Thread: Yet another new guy

Been a while since I popped in here, so just going to post some of my thoughts since the last time I was here...

Still using that gel in a can for my shaves, but I've noticed lately that my shaves have been getting better, especially the chin area. Not that the shaves are getting closer. That seems to be consistently good. However, the speed at which I'm going at appears to be faster. Fewer passes needed to get everything. I think this might be due to me getting better with the strop. I'm not quite sure.

On the topic of the strop, I've experimented with different speeds, angles and pressures, but I still don't really know what's the correct thing to do. What is the right angle, and how much pressure should I apply to the strop?

Originally Posted by hiigaran

Been a while since I popped in here, so just going to post some of my thoughts since the last time I was here...

Still using that gel in a can for my shaves, but I've noticed lately that my shaves have been getting better, especially the chin area. Not that the shaves are getting closer. That seems to be consistently good. However, the speed at which I'm going at appears to be faster. Fewer passes needed to get everything. I think this might be due to me getting better with the strop. I'm not quite sure.

On the topic of the strop, I've experimented with different speeds, angles and pressures, but I still don't really know what's the correct thing to do. What is the right angle, and how much pressure should I apply to the strop?

Angle of what?
The razor should be flat on the strop;
The angle of the strop itself can be anything that feels right for you from almost vertical to completely horizontal.

Hop that helps, and i didn't just misunderstand your question

good to hear from you and to get an update on your progress.
I'm afraid that if you have stropped any angle other than the proper angle you've most likely reduced the sharpness of the razor.
Perhaps you should purchase a strop block if you have not already done so which is the easiest to learn on and the cheapest to buy.
My suggestion would be this,....even though you are on an old computer you should figure out a way to watch the stropping tutorials on U-tube

Hmm. It appears I've misunderstood the purpose of a strop then. I thought I read something about it keeping the blade straight.

Alright, more shaves and strops later...

So I mentioned in my other post that I've noticed my shaving was better. As I had no idea of the proper stropping method, I was experimenting with different angles. The one that I did during the days prior to that post were of the proper method, which is why I noticed at the time that my shaves were getting better.

I've continued with the proper method since, and I've noticed the same good quality, so I think I'm on the right track now. I think I must have lucked out with the dulling, because it still feels as sharp as it did when I got it. I did my improper stropping very gently, so that was probably a contributing factor.

I just read this thread from the first entry to today's. A couple of questions and observations.

I take it that when you shave you are more or less maintaining a angle of about 1 to 1-1/2 the width of the spine. A statement by a member I can't remember advised some time ago that next to stretching the skin the best way to get a decent shave is to shave the lather, not the beard. In other words, as light a pressure as possible (that results in little or no skin irritation).

As for the strop, what is the humidity level like in Dubai? Under normal conditions all a strop needs is hand rubbing before each shave to keep it in shape. Vintage strops often need an oil or lanolin treatment to revitalize them. Most strops come in two pieces. The leather component and a linen, cotton or webbing of some kind. The second component is generally used for 15 o 25-30 laps to basically clean the razor of any residual gunk. The leather side is then used, 25 to whatever your OCD demands of you to align the blade back to as close as it was when the bevel was first set. Light pressure on both sides of the strop is paramount to keeping the blade sharp enough to avoid a re honing for years, if done right.

Hopefully this will help your growing understanding of this obsessive area we dwell in.

Humidity in Dubai varies, but it's irrelevant in my apartment. Everything is closed off and air conditioned. By that, I'm going to guess the humidity is a little lower than average. I've been using the hand method ever since it was suggested to me.

The strop itself doesn't look like it has that second component. It looks like leather as well, but of a different kind to the side I use for stropping. So far, I've been using my fingers to very gently clean the blade with. Basically lightly running the blade between my fingers. Blade side facing my fingers, and moving the blade to one side, and outward, to avoid cutting myself. I doubt it's a method anyone would approve of though.

The only suggestion I could make at this time since you see to have things under control is the following.

As regards to cleaning your blade I would run a trickle of water and rinse the blade in that and rub your thumb and forefinger on a bar soap and gently rub the blade to clean off any microscopic gunk that might be there. Rinse and dry. I have made it a strong habit to not get the scales wet and save myself a lot of work of clean-up and the like. I live in Oregon and you never know the humidity level on any given day unless you are obsessed with it so I do an additional step of dipping just the blade part in a mixture of rubbing alcohol and mineral oil and storing till next use.

Hello again!

So I think it's time for me to try my hand at this uberlather now. I found a small bottle of glycerin. What else is needed? There's the shaving gel, and the...shaving cream? Couldn't find any cream.

Also, any alternatives for a brush? Or will I need to get one specifically for shaving?

A good uberlather consists of 3 to 5 drops of glycerin, a cream in a tin or a tube (being in Dubai I would think you could get product from Australia easily) (Shave is a shaving cream in a tube and is an Australian product) and a brush load off of a puck of shaving soap. Proportions vary all the time. Besides the drops of glycerin add about an inch of shaving cream from a tube or about a glop the size of an almond if it is in a container. The puck will need to be loaded on a wet, but not dripping, brush. About 20 seconds of lightly twirling the brush around on the puck should be sufficient. Swirl it all together in your mug (or small bowl/big coffee cup) till you get a lather that looks and feels like whipped cream, adding a few drops of water here and there if needed. For some, doing trial runs helps them get there before they actually have to use the lather. Cheap learning curve. Yes, you need a shaving brush.

Give that a try and let us know how you are doing.