Thread: It has begun

Good decision. I'm glad you saw the razors to avoid list. You did the right thing & have a good razor coming your way for your birthday. Congrats & welcome to the forum!

That's a GREAT choice, and you KNOW it'll be shave ready!

BTW, go really easy with the initial stropping. I'd go 10/10 max. You could even not strop at all on the first shave to really experience a sharp edge with no fear you have had any effect on it at all...

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

That's a GREAT choice, and you KNOW it'll be shave ready!

Thanks. When the bug started to grow, I was watching videos on YouTube. Then I started searching around the interwebdevice for reviews and stumbled on this place. I read the beginners page. Then I read lots of posts, took suggestions and then read First Straight razor shave post by Lynn. I realized that the razor I was buying would be honed by Lynn and he was highly recommended. Yesterday I went back to the youtube searching and caught that all of the video's I had watched were Lynn Abrams. Full circle.

I have slid about 75% of the cash to my daughter and I am getting anxious. I may decide that she's pulling the trigger early.

Thanks again to you members of the forum who stepped up with advice, and those who's advise towards others influenced my decision.

Originally Posted by Erosadis

Thanks. When the bug started to grow, I was watching videos on YouTube. Then I started searching around the interwebdevice for reviews and stumbled on this place. I read the beginners page. Then I read lots of posts, took suggestions and then read First Straight razor shave post by Lynn. I realized that the razor I was buying would be honed by Lynn and he was highly recommended. Yesterday I went back to the youtube searching and caught that all of the video's I had watched were Lynn Abrams. Full circle.

I have slid about 75% of the cash to my daughter and I am getting anxious. I may decide that she's pulling the trigger early.

Thanks again to you members of the forum who stepped up with advice, and those who's advise towards others influenced my decision.

Be patient, while you are waiting to receive the razor ON YOUR BIRTHDAY , you can practice making great lather, just use one soap or cream and one brush until you are really good with it, don't muddy the waters, the lather etc can be used with a normal multi blade and will add something to your existing shave, bear in mind that non straight razors can get away with a slightly drier lather than straights.
You can also practice stropping using either the actual strop and a butter knife/ razor analogue or a strip of newspaper in a bulldog clip. You should be focusing on pressure, learning to flip the blade and keeping it flat on the strop.
If you do these things sooner rather than later, by the time your daughter gives you the razor a lot of the other stuff will be under control so you will be able to focus on the shave.

Sorry to disagree carl, but i wouldn't strop the razor until after your first shave.

Also I just realized that you are ordering a kit, so maybe get it early but hold off on giving yourself the razor until your birthday and just get familiar with all of the other stuff.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

...Sorry to disagree carl, but i wouldn't strop the razor until after your first shave...

Ed's 100% right, I actually wouldn't strop it before the first shave either. Funny thing is that the ONLY reason I mentioned this was because the site you're buying it from says you should do this; and I didn't want to disagree with the site, but of course it's very often recommended that you don't, so you can experience the virgin edge so to speak. Of course Lynn would have stropped it for you.

I remember I didn't even have a strop when I got my SR, which was probably a good thing. I was trying to teach my 17 YO son how to strop the other day (the 23 YO has been shaving with a straight for years; the younger son just the last 6 months or so; it was great teaching them) and it was quite difficult. He was going so light he was in danger of running the razor the wrong way; and was mostly polishing the spine! I was really flinching thinking my nice razor was about to get wrecked. Stropping is almost as hard at shaving with a straight, in my opinion.

Actually, I might take one of my razors, my Burrell Top Flight which is certainly shave ready and use JUST that razor, without stropping either before or after the shave; with no honing or any other attempt to dress the edge, and see how long I can comfortably shave for. It'd be interesting...

@Ed Great advise, thank you. I will pick up a news paper and coffee cup hook and set up a butter knife strop simulator in my restroom tonight. The only problem I have with practicing making good lather and using a multi-blade is that I do not own a multi-blade, or a razor of any kind. Haven't used one in close to twenty years. I should probably pick up an inexpensive razor and get acquainted with shaving again. I'm sure I will need one for clean up when I'm learning. Maybe I will wait until my Birthday to attempt the first straight razor shave.

@Carl- You can take comfort in knowing that I too will probably be flinching while watching myself strop the razor for the first time.

Ok well just make nice lather, and apply it to yourface and see how long it takes to dry out etc, if nowt else it will make your face very clean
Sorry Carl, you did more research than i, i didnt checlk out SRD for their advice, i was just going with the advice usually given regarding first time stropping and damaging blade edges etc.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

...Sorry Carl, you did more research than i, i didnt checlk out SRD for their advice, i was just going with the advice usually given regarding first time stropping and damaging blade edges etc.

Oh, I'm very thorough
Erosadis, let us know how you go... You say you don't own a razor of any kind and haven't used one in 20 years, so I can only assume you're 12, or a girl, or you use an electric razor or you're bearded??? Can we play a game were we guess which one?

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Oh, I'm very thorough
Erosadis, let us know how you go... You say you don't own a razor of any kind and haven't used one in 20 years, so I can only assume you're 12, or a girl, or you use an electric razor or you're bearded??? Can we play a game were we guess which one?

I am going to eliminate 12 years old because that would indicate that Erosadis was at least -8 when (s) he was born, and shaved straight after being delivered, or (s) he is more than -8 years old.

Originally Posted by Erosadis

The only problem I have with practicing making good lather and using a multi-blade is that I do not own a multi-blade, or a razor of any kind.

OK electric razor is out,
The anecdotal evidence remaining would indicate a bearded man