I survived my first (partial) straight razor shave

Hi All -

First wanted to say thanks for this wonderful resource (been lurking for a while) and the opportunity to learn from all of you.

Got a Dovo 5/8 "Old West" as a gift recently and, after getting my Illinois strop & Mr. Abram's DVD (thanks, sir - your enthusiasm is infectious!) from ClassicShaving.com (Thanks, Will) I was ready to experiment.

I took my razor to the strop today (about 10 strokes on linen side and about 50 on the leather) - enjoyed the hot towel, lathering & went to work. I was a bit surprised how much the razor "grabbed" the hair - you really can hear/feel it cutting - compared to the classic disposable. I took my time, experimenting with the angle, grip & how much pressure to apply to let the razor to do the work.

You really do get that "learning to ride a bike" feeling! I only did the sides of the face & a bit of the neck, reapplying lather as things got dry. Seeing what you're doing in the mirror is a challenge when you're worried about skin stretching, angle, grip & everything else at the same time! :) I then finished up with my Mach 3 & came away from the whole thing with only one little nick.

A modest start, I know, but I think I'm going to enjoy this and look forward to honing my skills; now I just need another razor or two, right? :)

Musing over a couple of questions now, post-shave: how much stropping before the next shave (always 20-50) and what's the best way to keep the razor spot/rust free (I did towel dry all bu the edge after shaving)? Don't have any sewing machine oil, but could you touch up the razor with Tuf-glide, 3-in-1 or perhaps Witch Hazel? When touching up with a Q-tip, we should avoid the edge, right?

Anyway just glad to be here & looking forward to embarking on this great new adventure - Best, Martin

I dont usually oil my blades unless I know they are going to sit for a while or I am going to ship one, then I use a mineral oil on a fingertip. Tuf-glide or 3n1 are also good choices. When it comes to stropping I would suggest a minimum of 30x30 linen/leather.

Congrats, Martin! Of course you need another razor or better a dozen. ;) You will also order your first hone soon and in a few weeks you will be shopping for a silvertip brush, scuttle and some more shaving cream. Resistance is futile!

I usually do 20-30 laps on the linen side and twice as many on the leather side between shaves. I do not oil my blades except after restoration because I rotate them fairly frequently. I rub my strop with my palms daily to make it draw nicely.


PS: Czechmart - any relation to Central Europe? ;)

Thanks guys - yep, my wife is Czech (from south Moravia) so I'm more or less "adopted" now :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Czechmart

Thanks guys - yep, my wife is Czech (from south Moravia) so I'm more or less "adopted" now :)

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Good choice! My mother told me to marry a girl from South Moravia but I did not listen and married one from West Bohemia. :gaah:

Martin
Congrats! - I too have only been str8 shave for about 3 weeks. Today I went all out to try and get the BBS/DFS.
I ended up with a good shave - BBS on sides of face which now 12 hours on are still smooth as can be. Got a bit of burn on neck.
The hardest thing I find is manipulating the hand around to get XTG or ATG.
The pulling thing is what we all get at first - it goes away with a mixture of skin stretching and CONFIDENCE!
Cheers
Tmax

Hi CzechMart,

It seems You are doing great.. just wanted to check one thing... did you buy your razor "shaveready"

I usualy "strop" the razor dry after my shave so the edge is dry as wel.. I dont oil my razors As I use them frequently..

Have fun!

Maarten

Congrats Chechmart! Welcome to the dark side.

I find a gentle "stropping" motion on a towel will dry the edge without damaging it. Unless you're in a very humid environment with no a/c, etc. I don't think you need oil the razor between uses. Let it dry for a while before you put it away and store it in a dry place and you should be fine.

Jordan

welcome to srp sounds like you are off to a great start it does take a little time to get the feel of a straight but enjoy the learning aspect of it too :gl:

Appreciate it guys! Tonight was the second go - still stuck with just the sides of the face and a little bit of the neck. This time I also stropped longer before shaving on the linen side & then the leather (about 30-40 times each).

This was after the shower & as advised, just wiped the razor off on a towel as needed - no water contact with the razor.

Got one nick for my trouble as I laid the razor on my face, trying to make a scythe on edge of upper face closer to the nose - just laid it there, checking the angle & wham, felt it bite - classic noob mistake! Well it wasn't bad - and even my wife is emarking how you really can feel the smoothness difference from a classic disposible (again used for finishing up) even just going WTG.

My DOVO was telling me that I'm not ready to go there yet - but, making progress!

The fastest way to learn is forcing yourself to use straights only. Touching up with disposables is cheating! :D

whatever you strop on the linen double it on the leather try doing 25x linen and 50 leather :D

I usually strop about 60 laps before each shave. I don't use canvas as much as I probably should...

On some razors, local water being a factor, "water-spots" just happen. 2 to 5 slow laps on a strop, after a towel, will dry the very edge pretty well. One way to avoid rust is to use some oil. I live in a humid area and use Ballistol applied with a cottonball or similar (you can oil the very edge with those, lightly, w/o worry). Mineral and Camellia oil are also user-friendly.

Congratulations on the shaves. Good luck with the acquisition disorders...:D

Welcome to the fold. I strop 60 laps before each shave and 12-20 after. Sometimes I do 12-20 lasps on the linen before the before leather. :D

X

PS nice avatar