Thread: the continuing struggle

Hey folks...

Disclaimer: I have been in a maelstrom of way-too-many-things-going-on for the last 3 weeks - so I have not had time to sit down and pour through these forums and wikis for answers... My apologies if these questions are answered elsewhere - just need some quick answers...

Been shaving about 30-40% of my face with a straight for about a month now... slow, awkward, bloody progress, but progress, nonetheless...

I continue to struggle with the same stuff everybody else must have struggled with when they were first starting....
- having a HELL of a time with positioning my hand - actually most of my errors are just a result of trying to contort myself around to SEE what the hell I'm doing
- I am NOT a lathermeister by any stretch... maybe a decent brush and scuttle will help, but thus far I SUCK at lather
- I am unsure as to how sharp my blade is... it came from Lynn, so I know it arrived shave-ready, but I don't know if I'm stropping effectively...
- I get lather flicked on my chest, the mirror, my eye, across the room - NOT exactly the tidy example Lynn sets on the DVD, shaving in a shirt!!!
- I'm not sure how to store my blade... put it in the plastic case it came with ? wrap it in a shammy?
- I'm getting these black spots on the spine of the razor... corrosion? pre-rust? how can I buff these out? I've attached a couple of pics - sorry for the quality - I used a pencil to point to the spots...

Anyway - sorry for the question avalanche, someday I'll have the time to dig through this forum for answers first....

And thanks for all the help thus far!! GREAT answers to my other posts...
I WILL NOT GIVE UP... with God as my witness, there will be a day when I shave with one of those BADASS-looking Japanese razors with NO BLOOD OR REDNESS.

Johnny

PS - at the risk of turning this into a novel... my barber and I were talking about shaving (I go to one of those cool, nouveau "old school" barber shops, http://www.uncleclassicbarbershop.com/) - and I told her that I believe there are ladies on this forum who shave their legs et al with straights... Is this true?!?!?!?! How FASCINATING and AWESOME.

I would recommend going back to the basics.

Start off from just one sideburn to that jaw and get the feel of the razor and the 30 degree or less angle until you get no nicks. Then move on to the cheek and take it slow until you build up your comfort level.

Sounds like too much water with your lather. Build your lather with small amounts of water and see if that helps.

I would bet you are getting water on your scales which is causing the water spots. Try just rinsing the blade as you shave and then after drying off the blade leave it open until you get dressed. Then it should be OK to put up.

Hope this helps,

Lynn

I shave one handed, so the only time I cannot see what I'm doing is when I'm doing my right sideburn, with my right hand. Hand gets in the way. other than that, I can see my entire face. Maybe your hand position is getting in the way? Experiment with different grips until you find the one that's comfortable. For me, that was 3 fingers. Index on the spine, middle on the monkey tail, thumb under. On certain spot of my face I will shave more across than with the grain to keep my hand in a good position.

if you are getting a lot of cuts, relax your grip and let the blade do it's job. With a relaxed grip it will pull less. When it does, stop and back up. A firm grip muscles it's way through the snags and that's when you get a nick.

I don't know how you are lathering, but if you are loading up the brush, then moving to an empty bowl, try lathering up on top of the soap. you may end up with a ton of lather, but the soap will suck up the water and give you less useless foam. I still count to 60 when I'm lathering, knowing that it usually takes at least a minute.

Goog

Hi Johnny68,
If you have been in a maelstrom for 3 weeks then you may have lost sight of your initial progress.You can do what lynn advised and go back to basics or try to shave when you are not being rushed and have more time-(when I started out i had to switch to shaving in the evening because it took 40 mins to shave).
At first you need to get into some sort of routine - it's the only way to measure progress.
Hand positioning problems are a symptom of the above -try to note which positions work and which don't.(re read the wiki and watch online videos to give yourself ideas).
Don't worry about lather quality unduly-you don't need to be a lathermeister to get passable lather ( i've only been concentrating on this after 100+ shaves!) As goog suggests ,try lathering up on the soap.
If your razor was honed by lynn then you can bet that it's sharp!
Take stropping slowly at first -if you get the strokes right with the spine down on the leather at all times-then you will be doing it right- pick up speed once you have this down.
If your lathering everything around you then you must be lathering far too aggressively-ease up a bit -you are supposed to be enjoying this stage of the shaving process more than anything else!!
Clean your blade carefully as soon as you have finished shaving- the longer you leave it wet the more chance of spots appearing on the blade (I wipe it on the towel after rinsing in very hot water,then wipe it down with a tissue folded -passing it between the scales to collect any water I may have missed).Then strop x20 strokes to clean the edge before storing in the plastic box (not a shammy).
The black spots should clean off with a good metal polish.
If you remember to enjoy the whole process -even learning should be enjoyable-allow yourself to improve over time-get into that routine and start to notice improvements ,they will come in time I assure you.
Keep going and ENJOY!
Best regards
Noggs

