First Shave (kinda intimidating)

Dear Friends

Today I thought I'de be bolt and shave with the old puma razor I already have. I honed it on ceramic rods and stropped it on an old leather belt (which did a nice job).

At first it went pretty well but at some point i nicked my ear (twice) trying to shave the outer part of my cheek. I must say that it looked worse than it actually was but it's still pretty intimidating.

I was trembling like a little schoolgirl after that, pretty scary stuff putting a knive like that so close to your skin.

Anyway, I did the entire face but unfortunately it wasn't BBS so I had to finish the job with one of my disposable wilkenson blades.

How did you guys cope with the anxiety of putting a straight razor to your face for the very first time?

Gr. TheSkyer

P.S. Of course besides being pretty intimidating there was of course also a feeling of triumph and accomplishment, not all bad :)

I trembled like a kid who knows he's in for a spanking. (I remember that tremble).

After a couple days, the nervousness went away, and I got a little to big for my britches....and that's when I got my first serious knick. Lesson learned. Respect a piece of metal that is almost 4 inches long and dangerously sharp!

Good luck with the shakes.

Maxi

The anxiety will quickly go away after a few more shaves . Keep your skin stretched tight , your blade angle on the low side , and don't press the edge into your skin . Don't worry about the BBS until you have some more experience . You must be pretty good at honing to be able to get your razor shaving sharp , using ceramic rods , and stropping on a belt . That proves that it's not what you use , but how well you use what you have , is the key to success . However , you may want to consider getting a decent finishing hone , and a nice strop sometime in the future . I think you're off to a great start , and I wish you the best .

The ceremic rods (2 sets) I use are really ridiculously fine, maybe a 6.000 and 10.000 gird. I have my own knife webshop so basicly sharpening things has become second nature.

However good equipment goes a long way and i will purchase a good hone and strop in the future :)

A couple of drinks beforehand might calm your nerves :beer2:

Mark

I have the experience that alcoholic beverages and sharp object don't mix :P

Hello lockpicking buddy!

I'm happy to hear about your shave. Lastnight I had my second shave and had 3 small knicks. I didn't even feel them until my cold water rinse. My FIRST shave however (2 nights ago) I felt alot of pain and discomfort afterwards, that lasted throughout the night.

I'm wondering how it's possible to keep a straight edge using a honing rod, rather than a block. I figure the idea of a block is to keep flat even pressure on the razor's edge, whereas a rod simply can't do that. I would imagine with skill you could get a razor sharp with a rod, but I'd be nervous to put it to my face

It's the same as with a stone. With a stone you keep the spine and the edge pressed up against it, with a rod you do the same. You just make sure both the spine and the edge are in contact with the rod as you draw it over ;)

Maybe it's good to note that I had already sharpened the knife on a 8000grid Belgium stone before it touched the ceramic rod. I did that when i got it way back in the days :)

I've sharpened many cooking knives (even for restaurants) in my days and I've always done this with rods. It takes a bit of practice but works just as well as a stone and goes allot faster most of the time ;)

No pain from my shave btw, a little razor burn but It can't be felt now and i shaved a couple of hours ago.

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Originally Posted by TheSkyer

I have the experience that alcoholic beverages and sharp object don't mix :P

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I agree, however, a good Scotch AFTER a shave to calm the nerves works well.

Makes perfect sense. God knows if I tried it with a rod I'd have one screwed up razor.

How come you've had the razor so long and only now decided to have your first straight shave?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheSkyer

It's the same as with a stone. With a stone you keep the spine and the edge pressed up against it, with a rod you do the same. You just make sure both the spine and the edge are in contact with the rod as you draw it over ;)

Maybe it's good to note that I had already sharpened the knife on a 8000grid Belgium stone before it touched the ceramic rod. I did that when i got it way back in the days :)

I've sharpened many cooking knives (even for restaurants) in my days and I've always done this with rods. It takes a bit of practice but works just as well as a stone and goes allot faster most of the time ;)

