Video: First Straight Shave

Well, I gave it a shot and wound up with a very close shave. Once I got over the initial fear and gained a bit of confidence, all went well.

As this is my first post, I do have a few questions.

1. My Dovo blade has some black discoloration on the front of the blade after one use. What could cause this and can they be removed? I dried the blade immediately after use but did not use a sponge while shaving. (I will next time) My starter blade is a Dovo (tortois)

2. I shave ATG. Is this OK with a straight? I found ATG buffing to work well and was able to get BBS going ATG.

Here are some videos of my first try: I was so excited about the blade, I didnt put much effort into my lather.

Straight Razor Newbie - YouTube

Straight ATG - YouTube

Wow, hard to beleive that you are that new, Your first shave was much better than mine! I wish I could answer your questions but I cannot. I am on my 8th shave and I am getting much better but your first shave looked as good as my 3rd shave, You will get better, I was more scared than you were when I had my first shave and I also experienced a lot of tugging but I now realise that I was using incorrect angles. Good luck and thanks for the videos.

Great Start, it's working for you.

No problem with ATG, it gets nice and close.

I haven't experienced any discoloration problems with my razors. I generally rinse and dry them, then apply a little baby oil to the blade. If I'm not going to use a particular razor for a longer period than a day, then I use Camellia Oil.

Cool video! You did well! Your angle looks a little shallow to me. To me, it looked like you were in danger of shaving areas with no soap, and/or going over them too many times. I would have had a bit of razor burn if I'd have done that on my first shave. If you puff out your cheeks you'll get that hollow bit in the cheek. I wish I'd posted a 'first' video. The advice here should prove to be really helpful if everyone evaluates your shave. Cleary posting a 'first shave' video should be mandatory; so we can all critique the process. :-) I can relate to this very well; the excitement and BUZZ...I remember a few months ago I was just as excited!

PS, you said "doing the straight razor thing 'almost' all of the time", where's the COMMITMENT, it's all in or not at all! :-)

Hehe, I have a similar razor (but in 5/8) also from Lynn.
What to say? You did great, I had to finish my first shave with a cartridge otherwise I would've looked like a bum :)
I'm not really up for any advice, since I'm also a newb, but you can try to wipe the blade with a bit of alcohol to get rid of that discoloration. And welcome to SRP :)

Regards,
Adrian

sweet dude ! watched the vid, I had the same reaction ! I couldn't believe it worked that well. Congrats on the first shave.

You did a great job considering it was your first shave with a straight. You are on the right path!

Outstanding. I can't believe you did so well on a first shave. I did everything wrong on my first shave. I had done very little research and watched no videos. I took a Red Imp 132 wedge that was beyond dull but with a wicked spike. I shaved no hair but did manage to leave a two-inch slash just in front of each ear with a lot of blood involved. THEN I GOT SMART; ordered a Dovo, honed by Lynn, read the wikis on shaving, started all over, and met with success. I could have saved myself a lot of grief.

Now I am in my 8th month of using a straight and have collected 34 razors. I love it.

Congratulations on a job well done. Keep up the good work.

Happy Shaving!

ATG does help one get a close shave, but that closeness comes with risks like weepers, cuts and razor burn. I save ATG passes for when I really need closeness. Usually I don't need to get the shave that close. On weekends when I have more time to shave. I pull out all the stops.

Great first shave...I wish I had videoed my first shaves for critique; I think that was an excellent idea. I might have to video one of my shaves to get a critique myself, I can always use improvement too. You did great, especially for a first shave, keep up the good work and keep us posted...welcome to SRP!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yohimnbe2

Well, I gave it a shot and wound up with a very close shave. Once I got over the initial fear and gained a bit of confidence, all went well.

As this is my first post, I do have a few questions.

1. My Dovo blade has some black discoloration on the front of the blade after one use. What could cause this and can they be removed? I dried the blade immediately after use but did not use a sponge while shaving. (I will next time) My starter blade is a Dovo (tortois)

2. I shave ATG. Is this OK with a straight? I found ATG buffing to work well and was able to get BBS going ATG.

Here are some videos of my first try: I was so excited about the blade, I didnt put much effort into my lather.

Straight Razor Newbie - YouTube

Straight ATG - YouTube

---

nice job and great video. I subscribed to your channel. there is much to learn, I'm new to this as well but it's way cool. for guys, who HAVE to shave SOME way, finding their way to this is way cool. there is no more manly way to shave; and, as you said , you were scared at first, as most are and all should be.

Straight razors are no joke! but such a cool art.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RogueRazor

nice job and great video. I subscribed to your channel. there is much to learn, I'm new to this as well but it's way cool. for guys, who HAVE to shave SOME way, finding their way to this is way cool. there is no more manly way to shave; and, as you said , you were scared at first, as most are and all should be.

Straight razors are no joke! but such a cool art.

---

You are so right! Straight razors are so beautiful that it is easy to forget that they can also be lethal. LOL. Sort of like petting a beautiful lion; you never know what might happen.
;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DLB

You are so right! Straight razors are so beautiful that it is easy to forget that they can also be lethal. LOL. Sort of like petting a beautiful lion; you never know what might happen.
;)

---

I'd call it more like petting a cobra!! One Strike and you're out of the game!! :rofl2:

Welcome to the wonderful world of straight razor shaving!!

Smooth Shaving My Brother In Blades!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I'd call it more like petting a cobra!! One Strike and you're out of the game!! :rofl2:

Welcome to the wonderful world of straight razor shaving!!

Smooth Shaving My Brother In Blades!!

---

I understand these things can nick, but are they truly dangerous in any way? Should I stay off my throat until I gain some skill?

All,

Thanks much for all the great advice ! This may be the last post you see from me here as I have been having account issues that wont allow me to logon. One more lockout and I'm off the boards for good.

Thanks again if you don't see me back ! Great to meet you guys. Sorry if I didn't get a chance to answer your replies.

Time for a Norton 4/8? My blade isnt so sharp these days.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2/_DSC0292.jpg

Time for some serious stropping, perhaps.

Great videos, thanks for sharing. As the others have said, your first shave looks like it went off without a hitch. Don't worry, it gets better, before long you can even relax and shave. I could tell you were pretty nervous and remembered back to my first straight razor shave. I doubt you could have fit a piece of dental floss up my anal oriface :) It seems like alot to learn at first and yeah, I doubt any of us could honestly say that we didn't have a few really bad shaves in the early days. But I'll tell ya, once you become comfortable with it, you'll wonder why you ever bothered to shave with anything else.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 1OldGI

Great videos, thanks for sharing. As the others have said, your first shave looks like it went off without a hitch. Don't worry, it gets better, before long you can even relax and shave. I could tell you were pretty nervous and remembered back to my first straight razor shave. I doubt you could have fit a piece of dental floss up my anal oriface :) It seems like alot to learn at first and yeah, I doubt any of us could honestly say that we didn't have a few really bad shaves in the early days. But I'll tell ya, once you become comfortable with it, you'll wonder why you ever bothered to shave with anything else.

---

Thanks much. The thing is I've become TOO COMFORTABLE ! I forget that I'm using a straight and go to my advanced safety techniques. All was well until my blade lost its edge. (poor stropping)

Is this paddle a good buy? I also added two new cheaper blades, shave ready to learn and practice on. I have two Norton stones on the way---400/800 and 220/1000. I hope to sharpen these myself

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2/_DSC0319.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2/_DSC0316.jpg

Great video. Just had my 2nd shave and didn't go as well as your first. Wanted to video my first time but thought I'd be too nervous and cut myself. Thanks for sharing.