Thread: First Straight Shave

Yeah - I'm on about shave # 4. I think that I may have blunted my razor a bit somehow, but mostly it's a technique problem that causes my face to "look like it's been through a mincer". I'm looking a bit less chewed up each time, but I'm still only shaving on a Friday night or Saturday morning so I have until Monday for the nicks/razor burn to go away.

The razor should definately have been sharp enough, it was honed by John Crowley before I received it and then sent it on to you. I tested it on my arm hair and it was certainly as sharp as it needs to be. It's possible you rolled the edge a little in stropping it, though you may find it was just nerves and not yet having the right feel for a straight. It does take time to get used to holding the blade right, and using the right pressure and angle.

I had a straight shaving lesson at Trumpers in London, but to be honest they didn't show me anything that wasn't explained perfectly on Lynn's DVD. Maybe wait for that to arrive and watch it a couple of times?

Also I found it easiest to shave a very light beard growth to start with, so maybe try the first pass with the grain using your Mach3, then re-lathering and doing a second pass with the straight. You should find it pulls a lot less and you can use a little less pressure, just while you start to get used to it.

Originally Posted by harold

I've been looking for a place to buy his dvd, but I scoured his website and couldn't find anything.

Anybody can tell me where I can get his dvd?

Probably a bit late now but you can order it online at classic shaving

http://www.classicshaving.com/page/page/1523551.htm

I ordered the dvd directly from lynn via PM now, thx.

Was that with the razor you got from me? If so you can send it back and I'll rehone it for you.

I really dont think it was anything to do with the razor, other than the idiot on the end of it

I have been shaving for nearly 40 years, and my stubble is quite thick and hard.

I am sure it is down to technique.

OK,
Day 2

Received my razor from Joe - a refurbished Boker King Cutter.

Thought I would have a second go with this blade, as a lot of the burn from yesterday had subsided by now.

I found the Boker better than yesterday and managed to get three good passes on my cheek areas, and even onto the side of my neck.
This time I lay the razor flat against my skin and then elevated the spine very slightly. It was much better, but the only problem was that the flat of the blade seemed to suck onto my face! I conclude that yesterday I had been holding the blade at the wrong angle in more of a scrape than a cut.
I was quite encouraged by the results, so I had a go on the chin. I took shorter and slower strokes and things were going fine - but then I had a 'dig-in' that stung and I knew it was going to be a bad nick, and sure enough, it was

Upto that point, I was going great!

Well at least results are improving. When did the razor you recieved from me arrive? (I'd like to know because I don't know how long it takes to ship to the UK and I have more things to ship to there.)

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

Well at least results are improving. When did the razor you recieved from me arrive? (I'd like to know because I don't know how long it takes to ship to the UK and I have more things to ship to there.)

Not yet received it Alex.

I'll let you know when it arrives

Got my new razor and paddle strop from Tony Miller today. I washed, steamed and lathered. and then I started. To tell the truth, it wasn't the greatest shave, but at least I didn't become a blood donor. I did learn a few tricks, however.
First thing: listen to what your skin is telling you. The razor is having a conversation with your skin, but your skin is talking to you. I learned to keep the angle very shallow, moving down my skin in extremely short strokes.
I wear a beard, so the areas I shave are my cheeks and my neck.
On my cheeks, I got the feeling that if I puff them out, I could end up slicing them off. A bit of experimentation and I managed to reduce the beard there.
The neck was a bit tougher. I'm right handed and my left hand is good for little else except swinging at my side. I wouldn't dare put a razor in it, so I had to do a bit of acrobatics to move the razor around both sides of my neck.
Here's what my skin told me: if the angle was too steep, it said: "If you continue, you're going to cut me!" I backed off.
I tried a slight upward pass, and my skin said: "now you've gone and done it! Back off, moron!" I did, but there was a faint reddish line. No blood flow, though, and a stypic pencil took care of it.
Bottom line--I shaved. Sort of. I had to go over everything with a DE afterward to smooth it all out, because the results were so patchy.
But the good news is there are no cuts, no razor burn, and while my face does feel somewhat strange, I figure I can go and do this thing again in a couple of days. (I think tomorrow will be a DE shave. I need to work into this gradually.)
I know--you only get one face, and it's a hell of a thing to practice on, but I'm sure that I'll get it right in time. In the meantime, while the shave wasn't the greatest, no harm was done either, so I'm confident that I'll pick up the technique in time.
Thanks to everyone here who encouraged me along the way.
Eric
Eric A. Silver
Cheshire, CT