Newb's second shave, Caught on Camera !!!!

this is my second shave,
i used mamabear's sleighride scented soap (cinnamon)
a theo c. kochs razor, bone scales

any tips are welcome,
not for the faint of heart:nono:
YouTube - part1
*lol a nick on what, the first swipe?
YouTube - part2
YouTube - part3
the razor bump free /ultra smooth final product...
YouTube - finalpart
total time 22:30

damn, i got a Nice double chin when i look down:D
i think it took so many strokes, becuz sometimes my angle is the spine rubbing instead of the blade
*and i know, the lather was horrid.

nice one, it only gets better from there :D

- Tam -

Dude! That was too cool! Thanks for putting yourself out there and sharing. Nice music too. :w

Mac

I liked those vidoes! I think you're doing well. :tu

James.

Sorry i should say Please don't shave anymore. i watched only 1 st part of your video
it is mirror or i saw right you are using wrong hands to shave your face.
example right hand left face? if this is correct then don't Please.you use your right hand for rught face and left for left. this is easier way.
Second i understand this is your second shave . Please use WIKI IT IS great source for learning.
check videos people put up in there about shaving .
Now i will tell this.
when you shave keep your hand in stable position. whole arm goes down and up . i know doesn't look like right English. i will try another way.
Think about Gillet 3 blade .when you use it you keep handle right ? you bring your hand down and all 3 blades coming down same time right ? position of the blades doesn't change?
Now think this and make same 3 strokes without changing position of the blade. Your Blade shouldn't change angle while you are making your strokes.
seems like robot movement.
i dont know i am clear on this or not.
i am sure there is a video please check it if i find i will post in here.
good luck and don't worry everyone cuts himself when they start. i did cut myself at least for 6 months.

First off... it's cool that you are willing to open yourself up for public scrutiny of your second shave, very cool. There are plenty of people with more shaves under their belt than me, but since you said you'd like to hear any tips... I'll give you my thoughts. Please take these for what they are worth, I only intend them as food for thought.

The first thing I noticed is that your skin really looks like it's being pressed in where the razor is passing. To me it looked like a combination of a couple of things, 1) too much pressure, and 2) skin may not be stretched enough.

Also, I'd work on changing your angles when you are going over contours (like your chin etc.) so that you have a consistent shaving angle relative to your facial surface.

The last thing I'd say is that you may not need to do as many passes in the same direction (it seemed like you did WTG a few times and not much XTG or ATG besides your throat area). I'll be honest, I skipped around in the vids quite a bit, but that is what I saw.

I think you're off to a great start though, just a little nick after 22 mins of your second shave... not bad at all. It looks like you are being careful and I think your technique will come along very well. I don't mind so much that you are only using one hand, but I agree that after a bit of practice using two hands is easier once you get it down. Again, take these comments for what they are worth. Thanks for sharing the video.:tu

Good job for a second go at it!!! You are a persistent son of a gun. Definitely work on the blade angle and don't worry it's hard getting BBS with only using WTG. Actually I thought the little short ATG strokes under your chin was some of your best.

lol, yea im totally uncoordinated with my left, you think my stroke was funny with the right:p
i dont think left handed shaving is even a remote possiblitly
ur english is good
i think u mean i should eliminate finger /wrist movement and make it all arm movement? ahh i see, changing the distance between spine and skin in same stroke

cool thanks for the tips guys, ill try to stretch more and maybe watch a few more shave vids,
its hard to tell, but under my jaw line doesnt really have a grain, it grows in swirls, my chest hair does too
ill save that for another vid

turn your hand around on the left cheek
stretch your skin
you will get nicks not stretching because your skin "piles up" in front of the blade

did you strop that thing?

it was diamond pasted and then stropped and I shaved with it
then stropped more

I would encourage you to strop it very well as it will smooth it out more and make it feel sharper
I've found that they really smooth out around shave #3
so strop more and the next should be smoother, if not hit the paste
remember that you STROP on the stick, spine first just like the leather strop

also
that paste
yellow is 1 micron
white is .5

to make it sharper I would say use the .5
the bevel looks good, maybe just a little more keenness
and strop VERY well coming off the diamond to get rid of that scratchy feel

sorry I don't have any chrome oxide, have to get some

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gratewhitehuntr

turn your hand around on the left cheek
if not hit the paste
remember that you STROP on the stick, spine first just like the leather strop

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strop on the stick?
im still waiting for my strops, it seemed pretty sharp, but i think a little more could have made a difference
i suppose id better get into that whole stropping mess, i just know ill be destroying freshly honed razors for a while with it:gaah:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The0ctopus

im still waiting for my strops, it seemed pretty sharp, but i think a little more could have made a difference
i suppose id better get into that whole stropping mess, i just know ill be destroying freshly honed razors for a while with it:gaah:

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it could be sharper (couldn't they all :rock:)

but I think I only did like 20 laps after shaving
that isn't enough for another shave

NOT AFTER MY BEARD !! :p

Get a strop
I'll bet that was brutal

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The0ctopus

strop on the stick?

