My first attempt at SR shaving

I have been DE shaving for 4 months after having used electric razors for the last 30 years or so. After reading all the great information on the forum, I decided to break out my Dad’s King straight and give it a try. I sent it off to a reputable company for restoration, scale replacement, and honing. It came back better than I had expected.


I watched all the videos, tutorials, and Lynn’s DVD (multiple times) so I thought it was about time. So this morning I gave it a try on my cheeks only. This was also my first time using Tabac soap, which turns out to be the slickest product I have used to date. Having read the advice to not strop the first time a razor came back from honing so I could know what a sharp razor is, I did not strop. However, even using the Tabac, the razor seemed to really tug. I got a very close shave (WTG only) with no nicks or cuts, but it tugged on both cheeks. I was very careful to keep the blade within on spine’s with of my skin. I was pretty slow with the blade and used short strokes with almost no pressure. After the shave, I dried the blade and scales; stropped 20 passes on linen and 30 on leather. I will strop 50 passes on leather prior to next use.


My question; have I destroyed the honing job or can I strop prior to the next shave and bring it back; or is it just my technique? Or...is there really a problem and I am just getting a lot of feedback from the razor? I did have two days growth.

i would guess it's just technique, the correct amount of pressure is just enough to wipe off the lather. also might experiment with different angles. if your stropping technique is good than no harm will be done to the razor. you'll have to wait till your next shave to see.

Sometimes starting with an heirloom razor is not the wisest choice. As beginners we tend to beat the gear up a little. You may want to seriously insider getting a second razor sooner rather than later.

Thank you both for the input. I do believe it is probably my technique. I plan to continue with the Tabac for a while as I finished the shave with my Fatboy and got a BBS. Also, that is good advice of not using my Dad's razor very much. I have a new Ralf Aust that I acquired from SRD and of course it was honed prior to shipment. I will give it a try for my next shave. Thanks again for your help.

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Originally Posted by Grayelk

Thank you both for the input. I do believe it is probably my technique. I plan to continue with the Tabac for a while as I finished the shave with my Fatboy and got a BBS. Also, that is good advice of not using my Dad's razor very much. I have a new Ralf Aust that I acquired from SRD and of course it was honed prior to shipment. I will give it a try for my next shave. Thanks again for your help.

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I have a plain 5/8 RA and it is a great shaver. Getting it from SRD means that it will be shave ready so I would give that one a shot! Make sure you watch the videos on stropping as well so you don't dull your new razors like I did.

Thanks Ernie1980....Question on stropping. I made a practice paddle strop and used an old razor I purchased at an antique shop for a while. I have watched multiple videos and they all seem to strop slower or very fast. I particularly like the video by Anthony Esposito on YouTube and he goes fairly slow. It seems you can be more careful and much more precise going a little slower, especially since I am new. Some posts say speed matters and Anthony doesn't. I realize one shouldn't go extremely slow. So, I guess I am asking whether speed really matters?

I think as you're are starting the better term during your stropping would be deliberate. The stroke does not need to be slow but you really need to take time at the transitions when flipping the razor. Make sure the razor has stopped completely, roll on the spine and then start moving the razor. As you build muscle memory and get to feel comfortable stropping it will go quicker.
I still try to be "deliberate" when I strop, even though it takes me about a quarter as much time as it did when I started.

Don't forget to stretch the skin properly either. It can make a huge difference

It's been said before, but skin stretching really does make a huge difference. It sounds like you're doing everything else right, so I'd try that. Also maybe see if you can borrow someone's razor that has been shaving for a while so you know what a good sharp solid razor feels like. Good luck! Be patient!

You say the Tabac was slick, so I would discount the lather as the problem, although sometimes IME if you don't get enough water in the lather you can get into trouble. Tabac id lovely stuff, though, and if it was slick I'd say you're good there.
Usually when a straight pulls or tugs a lot it's because it isn't sharp enough. I don't know who honed your razor, but give the RA a go and report back. If it is giving you trouble as well, my money's on technique, as mentioned above.
Good luck, and be patient and hang in there. The learning curve on a straight can be steep, but if you persist, you will find one of the finest things in life.

My 2nd attempt with the SR. I still have the same problem with the RA razor. I made two complete WTG passes today and found that the RA razor's angle is quite a bit different than the King razor. For one thing, the King is a 4/8 and the RA is 5/8. The 2nd pass seemed better and didn't tug as much as I lowered the angle to almost flat against my skin. I believe the Tabac was too dry and the angle on the 1st pass was too steep. I believe I started with too little water in the brush (squeezed it almost dry) and loaded too much product initially. I did get a slight amount of razor burn in a couple of places but no nicks or cuts with the SR. Prior to the shave I stropped the razor 20 passes on linen and 50 on the leather. After the shave, I stropped it 10 on linen and 30 on leather. I will try again tomorrow with only one day of growth.

Thank you all for your input and suggestions so far.

Your doing well, keep it up. It really does take about a hundred shaves to really start getting your technique, lather and stropping in order.

In a few months you will be rewarded with the best shaves of your life and a little ego boost knowing that you can do what most cannot.

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Originally Posted by apipeguy

Your doing well, keep it up. It really does take about a hundred shaves to really start getting your technique, lather and stropping in order.

In a few months you will be rewarded with the best shaves of your life and a little ego boost knowing that you can do what most cannot.

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+1 to all of that. Keep going. Don't give up.
When you get to the point of wanting to give up, that's when you are almost there. Push through, and you will see.
One piece of advice i would give regarding lather is that you want it to look a lot thinner than you are used to seeing it with a DE. Hydration is key to a straight razor lather, IMO.

