Thread: Beginners Tips: March 2012

Well,

I think Glen's post, as usual was spot on, it was also an entertaining read.

The clue is in the title "beginners Tips". They're tips, take them or leave them. But as my mother used to say, "if you fall and break both your legs, don't come running to me"

I am not trying to start something, and I know that Glen is held in the highest regard (for good reason), but I wonder why everyone is so into well… not learning to hone right off the bat?

I genuinely would like to understand the reasoning. There are so many things a guy needs to learn when picking up this “hobby,” and every one of them make a HUGE difference. Mapping your face, making a good lather, knowing how to stretch your skin just to name a few. Why not throw in honing?

I am not joking when I state that knowing if my blade was sharp was a huge factor for me when I started. When I learned to hone and get that all out of the way, I started to get way better shaves. Am I the only one? It seems to me that there are a ton of guys on these forums with the same “issue,” but I could be mistaken.

I don’t know – maybe it’s just me. Heck, I wish I learned to hone before I even learned to shave… and strop for that matter.

Simply put ,

You are an oddball not meant as a cutdown, but over the years by the percentage we have found that it is not the easy path,,

When I give tips in the Beginners section I give the easiest path only, same as honing I give the easiest path to success, it isn't the only path just the easiest for the most amount of people by what we read day after day after day...

Honestly when you watch the Vids that many of us put out to teach honing, do you really think that that is all there is to it??? those vids are the basic of the basic, these tips are the basic of the basic... The advanced tecniques you have to learn either on your own, or sitting down with someone

When people e-mail and pm about how to fix their razors I give them the safest and easiest path to success, not the path I take, but the path I think they can succeed at

It is something I learned teaching Martial Arts for the last 35 years each person takes their own path to the top, some take steps faster, some take steps slower, but ya gotta take all the steps..

Honestly since some have said to cut the jokes I will, after you have taken the time to teach a few hundred people this sport especially at the meets you will see that jumping into the deep end for most people is a bad idea.. Never all, and their will always be exception to the rule like you...

I hope that explains why in the Beginners section the Tips are given to help the most people through the first hurdles...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Simply put ,

You are an oddball not meant as a cutdown, but over the years by the percentage we have found that it is not the easy path,,

When I give tips in the Beginners section I give the easiest path only, same as honing I give the easiest path to success, it isn't the only path just the easiest for the most amount of people by what we read day after day after day...

When people e-mail and pm about how to fix their razors I give them the sfaest and easiest path to success not the path I take but the path I think they can succeed at

It is something I learned teaching Martial Arts for the last 35 years each person takes their own path to the top, some take steps faster, some take steps slower, but ya gotta take all the steps..

Honestly since some have said to cut the jokes I will, after you have taken the time to teach a few hundred people this sport especially at the meets you will see that jumpining into the deep end for most people is a bad idea.. Never all and their will always be exception to the rule like you...

Enough said LOL! I guess I'll have to admit it here one day. My wife says that all the time too - so it must be true lol!!

Thanks for the answer - I see the reasoning.

Glen, don't cut the jokes. You do what you want my friend!!! I found you humorous because I have been there, I have lived your words, and I find your words to be wise.

I realize that all will and do make their own mistakes, as did I, but having someone with WAY more experience put it out there for all to read takes a certain amount of caring. We care, and because we know that sometimes taking the harder path leads to frustration and then quitting. That's the only reason you do your beginners tips in the first place.

The single person that attempted to put you down for your attempt at humor has no knowledge of who you are or what you have done for the art of straight shaving.

I for one appreciate what you try to do for us all, and I bow to your greater knowledge, and again, appreciate what you try and do for our hobby.

You keep the humor in your posts, and don't YOU get discouraged by the input of the minority.

Mike

It was a legit question coming from you, Earcutter, I am much the same way once I start something the OCD side kicks in and I have to master it... So when people like us see a post like this it tickles our brain ...

Heck it is hard for me to write them without going back through all the posts I read each month and tracking the trends, which is how this started a couple of years back.. As a Mod we read near every post as they come up, and I started noting trends each month and started writing these Tips...


Edit: Thanks Mike, I just hit the broken TY button for yer post

Please don't axe the humor, Glen. Humor improves most things if you ask me, especially educational materials. A joke here or there may help someone remember one particular trick you mentioned that otherwise wouldn't have set in so strongly. That's my opinion, anyway. One would have to be mighty thin-skinned to not be able to handle your humor.

I am glad you saw it that way Glen – I do obsess at times and was just thinking. When I get my act together, one day when I read one of those posts that says, “I want to start using a straight,” I am going to give the guy a 2 razors (one dull and one honed), a strop, and some cream and state, “all free if you buy a set of stones and hone the dull one after you’ve used the honed one that I want back in a week” lol. Then promise to dull it after every shave until you are comfortable with honing.

What do you think lol!! I wonder how it’ll turn out! Oh wait – you just told me that most guys would be best off not going that route! See maybe I am an odd-ball lol – but I think it would be fun anyway!
Seriously, the humor is a huge factor (and the above though dry is my attempt at it). But seriously, what’s not humorous about taking the sharpest thing 99% of us will ever own, and then willingly putting it next to our jugulars? I mean you know there’s DE’s right lol!! This should be fun! And relaxing.

If I was a Mod – I don’t know how I would handle it if there wasn’t humor! Again thanks for the answer – It does make sense, it’s just kind of too bad – “I” think. I LOVE honing lol.

I got to STr8 shaving by way of honing. Retired with time on my hands, I began to pursue the skill of cutlery sharpening by hand. Taking the pursuit to the edge(pun intended), I sought to have a razor edged knife. Well the journey brought me to straight razors which inevitably lead to learning to shave with them to appreciate the edge. I no longer foolishly refer to a knife as having a razor's edge. My experience would indicate honing is the last thing a str8 shaver should attempt. Developing stropping skill is far more important and will make honing much easier to learn. Shaving is a skill best developed with a great deal of patience. Speed cuts bleeding sucks. I just had my closest safest shave thusfar and I still finished with ATG from a blue frame twin blade.

I am glad this came up!! I think I'll need to re-evaluate my whole thought process!!