Thread: First shave and hone... All done..

Before I get into the fun stuff, lemme just say.. Lapping those norton stones were a pain. I do understand that it has to be done but I guess i didn't really get the part about the Coating on them. First off, when i lapped the 4000 grit the pencil marks were gone in less than 10 passes.. So I figured "Hey... cool less to do.. then I moved on to the 8000 grit and noticed there was a distinct color difference and feel... so after finally working it all out, I figured i would check the 4000 and lo an behold... so I Lapped that coating off.... Then began the honing of the Schmid's Special Marke that I got off of Ebay (yea i know it's probably not a great razor, but it's one just like my grandfather use to use)...


before


after


Once done.. then I had to wait for that glorious moment... So if anyone has already done this then sorry..

Scuttle Free (old antique cream and sugar set my wife didn't want)Schmid's
Mug soap 0.99 (at kroger.. more info down below..)
Witch hazel 2.59
Boars hair brush 5.00
Special Marke 11.00
Strop 12.00 (Baaad idea to get a cheapo strop off of ebay)
Norton hone kit 129.00 (peachtree special)
That look in your wifes eyes as she notices that your cheeks and jaw has seen the light of day for the first time... (loss of two hours of sleep... ok ok.. 30 seconds but hey.. this |......| is an inch right? hahahahah)

Being able to shave with out a single nick.. and watch the gentle Ben look fade away... and have your 1 1/2 year old son go get one of his flat blocks and pretend to shave right next to you?


Priiiiiceeelllllllleeessssss

Ok.. Mug soap.. While good in a pinch.. smells like an old shoe.. I tried to order Colleens (have heard some awsome stuff about it) but it seems she is closed down for her move... definitely going to have to get some other soap.. even my wife said it smelled like a foot. and the witch hazel didn't pull it out.. heheheh So if anyone knows when she will open up again please let me know.. Don't want to buy a bunch of soaps just yet...

Strop.. Yea I got a little cheap with it.. and I guess i don't know if it's bad or good, but the leather is Haaaaard.. and fairly bumpy.. I dunno how soft and flat its suppose to be but I did dress it with niva cream...

I didn't break out the camera just incase i needed to be run to the hospital for stiches.. but I have the hang of it.. well so far anyway.. my chin still remains furry..

Until the next time..
and I will set up for a video hopefully I will be better at it..

That's what it's all about!

And yes, you will get better at it.

Wow! It sounds like you are way ahead of the curve. Don't get over confident - you still have the chin to look forward to and that can be a tricky area to master. Thanks for sharing your first shave story. I really liked the part about your son. Keep us posted. Good luck and have fun!

Oh believe me after trying to tackle the small sides of my neck my chin doesn't seem like and easy one at all. Although I have a small mole near my upper lip (for risk of being laughed at and lack of a better word at the moment my wife calls it my beauty mark) this thing use to get cut by the ol Mach... and I was greatly surprised that it didn't this time.. guess the thought of slicing it off caused me to go slower...

It was fun to say the least... We DO have a picture of my son and I standing in the bathroom, but I was shirtless, and lemme tell ya... like in the movie Santa Clause 2... You do NOT wanna see THIS in a speedo.. of course I wasn't in a speedo but you get the picture ahahahah.. What was funny is he saw me lather up and start shaving my left side so he ran out and got one of his blocks Kinda small and flat then came back to the bathroom and and pointed to his face saying "daddy do?" Took me a moment to figure it out, but he wanted some lather too... so I called my wife to bring him a chair to stand on and brushed him up with some soap. Now I only saw what I was willing to pay attention to (Concidering I had a blade on my face) but my wife took pictures... and she said every time I would pull the razor across he would too.. I don't know if it would be a bad idea but after seeing the pictures she took, I think I will make him a toy straight. Kinda morbid if you think about it, but then again a lot of the toy companies have plastic razors for toddler... Either way I have a special spot for my straights that a little one would need a ladder to get to... and now there is a wooden block right next to it... Made me smile when I put my stuff away and he insisted putting his in there too... Any thoughts on that by the way? Is it too morbid to make him a wooden one?

Hey Lazarus, one of my best Navy buddies Lives in or around Denver... She is a nutter though, but definitely a great friend... She says the photography opportunities out there are great... Have you been there long?

Holy smoking underroo's batman...

Usually by now I have a vicious stubble plane on my face and my face is still smooth.. albeit a couple of rough spots that I apparently didn't get close enough.. Ok.. NOW I am hooked.. as if I don't have enough obsessions... Man retirement really brings out the hobbies to keep one from getting bored.. sad thing is I am only 36 too..

Good to hear things went reasonably well. If you're looking for a good soap, I'd recommend Proraso. It's fairly inexpensive (I think I paid $8.95) and lathers wonderously well. It's loaded with eucalyptus and menthol, so you get a fantastic cooling sensation through your entire shave. If creams are more your thing, they do make a cream, which can also be purchased at Bath & Body Works under the C.O. Bigelow label.

As for your strop, I wouldn't go putting anything like Nivea on it. Working it with your hands and just using it daily will slowly break it in. I've had mine since November and it's still somewhat stiff.

Your post reminds me of something we all know but I continually forget which is that we are always teaching our children even if we aren't aware of it. They will, just like your son, mimic what they see as adult behavior. That places a sobering amount of responsiblity on us to model good behavior.

I have been in Colorado my entire life except of the 7 years I spent out of state for college and law school.

Nice going there, sounds like you're having a ton of fun - and that's what it's all about. Big congrats on your achievements.
The strop part - I started with a cheap junk strop myself, also got mine off of ebay. I used it for a good while and thought it was okay. When I finally got around to getting a quality strop, the quality of my shaves went through the roof. Also, it is a lot easier to maintain an edge on a good strop, I find I don't have to bring out the hones as quick. Also, a barber's hone would probably be a good investment.

Originally Posted by Nervin

Oh believe me after trying to tackle the small sides of my neck my chin doesn't seem like and easy one at all. Although I have a small mole near my upper lip (for risk of being laughed at and lack of a better word at the moment my wife calls it my beauty mark) this thing use to get cut by the ol Mach... and I was greatly surprised that it didn't this time.. guess the thought of slicing it off caused me to go slower...

It was fun to say the least... We DO have a picture of my son and I standing in the bathroom, but I was shirtless, and lemme tell ya... like in the movie Santa Clause 2... You do NOT wanna see THIS in a speedo.. of course I wasn't in a speedo but you get the picture ahahahah.. What was funny is he saw me lather up and start shaving my left side so he ran out and got one of his blocks Kinda small and flat then came back to the bathroom and and pointed to his face saying "daddy do?" Took me a moment to figure it out, but he wanted some lather too... so I called my wife to bring him a chair to stand on and brushed him up with some soap. Now I only saw what I was willing to pay attention to (Concidering I had a blade on my face) but my wife took pictures... and she said every time I would pull the razor across he would too.. I don't know if it would be a bad idea but after seeing the pictures she took, I think I will make him a toy straight. Kinda morbid if you think about it, but then again a lot of the toy companies have plastic razors for toddler... Either way I have a special spot for my straights that a little one would need a ladder to get to... and now there is a wooden block right next to it... Made me smile when I put my stuff away and he insisted putting his in there too... Any thoughts on that by the way? Is it too morbid to make him a wooden one?

Hey Lazarus, one of my best Navy buddies Lives in or around Denver... She is a nutter though, but definitely a great friend... She says the photography opportunities out there are great... Have you been there long?

My nearly two year old son is fascinated by my razor stuff. He has not seen me shave yet though as he's been in bed when I've shaved so far. Awesome story, and too cool to hear about his reactions.

If I were you I'd cut out a little wooden razor for him. Why not? I don't think it's morbid at all. It's a great bonding time for father and son.

So far as the mug soap goes there are a ton of options out there and I've never used the brand you mentioned BUT: There's Van Der Hagen (VDH) available at most pharmacies and Wally World locations. There's also Williams Mug Soap (WMS) available at most pharmacies, and grocer's (Hy Vee is where I've found it the cheapest $.90). The VDH has a light almond scent. The WMS has a citronella scent that reminds me of summer--a big plus as spring fever is in full force right now. Both of these are around a buck a puck and readily available instead of the stuff that smells like a foot!

Also, I don't know what brush you're using, but I've read about some guys whose brushes smelled bad for the first several shaves...once they were broken in the stink wore off too. Is this a possibility?

Finally, I'd love to know how you got those pics of your blade before and after honing. They're the first I've seen at such magnification and a great example IMHO of what a blade looks like before and after honing.

Peace,

Awesome! Get yourself some good soap and you'll enjoy the shave even more!

And as far as honing goes...good on ya! I haven't started to hone quite yet myself, but I do imagine that if I keep this up much, I'll have to figure something out soon.