No pain from my shave btw, a little razor burn but It can't be felt now and i shaved a couple of hours ago.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by MARKHOLLADAY

A couple of drinks beforehand might calm your nerves :beer2:

Mark

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Kinda like this guy?
YouTube - Straight Razor Shave Demonstration - A Quick and Easy "Watch and Then Try it at Home!" Tutorial

From my own experience (3 shaves under my belt) I found that the first shave was the scariest. Of course, I only got one little nick my first shave, and haven't had any since. I did find that the experience gained from the first shave made the second leaps and bounds more comfortable. I found keeping the skin tight, the angle right, and the touch light are the things to pay attention too. Then you get used to the way the razor should feel on your face when you are doing it right, and so you know when to stop when it isn't feeling right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheSkyer

How did you guys cope with the anxiety of putting a straight razor to your face for the very first time?

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I took a deep breath and closed my eyes :y

nah, I was just careful with small strokes :)

Since I'm a knife lover, what's your knife store? are you on the messenforum.nl too?

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Originally Posted by KarmaPolice

Makes perfect sense. God knows if I tried it with a rod I'd have one screwed up razor.

How come you've had the razor so long and only now decided to have your first straight shave?

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Because someone told me that razor was beyond repair (guess I showed him wrong XD) I just couldn't wait for my other razor (thank you shaved zombie) to arrive so I gave it a shot with the old one.

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Originally Posted by jojingo

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes :y

nah, I was just careful with small strokes :)

Since I'm a knife lover, what's your knife store? are you on the messenforum.nl too?

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I am not on messenforum since I own a rather small shop, I just sell what I personally like. In the future I am planning bigger things but for now I am glad if I sell 2 or 3 knives a month XD

I am not sure I can link to my website here since it would be advertising.

The anxiety and trembling ease up and you become more at ease with handling the blade against your face. I have 14 shaves done now and I'm a lot more comfortable with it than I was.

A good Scotch works great for anything

+1 on what Dave said...i.e., get a good hone...you're not sharpening a knife :). Even though the principle is similar, equipment is different

Don't worry about the anxiety...it quickly disappears and you conquer that fear.

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Originally Posted by dave5225

The anxiety will quickly go away after a few more shaves . Keep your skin stretched tight , your blade angle on the low side , and don't press the edge into your skin . Don't worry about the BBS until you have some more experience . You must be pretty good at honing to be able to get your razor shaving sharp , using ceramic rods , and stropping on a belt . That proves that it's not what you use , but how well you use what you have , is the key to success . However , you may want to consider getting a decent finishing hone , and a nice strop sometime in the future . I think you're off to a great start , and I wish you the best .

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Just stick with it and the anxiety will quickly disappear. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Keep us posted.

I actually nick'd my under chin area good with my DE! on a touchup..lol...it was the 2 sides where u hold the blade..went under my chin..dam it was painful and went away after 30 min of small wide TP and alot of pressure!..ill prolly use the old electric trimmer this time around to allow this to heal finely..Lesson learned!..be more careful around yer face with other sharp objects too! :hmmm:


pcdad

I was really looking forward to it, and it was all I could do to not attempt my whole face..! :D

I did both cheeks and my neck the first time round, plus the tache area, and just left the chin.

I did get a few nicks when starting out though, and I occasionally get them now as well, usually due to a small lapse in concentration.

man it wasn't my first shave that was bad it was my third. I thought I was a bad ass and did it right before work. I didn't do it the other times before work in case i hacked my face up. I got too confident or something i nicked myself like 5 times and my face was beaming red. everyone at work was asking me what happend. at least I could sound like a bad ass saying I cut my face using a cutt throat razor. I'm getting better tho and looking forward to each shave.

Well, that just goes to show it pays to take your time.

Congrats, it appears that you are on your way. Next time, slow down and you may reduce the number of mishaps on your face area.

As for dealing with the feeling of trepidation when embarking on one's first straight razor shave...I think we all have that feeling initially. After so many shaves, though, that trepidation turns into a healthy respect for the sharp tool in your hand.