Thread: 5 shaves (come on 6!), 3 strops, 3 razors!

Shave 5! Down with straight, up with DE
Had my 5th shave this morning - I'm spending a week doing the first pass (WTG and XTG) with the straight and my 2nd pass (ATG) with the DE.

Cuts!
I seem to now only cut myself when I pause the blade on my face - this happens when I stop to think of what next. (Note to self - take blade off face, then think about what to do next).

Lathering
I've been experimenting with my lather - trying to make it wet and slippery enough, re-applying, using mug and / or lathering direct on face.

Multiple strops! (Oh-oh, I'm starting to accumulate stuff)
I made my leather strop, then last night made a denim strop from some old jeans, and tonight made a seat belt strop (scavenged from our old baby car seat).
Tomorrow I'll try stropping on the 3 strops (seat belt, denim and then leather) to see how the blade goes.

Blade sharpness
Probably need to get a better sharpening for blade, but it has been functioning. (I don't want to send the razor away, because then I can't use it!) I'll see how things go for another week anyway. (I'd also like to get a couple of hones).

3 razors
I've got 3 now - using the Bengall, thinking about restoring the other Bengall (both my great grandfather's) and just picked up a Bleckman (with chipped scales and ok blade in need of honing) from local op.shop.

The journey!
I'm enjoying learning and developing my understanding and skill with the straight razor - it's kind of weird looking forward to your next shave so you can try something else out and improve what you're doing. It's a nice way to start the day.

All the best,
Michael

Hey,FTG,congrats on the 5th shave.May it only get better.I still get a thrill every time I straight shave and hope it never goes away.I've heard Lynn(forum founder)say that he still gets it and others with many years at it say the same.That's why we do it.Have fun but go slow.

Originally Posted by FTG

Blade sharpness
Probably need to get a better sharpening for blade, but it has been functioning. (I don't want to send the razor away, because then I can't use it!) I'll see how things go for another week anyway. (I'd also like to get a couple of hones).

I wouldnt even think about honing until you can do a full shave (WTG,XTG,ATG) with a straight comfortably.

How an you evaluate an edge otherwise? Also, you need to have one blade honed by a pro in order to have a benchmark for your other blades.

Good Luck.

Was your blade "shave ready" when you got it? If it was then you shouldn't need to think about honing for quite some time unless you have damaged the edge. You should look first at a pasted strop of some kind . The type is up to you. Proper facial prep, lather and stropping are equally important to a good shave. Sounds like you are working on the lathering. A good lather should have the consistency of whipped cream (the real stuff). If the lather disappears quickly after putting it on your face it is too watery. If it is like a paste then you need to have more water or less cream/soap. Stropping takes practice as does the shave itself. 20 laps on the linen side, and 50-60 laps on the leather side. Put just enough pressure on the blade to hold it flat, and no more. Don't get fixated on draw. It will come in time. Also, good stropping technique is more important that speed.