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YES

if you go edge FIRST it will be your LAST edge !! :rofl2:

try to find some info on pasted paddles
apply that to the stick

I wouldn't shave fresh off the diamond cause it HURTS !!
it needs stropped first
HEAVILY (this means laps, not pressure)

why don't you go look at the thread about a strop from a car seat belt?
it's in the strop section

actually, even though I have like 6 strops hanging in the bathroom, I'm going to try the seat belt idea myself
:gl:

no honestly! comapared to a mach 5 or quattro it was very pleasant, no razor burn which is really my only motivation for straights
yea ive already been trying to locate a seatbelt, no luck yet, the only place is cutting one from a strangers car or the junkyard

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The0ctopus

no honestly! comapared to a mach 5 or quattro it was very pleasant, no razor burn which is really my only motivation for straights
yea ive already been trying to locate a seatbelt, no luck yet, the only place is cutting one from a strangers car or the junkyard

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PARKING LOT BABY YEAH !!!! :rofl2:

ok

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The0ctopus

when you say "the stick" are you talking about the shim you packaged with the razor? i can strop on that?

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stropping on a pasted paddle (yes it is a shim and it was my shim that is why it's black it was heavily used)

it is the same motion as stropping on a leather or paddle strop
BUT
the paste = sharpening
the leather = smoothing

the purpose of the leather/linen is to stand up and align the micro teeth on the edge for fresh and keen edge

the purpose of a pasted paddle is to sharpen or smooth the edge
BUT it isn't the kind of smooth you want on your face !:nono:

I'm going to go look for an old old thread about edges under a microscope after/before honing, stropping, etc

EDIT
well it looks like people here say "microscope" more than I say ****
I gave up on that old thread

try wrapping newspaper around something square and stropping on that
the Free Press has to be good for something right?
and don't knock the shim dude
if you looked under a microscope and saw what 10 laps did, you would be amazed

oh no i wasnt knocking, just kinda surprised, i had no idea that was for stropping, i almost threw it out, i only saved it cuz it smelled so good i wanted to find out what wood it was

thanks alot man:bow

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The0ctopus

oh no i wasnt knocking, just kinda surprised, i had no idea that was for stropping, i almost threw it out, i only saved it cuz it smelled so good i wanted to find out what wood it was

thanks alot man:D

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HAHA that's funny

just remember that it is for sharpening, not general stropping
but you do use a stropping motion (as opposed to a honing motion)

I've tried several different woods and most are too hard or coarse grained
cedar is nice (and cheap)
I developed that to give to newbs until they could get a hone and learn to use it
they manage to be almost free, yet priceless at the same time!

did a new post to avoid this getting lost

go here and you will get a better idea of pastes
Finishing Pastes - Straight Razor Place Wiki

That looked ok to me, you're taking it nice and slow. Maybe too much pressure and I agree with bud about the movement. I think you could add some more fluidity to your shave, make it a more logical progression - but if you know where you are with your passes then that's all that matters I guess.

If you're going to keep at the one handed thing, I highly recommend xmans video, it's a fine demonstration of the technique. I am a one handed shaver also.

the next shave ill add it too, ill do it ambidextrously.

my first shave was a full 7 minutes faster, i think the camera, and the way i was crammed in the corner to accomodate the camera, kinda hindered my thinking
also, my lather for this was horrible, i had to remix lather like 6 times

Thanks for posting this!

It was already mentioned, but stretching the
skin is important to get a good shave without
nicks. I recommend stretching from a dry
part of your face, above where you are shaving.
This could be your sideburn area first, then
moving downwards as your blade clears away
the lather.

This keeps your hand dry and makes for much
more effective stretching.

:gl:

- Scott

another trick to stretching skin is to use an alum block to keep your hand super dry and let you grip the skin

Man that is scary watching you stretch below the blade. I envisioned bloody fingers. As others have said try to keep the skin tighter. I only also watched the first section but might suggest hot towels on the face for a couple minutes as part of the prep. It FEELS SOOOO GOOD.

Overall good job, you kept all your parts intact. And you are brave to video so soon.

Happy Shaving!

Mark

Thanks for sharing...

First, great tunes. :rock:

I realize you're making a vid and may have modified your prep, but I noticed you dried your face before making the lather. I would leave your beard wet while dealing with lather, stropping etc. That gives your whiskers that much more soak time. I also put lather on a wet face not a dry one - I don't know what others here do.

Also, I think you need to stretch your skin more. One benefit of using two hands is that it gives you more options for stretching and reaching areas with the razor. It might feel awkward at first, but it's worth having more techniques in your toolbox - IMHO. Try it, but go slow. Keep at it! :D

Jordan