If it were easy....

I suppose it wouldn't be worth the trouble, right??
Got my first couple of ebay specials last week--all pretty good condition, but dull. Bought a nice 4 sided paddle strop. Succumbed to the temptation to get the 4k/8k norton stone and some pastes for the strop.
Spent a good couple of hours honing and stropping yesterday, surprising myself somewhat by getting a good edge on all three razors (all that woodworking tool sharpening helped).

Decided that today was going to be the day, first time for everrything!!!
Observation #1-- You really, REALLY shouldn't be in a hurry.
Observation #2-- Can't see a damn thing in the mirror with my fat hand in the way.
Observation #3-- CLUBMAN NICK RELIEF LIQUID HURTS LIKE H*LL!!!!!
Observation #4-- The day in which to try a new shaving method is not the day before doing interviews with prospective employees.

Let's just say that I still don't think I've cleaned up all the blood in the bathroom yet....

I'm really trying not to laugh at myself--I'm afraid that smiling will open the wounds again. :oops:

All good points, look how much you've learned on the first try...lol. Now you know why they say it's a steep learning curve. Careful you'll learn more on the second try...if you can imagine that... :lol:

Sounds like you missed the memo. You're not supposed to make pink soap, or have a blood-letting as a cleansing. If you want a cleansing, have a bran muffin :wink:

Seriously though, you should be ready to take your time. My first several times were 45 minutes of terror. Now, it's about 20 for two passes. I'll still spend 45 minutes if I have it though.

Some things are hard to see in the mirror. You might try changing the angle that you stand to the mirror. Those hands sometimes block the view, and it can be a bugger working around that.

I had some roll on syptic (Nik Aid maybe) that I used at first. Not so pleasant. I have been using a styptic pencil when necessary and it seems like it doesn't burn as much. It still stings pretty good though. You can also try cold water for those minor nicks, as it will often stop the blood.

Sounds like you're in good spirits about it. Don't give up. Nice, slow and easy, keep the skin stretched and you'll be surprised at how much progress you make in short order.

Well, you are now offically a newb! Welcome to the pink soap club! :) Most of us are members in good standing. :)

You seem to have learned the most important lesson, don't be in a hurry. Learnto shave a small section of your whiskers at a time. Start with the sideburns and cheeks, use one pass only to start.

The second most important lesson is beard preperation. There is no substitute for it. Hot water, and lots of it, are key.

Let us know how you progress,

Thanks for the encouragement guys :lol:
Oh and I figured out another item for inclusion...

Spikes are NOT the preferred razors for noob's (I remember someone telling me that, but did I listen??? Nooooo!) :roll:

You can bet I'll be a little more timid before the next attempt, and I'll try the roundpoint--duh. :lol:

I am sure now that I look back that the one thing that would have made all the difference in the world is to stretch the skin--I didn't do that and got pinched pretty badly. I looked like I got pulled into a chipper/shredder.

Of course the know-it-all wife just smirked and shook her head...no sympathy at all, what's up with that???? :evil:

Oh yes stiptic pencils do get your attention. Go slow don't rush. And yes welcome to the pink sink club. 8)

I'm like you with the hands in my way. The other problem is that I am totally near-sighted and have to stand really close to the mirror. I'm getting used to it though. The first three weeks I had some nasty cuts. My friends thought I was crazy. The cool thing is when you give yourself a really good shave for the first time. It really feels like a big accomplishment. I'll bet once you get good at it, your wife will like the results.

Stretching the skin, combined with "facial yoga" and really good prep work, is really the key to a nice close shave. Stretch upward, downward, sideways, any way you can to get the skin tight.

For prep, just shave after your shower. You want lots of hot water. Don't be afraid to re-lather if it starts to dry out. I usually rinse with a hot towel between passes. Finish with cold water to seal those pores. Sneak some of your wife's moisturizer too. Feels nice. I'll be visiting the Clinique counter when I run out this next time.