Hey - thanks folks! Great answers and suggestions...
I reread my post and must confess that it sounds a little more panicky than I really am...
I'm actually really enjoying this whole experience... I think most of my problems stem from the awkwardness of being a beginner....
When I say "bloody progress" - I just mean that there is usually a nick involved... nothing outrageous... But Lynn's point is a good one... I will stick t to the sideburn area and part of the cheek and just focus on that.
It's hard not to get excited after you finish your sideburns... "Man.... CHECK ME OUT, I'M SHAVING WITH A STRAIGHT RAZOR! I think I'll just move to the neck, and the chin, and the....OUCH!"
The night shaving also sounds like a good idea... I'd been thinking of something like that...
Best,

Hey there Johnny 68,

I was cracking up reading your post because I relate to parts of it. I just finished my second "shave" today (in quotes because I'm doing about 30% of my face WTG only--don't think that qualifies).

I posted about hand positioning and vision after my first shave because it seemed awkward. Although it still is, I found that even on my second shave it was a little less awkward than the first. No doubt after 50-100 shaves we won't be thinking about it at all.

My lather has been up and down at times. I practiced making the lather while using my cartridge just to get better at it before trying the str8. So far the blade cuts and I'm not bleeding profusely, but I have no idea if my lather is actually good. It's almost like you need a seasoned person there with you to tell you if your lather is any good. I think today my lather was worse though--either too runny or couldn't build it up. I agree with other posters that it seems to take 45-60 seconds at least to build it up. I build it in the SRD soap container and that seems to work okay. I'm looking forward to trying cream at some point.

I just stropped today for the first time before and after my shave, and like you, I have NO IDEA if I'm doing it effectively. I read every Wiki, watched the vids, etc. and while I think I have the blade flat, and think I'm keeping the spine on there, and think I'm not rolling the edge--I really don't know. I suppose if I shave and my face tears off, that would mean I stropped incorrectly.

I've been getting lather all over the place too--just keep wiping it off on a towel so my hands are at least not slippery while holding the blade.

I'm drying the blade the best I can after the shave with a towel and kleenex to finish off carefully. Then I use a Q-tip to apply a little mineral oil, trying to prevent the rust. Today I let the blade sit out a bit, as someone suggested.

So far I've been able to shave my sideburn, cheek, and part of my neck. The stubble is "reduced" but nowhere near smooth without going XTG or ATG. I just do an ATG pass with my cartridge afterward and it's feeling good. I won't quit this adventure either, and wish you the best of luck.

-Stub

Johnny,

I found that when things got really, really bad when I started straight shaving again, I would take a couple of days off and went back to shaving with a DE.

I know what it is like when you are anxious, things go wrong and you get more anxious which leads to a vicious circle.

It really helps having a clean break for a couple of days. You can use these days to perfect your lather making.

When you are ready to go back to the straights, please follow the sage advice given by Mr Abrams and others. Break things into small chunks and attempt a chunk at a time until you are happy.

Please believe me when I say you will soon get the hang of it

Good luck

Best regards

Russ

Well, and I thought I was alone in this world...I've attempted a shave 5x so far, and still seem to pull. Bought a Livi new grind from Lynn, so I know it's sharp, but no matter how much pre-shower heat into the beard, and lather, it seems to pull....and yes...that usually leads to nicks. Maybe my angle is less than 30, but it seems if I go much steeper, I'll slice right into the side of my face. LOL Guess my head will be a bit further in the future...for now, better keep the Mach3 in stock...

Originally Posted by Formel1

Well, and I thought I was alone in this world...I've attempted a shave 5x so far, and still seem to pull. Bought a Livi new grind from Lynn, so I know it's sharp, but no matter how much pre-shower heat into the beard, and lather, it seems to pull....and yes...that usually leads to nicks. Maybe my angle is less than 30, but it seems if I go much steeper, I'll slice right into the side of my face. LOL Guess my head will be a bit further in the future...for now, better keep the Mach3 in stock...

If it is pulling it either is not sharp(we can probably rule that one out) or the angle is incorrect. Do a good pre shave routine, beard prep and stropping, and stick to the jawline and cheeks as Lynn has suggested.

Some folks just seem to take to shaving real easy and before you know it they are shaving like pros. Some aren't so lucky. When I started this site didn't exist so I had to learn on my own and it wasn't pretty. I did't have serious issues with cuts ( though I did cut my self a few times) but the razor burn was massive and the shaves crummy for quite some time.

The best advice I can give you already got, just go slow and master this one step at a time. One day you'll look back and laugh.