Thread: Were I to start over...

Hello, my name is Bill, I'm an alcoholic.

Originally Posted by WW243

Hello, my name is Bill, I'm an alcoholic.

Hello Bill.

Though we all commend you on having seen your demons and noting your weakness, there is of course a time and place for everything.

That said, I want you to know we can all understand how a thread discussing what you would do were you to start over again, would inspire you to see all that you have lost and cause you to blurt out your weakness.

Now, accept your realization and go out and seek your closest AA chapter and tell those better trained to handle your situation! We here are talking shaving.

But thanks for sharing!! Hope you get well .

2 - Pre-Shave / Creams / Soaps / the Brush / Post Shave:
Glycerine ebay soap. Pure badger brush.

3 - The Shave using a Straight (or DE):
Do yourself a favour and get a razor that is shave ready first. Learning to hone and straight shave on the same razor and at the same time will do you no favours.

4- Stropping:
No real complaints - paste a strop with CrOx from the very beginning.

5 - Maintaining a Straights Edge:
CrOx and Coticule/Trans. Arkansas so far - both dead cheap.

6 - Honing:
Don’t be a spanner and buy a 3cmx5cm, 3k/8k hone from ebay to learn on; the size is far too small and setting the bevel will be no easy task, so buy large hones and save yourself the stress. You *can* use coticule as a single stone honing solution but it’s not easy and initially you’ll have better results from synthetic pyramid honing - leave this for a while and come back to it after you have more experience. The suspiciously cheap corundum whetstones from ebay actually aren’t bad at all, so don’t umm and argh about them - get them bought and stop using that tiny little 3k/8k hone.

7 - Conclusion:
Wish I had done it sooner. Wish that I had found Whipped Dog as my first port of call. I also wish I’d found this site first, although I got there in the end.

1 - Introduction:
Hi! I am Harold, and I have been using a straight for 10 months this time. I started once before about 30 years ago, but gave up after about 2 months out of frustration.

2 - Pre-Shave / Creams / Soaps / the Brush / Post Shave:
My pre-shave is pretty standard, although I skip steps when I'm lacking time. When I skip, I skip the scuttle and go right to my face for lathering. I first soak a hot hand towel in the running water (140 ℉), wring and apply to my face for about 20 seconds, lather from a scuttle warmed using the same running water, reapply the re-soaked and wrung out towel, reapply lather, and then shave.....no pre-shave, no oils, etc.

3 - The Shave using a Straight (or DE):
I shave per the mode of most people on here, I think. Sideburns to cheeks WTG, neck WTG, one side at a time. I use my right hand for my right side and left for my left now. I then follow with a re-lather and several passes on the chin and mustache area, from all different angle (whatever feels comfortable that day), and do additional passes on all areas XTG and in scything patterns. During my second and subsequent passes I change hands and approaches depending on my beard growth and other unexplained reasons, maybe razor, maybe lather, who knows.

If there is one thing I wish I had done different from the start, it would be to use both hands. I used to do all kinds of contortions to make my right hand work everywhere and stretch with my right. I get much better shaves and am more comfortable switching hands.


4- Stropping:
I also usually strop the standard way and count -- 10-20 linen and 40-50 leather. I use my original 30 year old Hoffritz strop for the linen (the leather side is butchered, more later), although I sometime use the poly webbing on a Premier Strop Company strop. Similarly I usually do my leather strokes on an SRD paddle strop, but occasionally use the black latigo Premier strop for that. I'm still learning my way on a hanging strop.

If there were twos things I wish I had known about stropping 30 years ago it would have been to ALWAYS change directions on the spine and use minimal pressure. I was a "slapper" and must have turned on the edge, given the knicks and slices my original strop has.

5 - Maintaining a Straight's Edge:
I dry carefully with a tissue, including between the scales after running the razor under the same hot water stream (yes it runs the whole time). Then I strop according to the same routine as before shaving, except with fewer strokes (10/30 or so). Then I leave the razor open on my BR TV cable box, which is usually warm, for 4-8 hours, then store in a sealed plastic box with silica packets. My razors spend only the prep, shave and clean up time in the bathroom.

6 - Honing:
I don't hone, yet, and have no stones, pastes or other such "tools". I do have a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpening set that I use for knives, but my razors aren't allowed near them.

I'd like to see someone who's REALLY GOOD at it hone in person before I try it, and maybe try in their presence.

7 - Conclusion:
I love shaving with a SR. When I can't due to travel or speed, I use a DE, which I also much prefer to any other "system" for shaving.

8 - Other:[/B]

Thanks to SRP and all its forum members and contributors.