New member and lots of questions

There is a lot to master with straight shaving, as for keeping lather warm you can go for a scuttle which you put hot water in and form the lather in the bowl above. Steve Woodhead is the only UK maker of those that I am aware. Alternatively you could do what I do and just stand the lather bowl in the sink or a larger bowl with a bit of hot water in it.

Stropping improves through practice i.e. when you build the muscle memory, and will greatly improve the shave when its right.

I'm also in Radstock (small world) so if you run into trouble with anything let me know and I'll see what can do.

All the best

Nic

hi ive bought quite a few straights from the invisible edge ,all have been shave ready so i dont believe it will be any other than shave ready ,i find a good preshave oil works on tougher whiskers plus a hot not too hot though face cloth left on face for 30.or so seconds works to soften bristles , dont give up for one day it all comes together and you wont look back .
ian

Hi and welcome to SRP from another UK new member :)

I've had 3 razors from IE now and they are all nice an sharp so don't think that's the problem.

With respect to keeping the lather warm, what I tend to do is use a large shaving mug and preheat it in a sink of hot water (along with my brush) while I'm showering, then, once the lather is made I reduce the amount of hot water in the sink to a few inches and sit the mug in that. That works for me without having a specific miss scuttle. However Steve Woodhead is a good guy (I bought a shaving mug for my dad from him).

Good luck
Jason

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Originally Posted by Jeltz

I'm also in Radstock (small world) so if you run into trouble with anything let me know and I'll see what can do.

All the best

Nic

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I had clicked on you google map link and saw a pin in Radstock. I assumed that was showing me :-) Zooming in now I see we are actually only a few streets away. I'm in Lower Whitelands.

Welcome, Paul. Looks like you've got the best of luck, finding another str8 shaver nearby.

Your first-cheek-smooth, second-cheek rough experience sounds like you just have better dexterity on the first side. There's no shame in just doing the easiest spots with your straight and finishing up with whatever you used before. Eventually your comfort zone will encompass your whole face and neck. My transition to full-time straight shaving took about four months.

If it was easy right out of the gate it wouldn't be so interesting. Have fun and happy shaving.

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Originally Posted by roughkype

Welcome, Paul. Looks like you've got the best of luck, finding another str8 shaver nearby.

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Yeah quite funny, its a small town and we live almost a stones throw from one and other.

I found a old straight razor from my grandfather it says non XLL Joseph Allen & sons sheffield england. On the blade it says medium size hollow ground. Seems to be in good shape and I have the original box for it to can anyone tell me what it's worth or where I can sell it.. I tried to post pics but can't get them to load here

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Originally Posted by Bigdaddyoo32

I found a old straight razor from my grandfather it says non XLL Joseph Allen & sons sheffield england. On the blade it says medium size hollow ground. Seems to be in good shape and I have the original box for it to can anyone tell me what it's worth or where I can sell it.. I tried to post pics but can't get them to load here

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Sorry, no appraisals here. Your best bet would be to research similar blades on Ebay and see what they sold for.

Hello Paul,

In my experience, and I believe that was the experience of most people who took on straight razor shaving, the learning curve is very long. In average you should expect between three to six month before you pass the point where you can start feeling you started to master the technique. I actually gave it up once in cheer frustration, then two years later, like the prodigal son, came back few months ago. I'm glad I did. It is until now that my shaves are showing good progress. My shaves are comfortable now and they are getting closer and closer each day.

Things to watch are the angle of your razor and the pressure you apply to your face. The less your razor touches your skin (with out missing the whisker!) the better your results will be.

I also was told by some members here, that one of the most common problems beginners have is stropping technique. If you put to much pressure while stropping you are actually flattening your razor instead of sharpening it. So what I did after I heard this one was to send my razors to have them professorially sharpened again.

To summarize, I started making progress after I re-honed my razors, re-learn how to strop and became more aware of the pressure/angel in my strokes.

I read some where that if you are having problems shaving is not because you have sensitive skin nor because of your type of bear but because of your technique.

I wish you all the success you can master!

Carlos