Thread: What have I gotten myself into?

First I'll admit that I'm only four shaves in on a straight, but I'm starting to get a little frustrated. I'm wondering if I can give this the month that folks recommend to at least get to a satisfactory level. But then...

Okay, I've worked out enough kinks that I can pretty easily shave my cheeks. I can even go ATG and use either hand (although I seem to be better with my weak hand, odd). The rest of my face looks like hamburger with stubble. Okay, maybe not that bad, but roughly 6 decent nicks that take a little effort to stop. While I am reducing my stubble some, I still have a lot that I can't seem to get. When I finish up with my DE, I can't help but think, this thing's so easy, why not just use this? And no, I'm not going ATG anywhere but my cheeks. In fact, I don't really go XTG on my chin, neck or jaw.

Of course, in my frustration, I did notice how incredibly smooth my cheeks are. It's enough to keep me at it, but now I've got two more questions...
1. Are there any other videos or how to's other than what's posted here? I've been through them several times. There's a lot of good information in them, but it's all so second nature to them, I feel like I'm missing some minor points that experienced sorts take for granted. Maybe that's just climbing the learning curve.
2. I notice that I don't feel particularly comfortable with my grip on my skin and that I'm perhaps not stretching well enough. This may be a learning curve too, but any tips on stretching? I' making sure my fingers are dry, and I keep them out of my lather. I've heard people recommend an alum bar to tap your fingers on for a better grip, although I guess I could just try my styptic pencil. Any advice here?

I have better luck stretching by putting the heel of my palm somewhere on my face and pulling. I think it gives a more uniform stretch if that makes any sense.

To start read my sig to avoid nicks. Following that advice has worked for me and some others I know of.

I'm wondering if your razor is truly shaving sharp ? Did you have it honed professionally ? Even if you did stropping improperly can kill it. IME it should glide through the whiskers on the sides of the jaw. If it doesn't IMO it isn't sharp enough.

The blade angle is very important. It will vary some depending on where you are but sometimes the spine closer to the skin can help. Angle of attack is important too. When you've got some stubble take your finger tips and feel the direction of the whiskers. This is called 'mapping' the face and will help you know where WTG, XTG and ATG are on your particular map.

Sounds like you've been doing the reading. Keeping the fingers of the stretching hand dry is the trick. Experimenting with stretching in a different direction if the one I am using isn't working has helped me to solve problems. Hang in there and don't give up on it. You'll get there if you keep on keeping on.

I've been where you are, not so long ago, and if I can just beg you or pay you to keep at it for a little while longer, I think you will see some major improvements.

If you are getting the cheeks, and carving up the rest of your face, let me say the one thing that most everyone else frowns on here -- keep a DE handy and just finish your face with the DE when you are done with the straight-razor areas. I know, I know, the purists here will spit on this advice, but it is good nonetheless.

The thing is that much of this "skill" seems to be about training your hands to hold the razor at just the right angle based upon the angle of your skin and the feel (and sound) of the blade as it is mowing down whiskers. Now that sounds like a lot, but if you keep doing it successfully over a few weeks, your hands will just learn it based on feel. So why not stick to the EASY areas of the face while you are learning, and then when you get some experience and confidence, THEN move out to the more difficult areas. You wouldn't let a beginning swimmer into the deepest area of the pool, right? So the same applies to SR shaving, in my view.

And because everyone frowns on smoothly shaved cheeks with whiskery neck and chin, just shave the neck and chin with what you would use otherwise, hopefully a DE -- which will give you a pretty close shave anyway.

Seriously, just try this plan, and then come back in two weeks. I bet you will be shaving your entire face with the SR and wondering what the problem was!!

That's my view, anyway.

Originally Posted by JeffE

If you are getting the cheeks, and carving up the rest of your face, let me say the one thing that most everyone else frowns on here -- keep a DE handy and just finish your face with the DE when you are done with the straight-razor areas. I know, I know, the purists here will spit on this advice, but it is good nonetheless.

Jeff, Lynn recommends finishing with a DE or whatever your preference is for awhile in the first shaves. I have frequently pointed out that I did that for the first two or three weeks and that there is no shame in using a DE to finish. Matter of fact, although I am not among them a certain percentage of members here shave with a DE some of the time. I guess I must have missed the posts that gave you that impression. I certainly haven't gotten that from anyone on SRP.

I know I read some advice somewhere to stick just to the straight for at least a month. I think the theory here was that cleaning up with a DE would mask where your problem areas are. When I read Lynn's advice to just shave below your sideburns, it struck me as a little conservative. Perhaps I'm just too anxious to get this down. I am feeling pretty comfortable/confident on my cheeks, so I feel like its time to press on, but I feel like I'm falling off a cliff when I try to shave anywhere else.

Of course I can't say with a great deal of certainty how sharp my razor is because I have so little experience with it. I did buy it on the classifieds here, but I don't know the folks here well enough to know their reputations. I'm not too keen on posting names here because I don't want to infer an undeserved bad rap. That said, I'm fairly confident that this is more technique than equipment. Dragging the blade on my thumbnail while applying no pressure, I definitely feel a drag. Light dragging touches with my thumb pad also produces a drag. While I can't 'pop' a hanging hair, when I drag one across the blade (with no added pressure), it does vibrate. Lastly, I can shave the hair on my arm with no effort at all. My conclusion from this is that the razor has a good hone on it and the stropping, while not superb is probably adequate.

Dragging the edge across the thumbnail, the TNT, is recommended only when setting the bevel. It is not used again after bevel setting or in the rest of the honing and finishing process once the edge passes that test. It will not do the delicate edge of a shave ready razor any good subsequent to the bevel setting so if you are going to do anything the TPT or the hair popping on the forearm is about all that I would do other than shaving.

Thanks Jimmy. I know I've still got a lot to learn. But this raises a question. What do we mean when we say hair popping off the forearm? I can clear a path on my forearm without effort, but the hairs don't spring up into the air.

Originally Posted by mbrossar

Thanks Jimmy. I know I've still got a lot to learn. But this raises a question. What do we mean when we say hair popping off the forearm? I can clear a path on my forearm without effort, but the hairs don't spring up into the air.

By hair popping I mean that with the razor's edge brushing against the hair on the forearm or leg, but not touching the skin, it cuts the hair. I used to do this a lot to test razors but got tired of people (customers) wondering if I had some sort of mange so I don't do it much anymore.

Okay, that's telling. I can't get my hair to pop. Since it seems to do pretty well with a thumb pad and thumb nail test, is it safe to assume the hone is okay and that the problem is in my stropping technique or do I need to approach the seller about its "shave readiness"?