Thread: Throw in the towell, SR and the strop that hasnt even arrived yet?

Oh yeah, I was going to do this right! I bought the $58 Wap honed by Ken, looked at every video on this site, ordered Lynn's video, Miller strop....
Unlike my usual rush into a new venture, I decided to take it slow...mostly out of fear.
But, this morning, instead of picking up the slant, that I'm only now getting used to, I, gasp, took the shiny handled cheek slicer.
Why?
I put the spine against a sideburn (dominant hand side, of course). Angled the blade.....stroke. My god, no blood, no whiskers. Again. Again. Now move closer to the crease lines near my nose. Jackass! Why did you move down when it was evident the toe was pressing in, the heel out? Slice...blood. Hard to stop blood. Stopped. Evidence apparent. Wife's "sympathetic wrath" (folks, I once (true story) was bitten by a shark! en route to the hospital in the ambulance she kept calling me an asshole for doing this to her!!! Ok she was pregnant and about to pop due to the excitement).
So, sell the strop the moment it arrives?
Keep getting those nice de shaves that I've been getting for years?
Be satisfied with looks of my brushes and scuttle neatly arranged on the counter?
In need of support. Am I really going to slice myself each time I try?

Jim

Originally Posted by jleeg

Oh yeah, I was going to do this right! I bought the $58 Wap honed by Ken, looked at every video on this site, ordered Lynn's video, Miller strop....
Unlike my usual rush into a new venture, I decided to take it slow...mostly out of fear.
But, this morning, instead of picking up the slant, that I'm only now getting used to, I, gasp, took the shiny handled cheek slicer.
Why?
I put the spine against a sideburn (dominant hand side, of course). Angled the blade.....stroke. My god, no blood, no whiskers. Again. Again. Now move closer to the crease lines near my nose. Jackass! Why did you move down when it was evident the toe was pressing in, the heel out? Slice...blood. Hard to stop blood. Stopped. Evidence apparent. Wife's "sympathetic wrath" (folks, I once (true story) was bitten by a shark! en route to the hospital in the ambulance she kept calling me an asshole for doing this to her!!! Ok she was pregnant and about to pop due to the excitement).
So, sell the strop the moment it arrives?
Keep getting those nice de shaves that I've been getting for years?
Be satisfied with looks of my brushes and scuttle neatly arranged on the counter?
In need of support. Am I really going to slice myself each time I try?

Jim

I'd give it a chance.

I'm assuming you have the lather and prep down, since you all ready shave with a DE.

Light touch on the razor. no more than 30 degree angle, try a little less. Proper skin stretching is important. Try taking shorter strokes.

If it doesnt feel right or you are uncomfortable at all, STOP!

Originally Posted by jleeg

In need of support. Am I really going to slice myself each time I try?

That, as they say, depends. Mainly on the amount of pressure you apply. Incidentally, I only cut myself badly once, and that was when I switched from round points to a heavy spike. My, my, who would have thought an ear wound would take more than two hours to heal?

You might find the beginners section in the Wiki useful, but also this article: Basic Shaving Passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck.

Jim,

Welcome to SRP! Cuts can happen, but I don't know any
of the guys (besides Rich ) around here who have cut them-
selves more than a couple times.

My advice is to keep the strop, and pick up the blade when you
feel comfortable. Don't push it, and don't worry about giving it
another shot right away. Learning to shave with a straight does
take time, but I think you'll find in the long run that it is well
worth the learning curve and the little cuts along the way.

Good luck!

- Scott

You learn very quickly during the first few shaves with a straight. You start with practically zero relevant skill, but almost immediately you develop muscle memory that helps you make safe confident strokes. Soon you have forgotten those early, nervous steps. Then one day as you are nonchalantly swiping the blade over your face you ask yourself: "Wait, how the hell am I doing all this WITHOUT cutting myself?"

The situation really is reversed completely. Your assumption (and fact) becomes that you can shave without serious injury.

Trust me, the fear of the blade fades quickly. You just need to remind yourself to respect it.

Don't give up!

You can't go giving up after that! Just be more careful next time & keep an eye on what the blade's doing. Be aware that the blade is sharp, but it's your tool & works better when used with confidence. I know that can be hard when the damn thing's just bitten you, but it will grow as you become more profficient.
Good luck.

Take it slow. It is really worth the effort and the patience. Stay cool and respect the blade. They are sharp, you know?
Good luck! And ask questions, surf the forum and ask more questions. There is no other way to learn.

I jest, of course

Originally Posted by Rajagra

You learn very quickly during the first few shaves with a straight. You start with practically zero relevant skill, but almost immediately you develop muscle memory that helps you make safe confident strokes. Soon you have forgotten those early, nervous steps. Then one day as you are nonchalantly swiping the blade over your face you ask yourself: "Wait, how the hell am I doing all this WITHOUT cutting myself?"

The situation really is reversed completely. Your assumption (and fact) becomes that you can shave without serious injury.

Trust me, the fear of the blade fades quickly. You just need to remind yourself to respect it.

Don't give up!

Originally Posted by jleeg

...
Why did you move down when it was evident the toe was pressing in, the heel out? Slice...blood.
...

Now that you know one mistake to avoid, why stop now? I think that you should keep trying now that your "initiation" cut is out of the way.

And welcome to straight shaving.

You're trying to give up that easily? Seriously, you can't expect to get an awesome shave without cuts the first time you use a straight. I nicked my chin this morning and I am 2 weeks into learning this and that's with everyday using the straight.

Like everyone has said on these forums, it can take months to get an awesome shave without cutting yourself.

Let the cut heal, put something on it to help it, and then go back to trying. Just be more careful. When I said be careful in our PMs I REALLY meant be careful. I am sure most of the guys on here have sliced themselves several times, if not more, and still learned to use their straight and now get amazing BBS with it.

When you touch the blade to your face make sure it's not with the edge totally against your skin. You're going to slice yourself.use light slow strokes, short ones, with your arm not with your wrist.

Don't try to use the razor until you strop again! You've already shaved once, without stropping the next shave will probably be worse.