Thread: 1st SR shave today

I've been lurking here for about 3 weeks and have learned a lot.

Today was my 1st attempt at str8 shaving. Right after a hot shower I whipped up some lather from some cream I bought on ebay from shamrockshaving. I used a John Blyde 11/16 Sheffield straight razor, sold as shave-ready.

I started with the sideburn WTG pass that I've read about for newbies. I felt a lot of pulling as the razor didn't cut as well as I expected it to. I was mindful not to press too hard but I still managed to nick myself in a few places, probably due to an incorrect angle of the blade. Finally, I finished up with the WalMart triple bladed "compare to Schick" razor that I've been using in the shower for some time now.

I know that this is an acquired skill that takes time to learn. I'm prepared to spend the time needed to get this right, but I was surprised at how difficult the WTG pass was, what with the pulling and all. I now realize that I wasn't stretching my skin as I probably should have, but what other advise can you all give me on this?

Welcome to SRP!

Yeah...watch those angles when shaving. Was it a tugging feeling you were getting or was it a resistance you were feeling. I was confused when I started because I thought the razor was pulling when it was actually the resistance of the hair. You're cutting maybe 50 hairs at any given moment and they will cumulatively give you a slight resistance but not a painful tugging.

Tell us what you did before your shave...prep, strop, etc. to give us a better idea of your technique. In a best case scenerio, you just aren't trained up yet. In a worst case, you've rolled your edge from an improper stropping.

Originally Posted by mdwright

I've been lurking here for about 3 weeks and have learned a lot.

Today was my 1st attempt at str8 shaving. Right after a hot shower I whipped up some lather from some cream I bought on ebay from shamrockshaving. I used a John Blyde 11/16 Sheffield straight razor, sold as shave-ready.

I started with the sideburn WTG pass that I've read about for newbies. I felt a lot of pulling as the razor didn't cut as well as I expected it to. I was mindful not to press too hard but I still managed to nick myself in a few places, probably due to an incorrect angle of the blade. Finally, I finished up with the WalMart triple bladed "compare to Schick" razor that I've been using in the shower for some time now.

I know that this is an acquired skill that takes time to learn. I'm prepared to spend the time needed to get this right, but I was surprised at how difficult the WTG pass was, what with the pulling and all. I now realize that I wasn't stretching my skin as I probably should have, but what other advise can you all give me on this?

Where did you get the razor from and do you have a strop?

The pulling sounds like more a problem with the edge than the angle. I think that if you have a bad angle you're more likely to get irritation and cuts. Some places advertise "shave ready" but really aren't.

I have a strop but have not yet used it. I bought the razor on ebay, here is some of the ebay blurb,

"This is an 11/16-width square-point, wedge-style or half-hollow-ground John Bylde straight razor made in 1885 or earlier in Sheffield, England, the world capitol for fine barber's razors throughout the 19th Century. The horn scales are in virtually flawless condition; one one side in cursive is lightly etched, "Francis Laurie 1885."

The hardy blade is in excellent condition with the original factory satin finish. It's stamped on the tang with an image of Saturn and EXTRA HOLLOW GROUND is etched clearly on the blade's face. The blade is firm on its pivot pin and must be closed by hand; it won't fall shut by itself. It closes straight and centered, without wobble, between the scales.

With proper stropping and use this razor shouldn't need to be sharpened any time soon, because I've already run the blade over four grades of diamond hones, polished it on a surgical-black Arkansas stone, lapped it on balsa blocks treated with two grades of diamond grit and one treated with fine chromium oxide, then stropped it 50 strokes on American latigo leather. Afterward I wiped down the entire razor with a silicone-impregnated cloth to add a moisture-shedding coating and applied water-displacing oil to the pivot pin.

The edge is sharp enough to cut a hanging hair at multiple points. I sell only shave-ready razors because I'm not a collector, I'm a shaving enthusiast, ..... " etc.

I did not strop before shaving as this razor was advertised as 'shave ready'. My shave prep was probably inadequate; I lathered up after a hot shower but did not apply anything to my face before. I'm not sure I understand the difference between 'tugging' and 'resistance' however.

Sounds like your razor is up to par, but should probably have benefited from a good stropping prior to shave. To tell the truth, I'm not fond of razors straight off the hone, I like mine after it's been over some chromium oxide a couple time.

hmmm...how to tell the difference between pulling and resistance. Pulling will feel more like running an epilady over your face. Instead of cutting the hair, it grabs it and as the razor is moving, tries to pull the hair out. Resistance is more like a feeling of pushing a butter knife through cool butter. You feel the resistance on the knife, but it shouldn't be painful.

Truth be told, your first time (at least for me) is probably going to be anticlimactic, uncomfortable, and a bit of a let down...it was for me. Having said that, after even a week, my shaves were sooo much better. I'm glad you're going to stick with it. My advice for both you and your razor is to make a dozen laps or so over some chromium oxide followed by about 60 laps over a good strop and take another breath and try again. I can guarantee you it will be better.

I agree about the Chromium Oxide. I too like my blades after they've come off a Crox pasted flatbead hone, or hard pressed wool felt with .50 diamond spray. It gives you a much more comfortable shave. The descrition from the seller sounds like he's a str8 user, and it does sound like the blade is up to par. That being the case, check your angle. As you said, this is an aquired skill. It will take some time before you feel comfortable. Regardless of what the seller say's, I always strop my blade prior to shaving....

You've probably figured a lot out by now, but ya got to do the skin stretching, watch the angles and beard prep. Blade prep is the other key factor, watch your stropping. Right out of the shower is great

Well, as a test engineer I always try to fall back to a 'known good' condition, so I ordered a Dovo "Best Quality" 6/8, a 3" Red Latigo strop, and Lynn's DVD, all from Vintage Blades. I know I'll get a razor shave-ready and a strop that will do the job (that is if I can!). Then I'll know that any problems I have are not due to the razor not being up to standard. I will make this work!!!

I'm a newbie, too, about a week into it. Watch some of the shaving videos. Put your hand over your head and pull up on the sideburns and watch the angle of the blade, about a 30 degree angle. If you don't do a bit of stretching the blade will just pull your face down with your beard. Go very lightly and you should almost hear and feel the blade cutting, but it should feel pretty smooth. You can always go back over the same area, so don't rush it.

Just shave small sections at a time, and don't try to do too much at once. You can always finish off with your safety razor. Once you get the easy parts of your face down, only then move on to other parts of your face.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice; I'll pay more attention to my skin stretching next time.