On being a beginner.

Ok so first of all, I realized that I've never formally posted an introduction. So Hi everybody my name is frank Krifka and I'm a fine artist living in Portland, Or. Secondly I just wanted to share something with everybody here an that is today, I think I really proved to myself the importance of the basics.

For a little background, I am an oil painter who paints primarily, still-life, portrait and Tromp-l'oeil paintings. (You can see my work here http://www.frankkrifka.com if you are interested.) For many years before I moved to Oregon I was a teacher. One of the things I always stressed to my students was how important it was to be a beginner. Often a new student would come to class with all sorts of specialty brushes, exotic colors hard to find congo copal painting mediums and the like, that they were just dying to use. I would tell them, every single one of them. "concentrate on learning the basics. The most important part of painting is learning the basics. Everything else, all the special fancy tools and techniques are just variations on the basics of painting. You do not need them yet and if you were to try to use them, you are most likely to get frustrated and quit before you even get started." It is usually at that point they look at me like I am speaking German. (which I don't.)

So, two days ago. I dropped my razor. Damn thing slipped right out of the sheath when I reached up to get my shave towel off the rack. watching that thing fall through the air was like slow motion and when it landed I nearly dove for it. But, as diving for an falling, open straight might have cost me a few pints of blood I restrained myself and just :cry:'ed instead....

While the razor fell on it's side, the vibration from the impact had clearly rolled the edge on the toe slightly. When I took it to the strop, one side was silent and the rolled over side made a clear "zinging noise". so looking up threads on SRP, I wondered what it was going to take to get this thing back to shaving? Did I need to buy a full set of Chosera stones? Was I going to have to learn breadknifing? Perhaps a Belgian coticule bound to BBW with a slurry progression? And my god, tape or no tape?

Ultimately I took it to my barber hone to take the edge down a bit and then gave it a good thorough stropping. Here I finally realized what I Had always preached to my students as being totally applicable to straight razors. Good, solid stropping technique and perhaps a barber hone for touch ups can accomplish far far more than one first realizes. It is the folly of every beginner to assume that the magic lies in the upper reaches of fancy tools. But every single master will tell you that true success (not to mention BBS shaves) lies in fully grasping, understanding and applying the basics.

Do not underestimate your strop gentleman. It is more valuable than you realize.

-Frank

Hooray for the basics!
you should join us for the april barber's hone month here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/gener...nth-april.html

enjoy,
jim

Just want to write wow:) I like your post:)

Welcome and praise for the basics indeed. I've been enjoying stropping more and more these days. It's an enjoyable process for me now that I no longer fear damaging the fine strop. ;)

Not only your skill with a brush, but also your insight into process serves you well. May it so continue.

Wonderful post, Paintman. I love it. Almost 2 yrs & 326 blades honed, I'm still enjoying life as a beginner.

BTW - I'm up out of Scappoose off Hwy 30. If I can be helpful, pls. let me know.

I concur about the basics. I just started honing my own and I am concentrating in good form and basic honig principles i.e. elbow up, light pressure, etc. I am also interested in restoring blades. I have quite a few from antique stores around the PacNW. Would be great to get some of us Portland area folks together some time. Take care!

Welcome, Frank, and thanks for sharing your lesson. Something I learned back when I taught biology was that to be a good teacher you have to remember what it feels like to not-understand. The straight shave is a great ongoing lesson in not-understanding, and quick to humble us when we imagine we know enough to quit thinking about it.

Best wishes.