Cheeks are easiest. Just use you hand, reach over the top of your head & grab the sideburn & lift. Or, same side, just use the thumb, push in & lift up.

Neck isn't pretty easy here, I usually lift my head like I'm looking up, then use my free hand to stretch the skin downward. You can catch the jowls when you do the cheeks by lifting up usually.

Upper lip is pretty easy. I usually facial yoga the lip down, and combine a strech from above the corner of the mouth back toward the ear. A little tougher, especially maneuvering the razor around the nose.

The chin is probably the toughest. Just divide it into sections, stretch & shave. I often tackle zones about ¼" square.

Have you watched Lynn's shaving video yet? If not, you can get to it under the "Videos" section from the main home page (portal home).

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Originally Posted by Dr_Phong

I'm like you with the hands in my way. The other problem is that I am totally near-sighted and have to stand really close to the mirror.

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*****> Get yourself a magnifying mirror for the bath ....I would NOT recommend a 10X, but a 3X is perfect, a 5X adequate. I have two - one on a stand that I can put on the shelf, and anopther which I use for travel that sticks to the mirror with a suction cup. You get to see the "stubble fields" left behind much better, and you can get much closer to your work!

Best,

Much better time of it this time around! :)

Still some things to work on...
I managed to snag an almost new dovo w/ stainless blade and stainless scales on ebay for a real good price.
I honed it and followed with a stropping, but it didn't seem quite sharp enough--it was pulling.

Only a couple of very tiny knicks shaving so I count that as a sucess! :)

I still need to work out hand location and my instinctive impatience tho--gotta go slowly!

Learning to be patient can be a real problem. Just savor the moment and fully enjoy it.

Good to hear you're having improvements. Did you have to use the styptic on the nicks or did cold water do the trick?

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Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

Learning to be patient can be a real problem. Just savor the moment and fully enjoy it.

Good to hear you're having improvements. Did you have to use the styptic on the nicks or did cold water do the trick?

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stypic only on one--one of the previous cuts.

This new dovo has a stainless blade. I understand that it may be a little more difficult to get just right, so I'll keep messing with it.

Hey guys the styptic is a great wake up call for morning shavers. :P

just a tip: be careful about shaving over old cuts that havn't healed yet. Reopening a cut, or cutting yourself there again, is what will cause scar tissue to build up. So unless you like the look of "I got into a knife fight and severly lost", don't shave over cuts that havn't healed. :D

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Originally Posted by ronski

<<snip, snip>>

Spikes are NOT the preferred razors for noob's (I remember someone telling me that, but did I listen??? Nooooo!) :roll:

You can bet I'll be a little more timid before the next attempt, and I'll try the roundpoint--duh. :lol:

<<snip, snip>>

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If you were to look at spike blade that is properly honed under magnification, you'd see the point is really sort of a baby round nose. The spike is preferrred by quite a few guys for getting into the tight areas, around the nose for instance.

One problem you have to pay attention to is as the razor visits the hone a couple of times. That baby-rounded-point on the spike can get squared off......that's not good.....so to fix that, I use the side of the hone (4k-6k is ideal), with the razor standing on it's square end, then move down the length of the stone using NO PRESSURE AT ALL. After, I look at it and if I decide the pointy-point is gone, I'll give the whole edge a few more licks on the stone to finish that phase of the sharping.

But I will say, the spike looks scarier than the round blade ..... that helps keep the prices down :wink: 8)

Watch out for those earlobes with a nice spike razor..... :wink: Lynn

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Originally Posted by adjustme69

Watch out for those earlobes with a nice spike razor..... :wink: Lynn

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maybe not such a bad idea! the ear ring hole in my earlobe closed up long ago....

I am so glad you said that Lynn. I thought I was the only one to have cut my earlob when I was shaving :shock:

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Watch out for those earlobes with a nice spike razor..... Lynn

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I opened my ear a bit last weekend. Just touched it. Dident feel a thing. I just got lazy, most of the time I hold my ear out of the way to get under it. :roll: