Thread: First shave... Somewhate disappointed. Need suggestions.

I actually shaved this morning before work!
Still no cuts (one minor nick near the chin, still working on that), but the experience is MUCH improved. I stropped the razor nice and slow for about 20 passes (as suggested earlier in the thread) and got no pulling from the razor, just clean smooth cutting through my beard. I'm still having problems with my jawline and chin, but that's going to come with practice I'm sure.

Thanks for all the help guys! And I may be calling upon someone to put a fresh edge on the dovo later in the year.

I believe a large part of my problem is getting my skin conditioned to the closeness of this razor, as well. The first two shaves abraded the skin, the third one got the dead dry skin off, and the fourth one (today) was smooth sailing.

Congratulations! It's quite a feeling of accomplishment, eh?

Great!

Let me weigh in here and add the chin was always the toughest area to shave for me. Practice makes perfect and welcome to the group.

i concure with Richz, my chin is also the most coarse hair on my face. it is my toughest area to shave and requires the most attention. you will get better shaving this area, by that i mean directions to shave and angles to hold the blade, how to pull your skin and just how far down to go before you stop for stroke. that will help improve your chin area.

ALSO, i'd suggest if you have a pasted paddle to do a few laps on that and then restrop 60x (you will see in a past thread study that 60 stropping laps was the optimal # for improvement of the blade). after i touched up my blade after the first 10days of shaving it provided me SO MUCH BETTER of a shave, no pulling on my jaw line. basically i had dulled the blade and it needed a touch up much faster then normally would have. but hey, i was learning and it was easily refinished.

keep at it, everything get easier and smoother. well, soap/cream choice and blade choice for the day do not get easier...but the shave itself does

~J

ps. make sure that strop is pulled tight when stropping. go as slow as you need to while u learn, just make sure its pulled tight

One thing I didn't see mentioned. Did the barber hone and stropp or just stropp ?.

Stropping won't sharpen the edge.

Gary

I am also new to straight shaving and have learned a great deal from this discussion thread. I am also having some problems with my razor pulling in the rougher parts of my beard and cannot seem to shave against the grain. I thought I had stropped the blades well but sounds like I need just a little more.

I really suggest having any new razor hand honed before using it. Lynn, Joe Chandler, EL, etc.... all will do it and some of us use them on the razors well sell new.
Yes, the local old codger barber could probably turn and axe into a shave ready razor back in his day but how often does a barber sharpen razors now days.
Start with properly sharpened tools and a properly preped face and you will give yourself the best shot at success.

Tony Miller

for more info read up on the sticky in this forum about shave ready razors, it may help.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=7563