Greyelk:
You are on track, keep at it and let us know how we can help, good advice has been given so far.

I use Tabac exclusively and face lather with cold water. It's almost impossible to get too much Tabac in a brush but it is possible to start with your brush too dry. Make sure that you soak your soap puck while your brush is soaking.
Your lather should be less lofty than what you are used to when shaving with a DE, and wetter but not thin.
Use as much soap as you can load into the brush but then use a little water to get that creamy super slick consistency that provides the best protection, you will not need as much cushion as you are used too using a DE.

Remember razor burn usually indicates either too much pressure or too high a blade angle or both, no more than a spines width for angle and very light pressure will yield very good results as long as your blade is sharp.

Coming from someone with really coarse hair, my first shave with a SR was a downer in a way. The slicing power compared to a disposable Mach 3 razor was very different. But after talking to my grandfather, he said that's why he switch over. It was easier and sharper. LOL! That's when I knew it was just the nature of the SR. So I continued on with traditional SR shaving. Being a perfectionist, I honed my razors to the sharpest I can get them. There still is slight resistance compared to disposables, but it's very smooth considering. It's amazing how what used to be thought of a s a pain in the rear, has become to be seen as an art form and respected. Recently I found out that my grandfathers brother never left straight shaving. He said it's the only way.

RaptorAddict hinted at this but 'resistance' is often mistaken for 'pulling' when just starting out. Because the leverage is so much different when transitioning to a straight from a traditional razor it feels like it isn't cutting through the whiskers especially with coarse whiskers. And that is exacerbated with incorrect blade angle. After the standard 100 shaves you get a feel for how much resistance your whiskers provide and you can tell when it's pulling.

I want to thank you all for the help so far. The advice about the shiny lather and the resistance/pulling is especially what I need to hear at this point. I believe I have been using too narrow of an angle with the razor almost flat and I tried a two-spine width angle yesterday with better results. I am still getting quite a lot of tugging, but I probably still don't have the angle quite right. I tried some MWF yesterday and worked it until shiny; it seemed to work pretty well, but still dried quickly. The recommendation to lather in sections is good advice as I am about as fast as a slow snail. I am especially struggling with the left hand coordination, but it is coming along. Again, thank you all for the help and encouragement!!!

An update on my progress: After shaving WTG on both cheeks, I decided to try to go up on the neck and found I am not there yet. This morning I tried to do the same, watching both pressure and angle, but still had some pretty bad razor burn. I have decided to back off and go very slow and get comfortable with the razor in both hands on a WTG pass for cheeks and neck only before going further. I tried going cold rather than hot, but didn't see any difference. It is all about technique and it is going to take me some time to figure it out. However, I am not one to give up and I am sure it will eventually come to me.

I am not really sure how light a touch is needed. If I go too light with a shallow angle, the stubble will not be cut. If I go a little heavier, I get razor burn. I know I need to work on the proper stretching of the skin. But after watching the Geofatboy video, I tried his technique just under the nose and it really irritated the area. He seems to use a greater angle, of which I tried and my skin is still healing from the scrapping. It is almost like a light carpet burn. I will regroup after healing and try again. I have also found that sticking with a soap rather than a cream is better for me at this time (Tabac and MWF).

Thanks again for all the help.

Another short update to my ongoing SR shaving saga. It is amazing how shaves from day to day can be different. I had a great shave today. There are several things I did different than I had been doing previously. I used the following today:

Washed face with Shea Butter soap; damp dried and applied Proraso while I made lather. Prior to lathering I applied hot towel to face X 2, then reapplied Proraso.
Preshave: Proraso Green Tea & Oatmeal before each pass.
Razors: Ralf Aust 5/8 Straight Razor (cheeks/neck WTG; cheeks only XTG). Gillette 1961 Fatboy (finished ATG only)
Soap: Mama Bear, Sandalwood/Rose
Brush: Vie-Long, Horse Hair (1st time to use it)
Post shave: Thayers Rose Witch Hazel; Lucky Tiger AS Tonic

The details I changed included using the Proraso between each pass as I had only used it before the 1st pass before. I lathered in sections, which seemed to help with the soap drying too quickly. The soap and the brush were also different. Ever since I had been wet shaving I had used alum over my entire face to calm the burn. I did not use it today and had no burn at all. I am now wondering if I am allergic to alum.

I am getting a little better each time with the SR; this was my 9th partial practice shave.

Are there any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Your doing just fine, it is after all just your ninth partial shave. Short of having someone watch and help you, all you can do is experiment a little with pre-shave prep, lather, angles, pressure, etc. just don't try too many new things at once or you won't know what made the difference.

Just keep practicing and you will get it and your face will get accustomed to the straight.

Soon things that didn't work well, will and with no real explanation as to why, they just will.

All is well, your doing good. It will soon be very easy for you but it will take some time. Give yourself a couple months with every day shaves. Soon you'll wonder why it was difficult in the beginning when you first started with the straight.

Most of all, just enjoy the experiance.

Keep it up! Keep notes of what you have done and the result, and eventually you will figure out what works best for you and what you simply prefer. Most of all, have fun and make sure you ask if you don't know:)

Sounds like you're dialing it in. I think as you gain experience you won't need as much pre-shave. I still lather in sections so that's something that might be good to carry forward.

If your shave is mostly nick free then the alum won't burn. I suppose you could be allergic but it sounds more like you just had a better shave.

Really the biggest trick is getting a feel for resistance and pressure and it sounds like you're getting closer and closer to the sweet spot.