My First Straight Shave

Well, I've been working up to my first shave for a while now and today was the day for my first (partial) shave.

Wet shaving has been my routine for ten years now but I finally got all of my gear together to use and maintain a straight razor. Of course I started with my razor, a budget buy from the classifieds, a Shumate Tungsten 5/8 square point (yes, not the recommended round but increased risk begets enhanced caution). No it's not a beautiful or highly desirable blade but the price was right and being from the St. Louis area it seemed right to start by bringing this tool back to where it began its life.

So, I decided to keep it simple for my first attempt and stuck to using my right hand, my dominant, on the right side of my face. No issues whatsoever with my cheek so I decided to risk my neck and my only complaints came from the poor job I made of it (and not a real complaint at that). Then I made the mistake of trying to go XTG, no real issues on my cheek but the neck was a mistake and I was rewarded with a light case of razor burn and a nick on a blemish that I knew was going to be a casualty sooner or later.

As it stands my cheek is as clean as a two-pass shave with a new cartridge and I blame my insignificant injuries on my own lack of patience. I have to admit that I'm looking forward to my next attempt and I may risk my luck with using my non-dominant hand north of the jawline!

Good job! Good results for a first straight shave!

Slow and steady. I am on my second week and still have some difficulty on my non-dominate side.

So, Mrs. Ripper came home and after telling her that I used the straight razor for the first time she took a look at my neck and told me it looked red and angry. I guess that means the burn was a bit more drastic than "light." That's said I'm still happy and accept the irritating consequences as part of getting a little ahead of myself, a good reminder to take it slowly.

Congrats Ripper....good start. In placement of trying your neck, try the other cheek next shave. Slow and steady wins the race!

When you get to your neck, map it out (which way do your whiskers grow) and the stretch and do almost no pressure With The Grain. Don't overdo it, or you'll get discouraged. Finish and clean up with your cartridge for a while.

Harold speaks the truth! Always!
TBH, I think blade angle/technique, edge quality, and prep may be addressed, one at a time?
We have all been through this, normal stuff. Usually, an easy way out can be found! :)

keep it up. early next year makes 4 years and it's been a long haul but I think worth it. That geofatboy guy said 100 shaves minimum to get competent.

Nice job on your first shave.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Keep watching videos. Practice strokes and angles to figure out what works best for you. I remember using a plastic knife for that. It won't be long before you find your comfort zone and are well on your way.
Congratulations on a great first step.

Pete <:-}

Congrats. Smart move, buying a cheap razor....they cut just as well as the expensive ones.

Good to hear you are getting going. Typically razor burn is cause by one or any combination of pressure, bad angle, poor stretching. It can only go up from here. I have had a razor burn or two over time. They heal, just give them time.

Congrats on your first shave. Go slowly and with full attention to the task at hand. You will be rewarded soon enough with the best shaves of your life and a sense of accomplishment at mastering something not many people do anymore.

Two weeks in and the straight razor experiment is going very well. The damage I did on my first shave served as an excellent cautionary tale and I've managed to avoid any other real issues since, maybe a little insignificant razor burn and a definite lack of blood loss.

At this point I'm shaving my entire face (I've had a Van Dyke or a beard for twenty years now so "entire face" is a relative term) WTG and following up with a XTG cartridge pass on my cheeks and an ATG on the neck. At this point I'm normally getting very comfortable shaves and my cheeks are probably the cleanest they have been since before puberty. Currently my biggest challenge is changing my normal morning routine to an evening shave so that I'm not stumbling around the bathroom at 5 am while trying to drag a piece of rather sharp steel across my face.

The only real qualm I've had is wondering if my blade could use a visit to a honemeister. It was purchased 'shave ready' and while I don't really have any complaints it seems like it should be a touch sharper. I have already take a chance on two more Shumate razors purchased from ebay and I'll be sending them off here in the next few weeks to compare. At this point I'm heeding the community's advice and putting off learning the fine art of honing until I've got several months of shaving under my belt.

Where did you buy the razor? Some online stores do hone their razors before shipping them out. That could tell us whether it's really shave ready or not.

The razor was purchased here from the classifieds. I can certainly shave with the razor and have no complaints with the seller's claim (in deference to the seller I will not disclose their identity.) My issue really stems from inexperience.

I've read posts by more than a few members around here that 'shave ready' is always a subjective term and that many experienced shavers have had razors honed and were not really satisfied with the service that was provided, even when that person was experienced. Add to that my own inexperience in stropping and it is entirely possible that I've damaged a perfectly good edge that was provided to me by the seller.

I guess that what I'm really saying is that while I am fairly happy with the results I am getting I feel as if my blade should be a touch sharper and would like to try a truly "shave ready" razor. As an afterthought, I'm happy enough with my attempts that it might be worthwhile to invest in a new Aust or Dovo from SRD and make the comparison in that fashion.

Suggestions?

It isn't uncommon for someone new to straight shaving to damage their razor, either through poor technique or poor stropping.

Too much pressure, wrong angle or a poor lather can all make a razor feel less sharp. If you really want to try a fresh edge, however, you couldn't go wrong by either buying a new razor from srd or sending yours in to be honed. It costs $25 plus return postage

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KenWeir

Too much pressure, wrong angle or a poor lather can all make a razor feel less sharp. If you really want to try a fresh edge, however, you couldn't go wrong by either buying a new razor from srd or sending yours in to be honed. It costs $25 plus return postage

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or contact Lynn hes just up the road from you and hes always ready to help Tc

Lol, I didn't realize they were both st.l area

Let me start by saying that, after reading my post, the gentleman from whom I purchased my Shumate has offered to sharpen it again for me. For this and so many other reasons I can only praise this community.

At this point I'm going to send the other razors I've acquired off to be honed and made shave ready. (Hopefully I've learned enough that my eBay purchases aren't wasted money.) Due to proximity and the community's praise of Lynn's work I'll be getting those off to him the near future. At this point I'm going to keep using the razor I have, all the better to ascertain my inadequacies.

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