Thread: Best Tips

Hi Guys,

I thought it would be cool to see what you guys thought your best tips where since starting to shave with a straight razor. They can come from old barber manuals, the old yahoo SRP, here, Wiki, something you found out on your own and want to share............

It can be on shaving, brushes, honing, restoration, aftershaves.......whatever, you pick.

Let's hear them...........

For me, one of the best was when I was learning to hone and was told to use less strokes and less pressure. This has really held up well over the years in honing for sure. Actually, I find out that less pressure when stropping works very well too.

Have fun,

Lynn

I think for me it's probably something about removing all scratches from the previous level, getting the lightest scratches from the current level, then moving up to the next level and repeating. It applies to honing and restoration.

I recently discovered that I get a better shave on my neck (the biggest challenge for me) with my square point razors. I've found that I can get as good a shave with the others if I vary my technique a bit. If you own multiple razors with different shaped blades, experiment a little.

Originally Posted by Lynn

Hi Guys,

I thought it would be cool to see what you guys thought your best tips where since starting to shave with a straight razor.
......
Let's hear them
Have fun,

Lynn

Two....tips.

One from above "Have fun"

Two use a real or mental egg timer to time how long
your shave lather rests on your whiskers. Rushing
and skipping a full three min soak almost always
results in a less than stellar shave for me.

Mine would have to be use a hot towel before the shave and then a cold one afterwards. I've really noticed such a difference in my shaves since I started doing this, and it really does help soften the beard first and sooth the skin afterwards.

The best tip I could offer -- especially for someone starting out -- is to take full advantage of the people and their knowledge on this site. Otherwise, a few would be to:

· Read the wiki, read the wiki, read the wiki! A more engaging alternative is to stop by the always-populated #SRP chat channel and ask there.

· Post images if you have questions about items like razors and brushes.

· Your first real razor should be sharpened by an expert.

· The easiest way to restore a razor is to contact: Lynn, Glen, Max, Undream, Philadelph, Floppyshoes, or any of the other gurus and do what they say.

Lynn's circle honing method and shaving with cold water come immediately to mind. There have been many others and maybe I will post more as I think of them.... it's early.

Lather making in a cuttle:
I found out that if the water in the scuttle is too hot, the lather breaks down fast. This also has been mentioned in a thread made by Obie.

Restoration:
working with problematic tangs has a nice article in the wiki, however nothing is mentioned about pin holes that re not drilled straight. Redrilling the pin hole is one solution to the problem.

I just recently got started here with a real straight razor, but it seems like every time I have a question about anything straight razor related, I receive a polite response and a link to one or more of the Wiki articles here, in addition, of course, to personal recommendations from more experienced users.

That being said, I would have to say the best piece of advice I received, and could offer to other newbies or folks thinking about starting out with straight razors would be to take full advantage of the wealth of knowledge available on this website, both in the Wiki and if your answer can't be found there, from the many knowledgeable and talented gentleman that hang around this forum daily.

Also, it seems that anything involving straight razors is a practice in finesse. I can't speak for honing, but this is certainly holding true for me when it comes to shaving and stropping

Cheers!

Shave at night time. When the beginner is not at all pressed for time. After mastering good timing on the shaves, and getting the nicks and bleeding down to almost nothing, I would then suggest to move the shaves on to the mornings before the work day begins.
Also when learning to strop. Begin with a butter knife. Learn how the stropping technique feels in the hand and wrist before risking a nick on a new strop. Concentrate on the rotating of the spine instead of trying to "flip the razor" when going up and down the strop.
I'll chime in with more tips later. All the best-J