brothers across the pond too. Will let this thread go to July 5 and then with some help of the SRP brothers...pick a Winnah !!!! And FREE Shipping too !!!!! And no long winded story's please.Keep it about as long as this post....Good Luck !!

Does it count if 979 of my posts were probably worthless? Hah

Why couldn't it have length of time. That will teach me not to post so much, dang it.

Good for you nessmuck !

Had to post to see where my count was at......shucks.

So I might be the only one yet able to recieve?

Except for me beeing across the pond, already have a couple of shave ready straights (thanks to birnando setting them up for me), and after spending 400 dollars on fitjarsoap yesterday, and 100 dollars on stirling soap last week, I really could not accept a newbie gift that would be better in the hands of a broke student or something :P

So, I might have gone a bit overboard with the soap purchases, as Ive only had as many straight razor shaves as my post count. But I could still use the soap for my DE if all things went to hell, and I bought some to convert my buddies to better stuff then canned goo.

Nessmuck, all you are going to accomplish is pushing a newb further into RAD. Ahhhh, I get it, your like a drug dealer giving away a free sample to get some poor shmuck addicted, smaaaart.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Good for you nessmuck !

Had to post to see where my count was at......shucks.

Dont feel bad......

What timing.
I recently converted to DE shaving after spending untold $s on cartridges and million dollar marketing campaigns. Now the simple joy of lathering my face with a boar's hair brush and using a DE shaver similar to what my father used has turned my daily-ish chore into a great morning experience. Then just last week I came into my grandfather's shave gear (http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...have-gear.html). Holding that no-name SE razor in my hand, the same one my grandfather used along with my great grandfather's shave mug, well I knew it was only a matter of time before I became a convert. Then I saw the links to videos here on restoring antique SE blades. That's it, I'm hooked. This is my new hobby. Bought 5 antique SE blades on Ebay this week with the plan to restore and use them. Just finished my first hand-made scales in the garage yesterday. My problem is my new strop has yet to arrive and my hone technique is leaving me less than "shave ready".
I logged on this morning to do some research on honing and came across your post.
If I'm your chosen recipient you can be assured that your SE will be put to regular use and it will be prominently shown along with my new collection of refurbished antique SEs in a soon to be made/acquired display case.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my story.
Brian

Well I just started to use a straight razor that I bout about a week ago and now it my wife let it hit the ground and it has nicks in it. Not to mention it was a cheapy.

But I have wanted to straight shave for months and finally got over time which is rare for me and then I get it use it for a week and .... Well the end is that I have to use a regular razor for a while again :/

Plus one of my goals is for my daughters to expect a man to use a man razor to shave

Thanks for the read
Anthony

I agree that Joe the soldier deserves this gift so much more than me.

With that said, let me see how convincing I can be. I first got interested in wet shaving as a result of being upset with the cost of cartridge razors. This was a few years ago. I signed up with badgerandblade.com (Badger and Blade) and was active on their forums for a while. I eventually bought a Merkur barber pole, and then my uncle gave me a collection of razors that he in turn was given by the widow of his friend of many years. That collection included old Gillette razors and one or two really old straight razors. One of the straights looked as if the blade was badly pitted. The second one looked possibly okay but in need of honing. I didn't know what to do with them, but the Gillette razors looked interesting. I tried some Astra brand blades with them, then moved on the Feather blades.

I decided I had to take the plunge and buy a shave-ready straight razor. I bought it from a gentleman on the Badger and Blade forums. I bought a strop, too. To this day it hangs in its original wrapping from a hook in the living room. I tried to shave one time with my new straight razor. I was terrified by the sight of the blade in my fingers and mirror. I was so afraid of cutting myself. I did seem to do one side of my face, then, fearfully, I gave up and finished with the Merkur. That was the only time I used the razor.

I shaved for a while with the Merkur and a new Gillette razor which I acquired either through Badger and Blade, or on Ebay. I think that one is date coded 1954. I also had two scuttles made for me. I played with different razors, all of them double edged. I was sure about two things by then: I liked the Trumper and Harris shave creams, and I like Feather blades. I was getting in to the swing of things.

I became ever busier in my other life, running a sideline business in fixing computers (meaning, 99.95% of the time, fixing software issues my customers have.) I stopped shaving after a while, and grew a beard. Then one day someone in the office made a remark about how I would look younger if I shaved and it got to me. I was feeling particularly old that day. After another few weeks of putting it off, I went to the local Hair Cuttery and asked the young lady to get the beard off me and cut it down as close to the skin as possible, so that I could shave it off.

I rediscovered my brush (an Edwin Jagger cheapie), my scuttle (the one that survived a workman who had a tough day), and my double edge razors. I cleaned the razors with Scrubbing Bubbles, put them in Barbicide, discovered my Geo W Trumper Limes (in its tube) seemed to be still good, so I lathered my face and very slowly and carefully shaved. Success, not even a small nick! My hands seemed to "remember" what to do and my brain ordered my hands not to rush.

Always, that straight razor reposing in the closet has haunted me. But the workman had dropped it. Dare I try again with it?

Then I found straightrazorplace.com just today and read the Beginner's advice. On YouTube I found the 31 minute video of Lynn showing how to get started with a straight razor. This is a wonderful way to not do any serious work at all for an entire Saturday afternoon and evening.

I have come to a decision. I will send my straight razor off for honing. Maybe also repair if it needs that. I will at least have an assurance that it is shave ready. And I will take the advice of doing a little of my face every day with a straight, and working to learn the skills I need for such a shave.

So that is how things are with me now.

Bob