Two weeks in...questions of course.
I started with a barber's/disposable.
Got a great razor from gugi.
Read a lot on this site and watched some of the videos.
I've been straight razor shaving 5 days a week for two weeks now.
Stropping every other shave.
Things go really well. Just wanted to bounce some things off the community.
It seems that...
WTG - I should use very little to no pressure, almost as if I'm gently wiping the lather/hair off? Still produces a scraping noise.
I get a decent, clean looking shave with WTG only. But, I catch myself feeling my face all day and noting where I missed spots. These spots "appear" when I feel XTG and ATG. If I do a "full" WTG, XTG, and ATG for more than two consecutive days, my skin gets a little raw even using balm.
My neck is my Everest right now. Can't seem to get it clean without making it raw.
If we go to the trouble to strop on canvas and then leather to align an invisible edge to optimum - what happens when we rinse the lather/whiskers between strokes? Does the change in temp harm the edge? Seems the expansion/contraction would?
All in all, I really enjoy the experience. There's a quote I'm paraphrasing that goes something like - When a machine does the work of a man, it takes something away from the man. I'm enjoying the focus and precision that is notably absent from my former cartridge razor.