Thread: Notes from the classroom

Well my classes in straight shaving have been going well out here. Most of the "students" lately have been reenactors or guys that have been shaving for a bit and need some extra help. The look I get on some of their faces when I suggest coming out to the internet to learn more about straight shaving is often pretty funny. I guess they have a point. I haven't noted anyone on the forum from VA in a while. Anyway, here is what I've noticed are some of the challenges in teaching guys to shave better with a straight in a single evening.

1. Usually guys are using waaaaay too much water when making a lather with cream. I teach guys to squeeze the water out, twirl the brush in the cream and just get a small touch of cream, far less than an almond size dollop. With a dryer brush they start swirling and find how hard it is to swirl and how much tension builds up in the dish. After they stick with it for about 45 seconds and whine about how hard they have to turn the brush they see the thick heavy cream they create and go "Ohhhhh I see!". Its funny seeing guys that almost have it all down except for the lather, suddenly get better shaves. They almost want to slink out at the end of the night.

2. Most of the guys that I've been teaching are using barber hones. Makes more sense for reenactors I suppose. The one thing that guys honing seem to not pick up on is the importance of equal pressure . I try to explain how you could hone one side of a bevel down consistently lower than the other side, back and forth, never really hitting a good edge. Sometimes I have to tell people that using only the weight of the blade is as much about using equal pressure as it is using a light touch. In other words, if you use only the weight of the blade, its often equal, if you do it right. True enough, I don't let anyone go straight down the hone around here :-) but sometimes I describe how the x pattern allows for a lighter touch and helps to not apply any pressure during the stroke.

3. I find that most guys that use pastes are almost always slightly overhoning. Once I show them the little slight chipping in the edge with a microscope they often say "So what?" but once I convince them that even slight chipping is what causes an overhoned edge to shave poorly before it shaves with irritation they suddenly get it. This usually requires the microscope, some light rehoning, and more shaving to make my point, but it works.

4. I'm finding that using the right amount of pressure while stropping helps too and it depends on whether they use hones or pastes. Slighter pressure when using pastes seems to help. I try to get guys to use light pressure and then build up a little pressure, then back off again. I don't seem to have any trouble with guys tearing or rolling their edges but I've seen a slightly greater propensity with guys that bring hard leather strops that are less supple. When they apply pressure we've had problems. I've had good success with teaching people not to go the full length of the strop in the beginning and working their way into the full length of the strop. With a taught strop we don't seem to have many issues with pressure. I still tell guys to use light pressure, if it works, but I teach them how a little pressure can smooth out the edge and prevent the problem of slight irritation when the razor is just off the hone.

5. I've stopped worrying about guys shaving with both hands or not, I let them choose. I no longer teach people to stretch their skin though. Now I say simply "support your skin against the motion of the razor". I found that teaching guys to strop more effectively they need to support their skin far less. Many stop stretching the skin on the sides of the cheeks altogether on the second pass, because its a very smooth shave.

Well thats it from historic Stephens City VA. Hope your learning is going well.

How did you start this practice?

X

Its always been informal. I started by meeting a few guys on here and it blossomed a little as I moved out into the country and found more people in this region that were interested in straight shaving and a few "students" were selling them as antiques and not really shaving with them but found it interesting none the less. In Fairfax, VA no one cared at all, but since moving out to a town founded in 1758 (I think) lots more people either sell them or are interested in learning about how to use them (mostly without any interest in actually shaving with them). Some also want to learn how to "act" like they are doing it right, like reenactors. A few have wanted to learn how to hone because they cut their hair with straight razors, that was a new one to me.