Overall, I did pretty well. I'm shaving with a 5/8 Wapi I got from Mike R. The thing is beautifully sharp, a real work of art.

I started off with the mustache, using a coup de maitre (sp?) technique. I got a couple nicks setting up the blade before the actual stroke just under the nose, so I'll have to be more careful and work on that.

Next I did the sideburns and cheeks. On this part I need to watch my angle. I found myself coming in too steep, then I would turn the blade too shallow. When i got it right, I could definitely tell though, so I'm thinking its a matter of practice.

After that I kinda lost order, and went for whatever parts of the face were left. So I probably should work on doing things in the same order every time. Is there any order you guys would suggest?

Also, at one point I nicked a knuckle on my left hand that was stretching the skin out for the blade, so I need to be more aware of where the blade ends and begins.

The after-shave was a pretty humbling experience. I noticed a lot of areas where I was probably taking off skin in addition to hair. That being said, it was by far the best shave of my life, I'm really looking forward to getting the hang of it.

As for stropping, I'm going to save that for tomorrow when my strop arrives. I was going to use my belt to try, but upon inspection it's kinda warped, and I'd rather be sure not to damage the edge of the blade.

Any tips you might have, I'd be much obliged.

I guess this would also be the place to mention that I started shaving with a straight razor because I'll be going off to a Maritime Academy in the fall. So I'll need to be shaving everyday, and I'm already at my last wit with safety razors. So I figured it was time to take off the training wheels.

Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions,

-Tex