Thread: Yet another new guy

Welcome to the SRP. And Hello from Michigan.
This is a journey not a race. Start with just WTG start at your sideburns, pull your skin tight upwards towards the top of your head and with short strokes shave down towards your jaw. stop about 1in short of your jawline.DONE. One more chance for success repeat on the other side. DONE. take the little wins .and learn your face and allow your skin to adjust to a straight. Oh and you made great choice so far with people and places to learn and ask. What your going through ,I also did, look at my join date, I faced the same fears nicks, everything. We are not the only ones who have walked that mile.But it is so worth it when you get there. Not a race, go zen ,an then...

Just a quick check in... For time reasons I have only been using my straight on the weekends or if I have plenty of time. So far I have five attempts in. I seem to be able to do a N->S pass on the side my face by pulling up with the off hand and get mostly to the jaw line (both sides). Visibility of what is going on near the ear is a bit of a problem (my hand is in the way) but as of this morning I still have both ears! I can tilt my head to one side or look up and get below the jaw line down the neck in another N->S pass. I can kind of encroach on the chin area with short narrow strokes but I can't seem to figure out how to properly stretch the skin. The upper lip and corners of the mouth don't seem to work N->S yet.

Feeling good I decided to try a S->N pass on the sides of my face but am unable to get proper skin stretching. Below the jaw line I am able to tip the head enough but on the side of the face the skin is not tensioned enough and I end up not much if any beard being removed. When I do this pass with my DE razor it leaves the side of my face smooth.

So my first question is I am looking for how to hold the razor and the proper strokes to finish off the first pass: upper lip/side of mouth, lower lip to chin, and right along the jaw line (below the cheek and above the neck).

Second question is how to properly tension the skin and get started with the second pass?

How do I know when I will need to send the razor out to get sharpened or touched up?

Would getting a second strop w/ some CrOx and stropping it once a week? or every 5-6 shaves? help maintain the edge for longer?

I am thinking I will eventually learn to hone. I would like to start with maintaining a shave ready razor and then as I get more experience learning how to sharpen and set a bevel with the coarser grits.

Thanks
Ruckin

So my first question is I am looking for how to hold the razor and the proper strokes to finish off the first pass: upper lip/side of mouth, lower lip to chin, and right along the jaw line (below the cheek and above the neck).

Second question is how to properly tension the skin and get started with the second pass?


For questions 1 and 2 watch videos and check out some of the pictures etc in the library. In the end they are a basic guide and it is all dependant on your beard growth to which direction you shave in and which way to stretch the skin.

How do I know when I will need to send the razor out to get sharpened or touched up?

When the razor starts to slightly tug when shaving or cutting becomes more difficult.


Would getting a second strop w/ some CrOx and stropping it once a week? or every 5-6 shaves? help maintain the edge for longer?

Yes using crox in this way would keep it shave ready for longer between needing to revert to using a stone. A long with proper stropping it can last a fair amount of time.

Ruckin,
Welcome to the forum.You're right, you do need another one for backup when you send your razor out to be honed. I hope you got Lynn's dvd, it is very instructional, you can't beat it. If not buy it, you won't regret it. Also don't use toilet paper to dry it off, use a clean towel. Be very careful when it is wet. I've read too many horror stories about one slipping from a hand & chipping the blade in the sink or on the faucet. Sounds like you are getting it down though & that's the main thing. Later it would be a good idea to invest in your own hones if you have the time for doing so. It'll save you time & money in the long run. If you're anything like me, you'll get the addiction & start buying more razors from places like ebay. Lynn's video shows how to shop on eBay plus much, much more. Don't jump into anything, especially a razor with a frown on the edge. Always make sure you dry it off after use & leave it out to dry. I use a lube called Tuf Glide which is used by the Navy Seals. It drys off to be a dry lube after a short while. You can get it from some vendors or direct from the manufacturer, Gun Cleaning, Knife Care, Gun Care, Lubrication & Corrosion Protection, Rust Stopper, Oil-Free, Sentry Solutions. I'm sold on the stuff, it works great! I've mentioned it so much on here I feel like I'm doing a commercial. Good luck in your new venture & I hope you learn plenty on here. There is a wealth of information on this site. Best regards!

Good for you. As an also new to SR shaving, 3 weeks or so, it is quite a journey. I too had to go through all the different gyrations on how to position my hands and razor to get to different areas of my face. So far I try using my left hand with, so far, poor co-ordination issues. A work in progress. It gets better with practice though. Good luck in your journey. Get another razor though and you probably should learn to hone. I haven't yet! Go to the meet, it will be a learning experience. I recently participated in a meet in Sacramento, CA and learned a lot and met a lot of good people.

Well, I have ordered the SRD video and watched the shaving and sharpening part a few times. I also picked up a hart steel that was supposed to be shave ready. When I go it I really liked the weight and how it felt in the hand... But the blade didn't feel sharp and more importantly after a N->S pass it seemed like I had not removed any whiskers! I spent some time stropping the blade and it will shave the hair on my arm/leg (dry) like crazy but now the bolt keeps coming loose so until I figure out how to keep it tensioned and not working itself loose every time the blade is moved I will stick with my other razor (which still feels sharper).

I know I don't have that many SR shaves, but when I compare the first pass with my SR and DE there is no comparison and it is not in favor of the SR. I realize that I should be working on "reduction" but I am having a seriously hard time telling if I have removed/trimmed any whiskers unless I examine the blade closely. With my DE I do a N->S pass followed by a S->N pass and usually a bit of touch up under my jaw on the non dominant side, a bit on the chin and the upper lip. With the SR I can do 99% of the N->S pass and I can go S->N on my neck up to the jaw line. I can't seem to figure out how to make funny faces and/or stretch the skin to be effective on my S->N on the cheeks, chin and upper lip. I can hold the razor and to an ear to nose pass on the cheeks but I can't seem to get much tension on the skin for that either. About that point I lather up one more time bust out the DE and do a S->N pass and end up with a super smooth shave. I then spend the rest of the day wondering how I can improve my SR skill.