Thread: Jeff's Video Journal: A Beginner Learns Straight Razor Shaving

i dunno man.. looks like you may be a lost cause..

just kidding.. thanks for the videos.. very similar to my first shave.. i'm looking forward to seeing you progress.

Originally Posted by SpicyJem

Thanks for the advice. It sounds easy when you say "lay it flat on the strop" because I know I SHOULD be doing that. And then I actually get the razor in my hand and all hell breaks loose! Lifting edges, bad technique, etc. LOL

I think the biggest challenge for me is going to be not to lift the edge when flipping it over to the other side.

Re stropping,i f you actually place the spine down first, then place the edge down as you move at least you can start the stroke correctly.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Re stropping,i f you actually place the spine down first, then place the edge down as you move at least you can start the stroke correctly.

Sound advice. I didnt really notice you lifting the edge as much as your pushing the edge into the strop since the spine is lifted off it. place the spine down...then lay the blade on the strop.

Very nice going on the first shave. You might try a little less pressure and short little strokes as you get used to the razor. You can do a little longer strokes for clean up.

Keep up the good work!

Lynn

Originally Posted by Lynn

Very nice going on the first shave. You might try a little less pressure and short little strokes as you get used to the razor. You can do a little longer strokes for clean up.

Keep up the good work!

Lynn

Lynn - Thanks for watching the video. I agree 100%. One of the reasons I filmed my shave was so I could take comments like yours, and then re-watch the video to see exactly where I need improvement.

I'm not sure if you made it all the way to the end of the video, but there was an "ah-ha moment" in there where the shave became a little smoother when I pulled in a new direction to get my lower neck. I think it's going to take a few of these "ah-ha moments" to get me where I feel really confident in my shaving.

Next shave will be in a couple days, and I will definitely take your advice (along with everyone else) to heart. Thanks for being there for me in my journey!

BTW - The horrible stropping video I filmed was really all the stropping I've ever done in that blade. Given the horrible technique but low frequency of stroking, could you reassure me that I couldn't have done major damage to the blade? You see, in the mind of a beginner, even the slightest thing we do wrong is amplified in our head, and we think, "Oh great! That razor is now RUINED and I can never get a close shave! I mind as well been stropping on concrete because of the damage I've caused."

In reality, I maybe stropped 15 bad passes before stopping the filming. LOL My plan now (and hopefully someone here can stop me if it's a bad idea) is to lay my strop on a flat table surface and strop the blade in that position. That way, I am not occupying my one hand to hold the thing taught, since it should remain pretty straight on the table, right? I figured that would allow me to focus 100% attention on the blade and not lifting the spine.

Originally Posted by SpicyJem

L
BTW - The horrible stropping video I filmed was really all the stropping I've ever done in that blade. Given the horrible technique but low frequency of stroking, could you reassure me that I couldn't have done major damage to the blade? You see, in the mind of a beginner, even the slightest thing we do wrong is amplified in our head, and we think, "Oh great! That razor is now RUINED and I can never get a close shave! I mind as well been stropping on concrete because of the damage I've caused."

In reality, I maybe stropped 15 bad passes before stopping the filming. LOL My plan now (and hopefully someone here can stop me if it's a bad idea) is to lay my strop on a flat table surface and strop the blade in that position. That way, I am not occupying my one hand to hold the thing taught, since it should remain pretty straight on the table, right? I figured that would allow me to focus 100% attention on the blade and not lifting the spine.

The shave will tell you if you've done damage.

Whether you use 2 hands or lay the strop on a table is up to you. You still have to be mindful of the relationship between edge spine & strop but be relaxed whatever you do

I loved your video.
I was only laughing because everything u were experiencing was just like my first straight blade shave.
I still have problems with seeing my first stroke @ my ear. When using my left hand I nearly hit my ear w/ the blade. I placed the blade on my cheek & cut a nice line in it. That was a bloody mess. When I was done my neck was very raw for two days. I asked my self, what in the hell was I thinking? Since my first attempt I have not cut myself, but my neck is still on fire & the shave is not as close as it should be.
I am not giving up. I tell everyone of my new adventure & they look at me like I have two heads. "in this life nothing ventured nothing gained".
Us newbees will be pros soon enough!

Hey, Jeff! I'm right with you, man. Expecting my first razor to come in soon, along with my brush and soap. I've been growing my beard out for a week and I desperately need a shave. Last time I shaved was with a disposable, and I made a commitment to never shave with that again!

As I'm technically still in the planning stages, I'm having trouble with a lot of the details, y'know? What I need and don't need, difference between this or that...

But, this video's great, and the commentary is really helpful, so when I get to that stage, I'll look to SRP's advice here for that. Haha... I was planning on doing what you are doing, actually, so that I could get some help, but there would probably be so much blood, YouTube would probably assume it's some kind of snuff film and refuse to upload it...

Anyway, good luck to you, man. You're doing a good thing for beginners everywhere!

Jeff,

Great idea and very interesting video. It's difficult to describe the experience of that first straight shave, but the video really captures that. I was able to generate a little more blood than you were able to, but that may lie ahead of you as you get more confident.

The belch near the end was my wife's favorite part, showing just how manly the straight shaving experience is.

I'll be pulling for you in your ensuing shaves. Give the non-dominant hand a try, maybe just on your left cheek. With practice, it'll come to you.

Welcome to the forum, thanks for such a cool contribution, and good luck. You do have Styptic pencil, right?

Just watched the stropping video, and it does look like the spine is up. It might help you to lay the strop flat on a table or in front of you on a large book. Stropping is more complicated when you are standing, trying new movements with your hand, manipulating the strop with your other hand, and trying to coordinate all of that. Straight shaving and stropping are complicated enough without adding in unnecessary variables. Laying your strop flat will simplify the process for you and enable you to put more concentration on your stroke which is, after all, the most important part. When you get that down, the transition to a hanging strop will be easier. Don't take too much on too early in the process.

I think it takes some guts to do all this on video, and for that you have my respect. I also think it is an extraordinary educational tool. Keep it up!