Questions after my first week

Hi everyone! So it has been over a week since I got my first straight razor. And Right off the bat I did something that I learned that I should not have.....I bought a nice straight razor. I bought an AoS with a Thiers-Issard blade and Bocote scales. It is beautiful and I am very pleased with it but I am afraid that I am going to do something wrong and damage it. I have been extremely careful with in shaving, stopping etc. But i still feel i will necessarily do sonething horribly wrong because i am so inexperencied. Please tell me that i am mistaken? But I have a few questions that I was hoping SRP could help me with:

1. I took my blade to get sharpened at a local place that sharpens knives. Does a place like this generally suffice? I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and there aren't a lot of shops around that sharpen blades so when I found that this store I was thrilled. But I started to think that maybe they are not equipped to properly sharpen straight razors. Are my suspicions justified?

2. I am really only comfortable shaving with my right (dominant) hand. Will this be problematic for the quality of my shave?

3. Finally, I have completed 4 shaves now and besides the giant laceration on my cheek, thing have been pretty good. Did the more experienced folk come to find that their angles got better with time? Because right now I feel as though it is tough to properly get certain strokes.

Thank you for any help! This is such a cool forum and I am very excited to be part of such a cool group!

BnB

1) Yeah, get it sent to a pro to have it honed.
2) When you feel comfortable start using your non-dominant hand. For example, I am right handed so I use my right hand on the right side of my face. When I do ATG I will switch to the left hand. I started right out of the gate with my non-dominant hand.
3) I got a bad scar on my left cheek. I think it is going to be around for awhile. I can say over time my angle has gotten better. i am not a 'more experience folk' but it does get better.

Hello, and welcome to SRP! Becoming a member here is probably the single best thing you can do to improve your cutthroat technique(s). It is good that you are asking questions as many senior members here know almost everything there is to know about wet shaving. Now on to your questions!
1. DEFINITELY have a professional honemeister hone your razor! Razor honing is a whole different animal than knife sharpening. Head on over to the classifieds section in the tool bar above and look at the vendors that offer honing services. If I may recommend a specific vendor, I suggest Mr. Lynn Abrams, the founder of SRP. He recently honed my Robeson ShurEdge to perfection. He is also a classy gentleman with whom to do business.
2. It may. It may not. Many wet shavers use only one hand and develop their own techniques for doing both sides with only one hand. Many others learn to use both hands -- it is NOT difficult. Be patient with yourself , use very short strokes, and be certain that you have the angle you want before you start moving the razor across your face!
3. Patience, grasshopper! The capital of Italy was not constructed in a 24-hour period. Practice does not guarantee perfection, but it does lend itself quite well to competence. Yes, your technique WILL improve once you figure out which angle(s) work best for you. DON'T PANIC! Speaking for myself, which angle I use depends on which part of my face or neck I am shaving. I'm not certain, but I'd bet a jelly donut that most shavers do the same.
Hope this helps you, and I'll see you in the trenches!

G'Day and welcome to SRP.
You are not going to do anything to your new razor that can't be sorted out (most of the time, anyway) UNLESS you use it for something other than it's intended purpose.
The only time you should take your razor to a knife honer is if he uses a straight razor on his own face.
You will get used to both hands eventually - if you want to - however you can get a quite acceptable shave only using one (I did for a while)
Have patience and it will all come together eventually (quicker than you expect, probably) - don't forget 'baby steps' in the beginning.
How many stitches did you need?
Hang on and enjoy the ride

About using your non-dominant hand, I'd recommend leaving that for a while and concentrating on the basics. There's plenty of stuff that needs to be got right - the actual shaving strokes, stropping, and making lather - which takes a bit of time. I've only been shaving with a straight since January, and it's only in the last few shaves that I've been trying some parts of my face with my left hand.

I only recently noticed any difference in the final result between the left and right halves of my face, after getting the basics at least adequate. That's why I'm now experimenting with my non-dominant hand, but there's no need to rush into that. This is all IMHO.

BnB,
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'Seems like you're getting good help already. 'Sorry to hear about the slice. I also spent too much on first blades... and most other mistakes. If it was expensive, I probably made it several times. Experience is what allows you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. :)
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My early experience is recent enough (2yrs ago) that I still remember it well. So many of the experience guys wrote about the first 6 mo. really being about learning the shave, trying different stretches, strokes and blade angle 'til they find what works well in which area. The more angular your facial features, the more work it'll take to get it right. It is definitely true that it gets better and better w/ experience. Plateaus happen, then you try another technique and the shaves improve more. By then, you're toast. Shaving w/ anything else seems half arsed.

At this point you don't seem to have made another normal big mistake (which of course, I did). The experienced guys say to shave about 6 mo before taking up honing. When learning the shave, the quality of your edges is very important - you need better edges than the experienced shaver. It helps to have a 2nd blade to use while one is out being honed. It needn't be a costly blade - just one that is sound and well honed. Trying another size or grind exposes you to a different feel - and you start to learn what you prefer in a blade. By keeping the blades in the humble price range, you get to experience more without going broke. Maybe the best way to do is to find others in your area that are willing to let you try their gear. If your travels take you near the Portland, OR area. Gimme a hollar and you can try lots of gear. In the mean time, if you need a had with your edges, I'd be happy to help - just the actual cost of getting it back to you (postage, envelope).
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If that slice is still healing. Make sure you don't shave over it again until healed - it'll just keep opening it and delay the healing. Lynn once said Neosporin help a nic heal faster. I've found that to work for me also. The brand neosporin has ingredients the low cost generics do not. The inactive ingredients is a 'who's who' of good things for skin.

Keep posting, asking questions. We love our shaves and will work pretty hard to help others love theirs.

Thanks everyone for the pointers so far! No stitches yet, Havachat, just an O.S. moment haha