New to straight shaving, hi!

Hi all,

This is my first post here after being bitten by the straight shaving bug a few weeks ago. I must admit it has been something that I have wanted to do for some time and have been putting it off due to the fact that I didn't have comprehensive information to hand .. well not until I came across Lynn's straight razor demo on Google which led me here. So thanks Lynn!

A week or so ago I ordered a honed Walter Eigenbrod from John Crowley (very happy with the goods and service by the way), who put the razor in ship-shape for me, as well as an heirloom strop.

I also spent *cough* a bit more than I should have done on other products including Trumpers Coral Skin Food, plus their Sandalwood and Limes creams. I am guessing that these are the first stages of what you refer to as RAD ?

I won't mention what I ordered today just yet either :o

Although I didn't shave with the straight today, I did have a play at lathering up using Joel's guides found elsewhere on this site and I have to say that I found the guides very useful so thanks to Joel, cheers! It is surprising how something that seems so relatively simple can be so hard to do properly when it comes right down to it.

It took me 4 attempts to get anything approaching a half decent lather but the final one was reasonable I think and I am sure I still have a long way to go. Still, patience makes perfect as they say.

I'd like to express my gratitude to the people who have shared their information so openly on SRP, I have learned so much over the last few weeks, without this information I doubt that I would have come this far, so thanks to you all.

I look forward to spending time here and learning more about the art of straight shaving and its associated subjects from the many knowledgable people on the forums and hope that I will be able to contribute in some way in the future.

Best wishes to all.

Steve.

You're making giant steps. From Lynn's CD to Tony's strops and beyond you're making excellent choices and taking firm actions. You only stand to progress rapidly and painlessly if you keep it up. It's a perfect example of how the information and communication at a this site is helpful. Thanks for sharing, welcome to the fold and please keep us posted.

X

Welcome aboard. It's refreshing to see a newb educate himself and acquire proper gear before plunging in :tu

Steve,

Welcome to the forum and this very addictive
disease know as straight razor shaving.


Terry

Welcome, Steve! As a newb to newb, be careful with the first shaves.

I also would like to say a few words on RAD, as you mention it. It would probably be a good idea to have a monthly budget of your absolutely crazy amount you are able to spend on razors and related stuff. Still, this is not enough. In order for this to work - give it to your wife. This will ensure that you won't spend double or tripple that.

Well, or you'll be forced to lie to her...

And if you don't like this idea (which I suspect few would) - you might just as well resign and enjoy the ride :D

Cheers
Ivo

Thanks for the advice guys, I can see the road ahead being slightly 'bumpy' with a few sharp turns/nicks!

Not that the incidental "damage" worries me in the slightest .. seems like a lot of fun taking the road to a top quality shave, which is what I am aiming for.

Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

P.S.: Can still smell the coral food and Tabac, think I will head off to grab that malt now ;)

Excellent choice in Vendor, razor and strop (especially the strop, if I do say so myself <g>).

Welcome to the family now!

Tony Miller

Not much to say accept your in the right place to research straights, which sounds like you have done some, and with this bunch here you will never stop learning about something. Welcome aboard.

Congrats! Sounds like your plugging away nicely. My foolproof method for making lather is to:

Heat the bowl and brush in hot water, about 1 minute.

Pull bowl out and knock out as much water as you can from the brush, banging my hand with the brush on the side of the sink and flicking it.

Add lather in any amount to the bowl (about an almond size is usually fine)

Then begin mixing with the "moist" brush

Dip the brush tips about 1/2 inch into the sink water (yes, with some lather on it) then continue swirling, about 15 times.

Look into the bowl and see how things are progressing

Repeat brush dip and 15 swirls (or 5 or 10) until you add just the right amount of water and at that moment the cream will "explode" on you and lather will start flying out of the bowl.

Obviously, this procedure will work with any cream consistency and any amount as your using the brush to grab a little water at a time and add it to the cream.

You'll also never waste an ounce of precious cream!


Have fun!

Welcome! Enjoy the experience. And it seems like you're well on your way, having educated yourself before going out and getting what you needed for a great shave.

Good luck.

Thanks again for all the comments. It's a refreshing change to find such a good community with people so willing to share their knowledge with those of us who are starting out.

I have been playing around again with lathering and things are getting a little better but the "foam explosion" has yet to happen for me just yet. That said, my lather is thickening up, though it has taken a fair bit longer than I have expected it to take (4-5 minutes) before I find it thick enough to shave with.

Where we live on the South coast of England, the water hardness is very high and perhaps this isn't helping matters too much. I will prove the point perhaps by trying some good quality bottled water to lather up with and see how it goes.

Tony - The strop is a beauty even to a layman like myself, and I will be recommending your products to those that I convert to straight shaving in the coming years. I am delighted with it.

Dave - Thanks for the lathering tips, I will continue to work on it and in a few days will summon the courage to take my first few short downward strokes to see how things feel.

I'll let you know how things go, but don't expect too much just yet as I am not rushing into the first shave until I feel the time is right.

Right now it seems that going from a Quattro to a straight seems as big a jump as riding a bike to flying a fighter plane though with the information and help I have gleaned from SRP and it's users I feel as if I am off to a fine start.

I am so looking forward to that first shave now ..

Cheers, and catch you soon!

Steve.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shorty

Where we live on the South coast of England, the water hardness is very high and perhaps this isn't helping matters too much. I will prove the point perhaps by trying some good quality bottled water to lather up with and see how it goes.

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Hi Steve. Where I am in Swindon we also have quite hard water. What I tried for a while was pouring some water from our Brita filter jug in the kitchen (for the kettle) into a mug and microwaving it for 2 mins, then using that for the lather.

However, in my experience it doesn't seem to make much difference to using very hot water from the tap. From my chemistry days, the hardness in the water will bind with some of the soap and after that it will lather just fine, you just need to use a tiny bit more soap/cream than in a soft water area.

I stopped bothering with filtered water, it was too much hassle and provided no major benefit.

Try starting with more cream/soap than you need, as it seems to make lathering a bit easier. Then slowly reduce the amount of lather you make as you get mor proficient. I started off using creams as I found them easier to lather when i was learning, but I have since switched to soaps which I find give me a slightly smoother shave.

Of course your mileage may vary, you should trry a few things out and see what works for you. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions, it's a very friendly bunch in here. :)