Thread: Newb from PDX. Inherited Grandfather's straight razor and shaving table.

Have shaved a few times ignoring the beginners guide on this site. Chops and upper lip were BBS, the rest looked like I lost a fight with a weedwhacker . Hope to get and take advice soon; maybe extend the BBS to the lower half of my face. Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome aboard.

Welcome to SRP.
As a fellow newb I tend to think primarily about the basics.
To that end, do you have any idea when the razor you are using was properly honed?
I know you said you had good results in some places...I'm just trying to ensure you are set up for success.
Spend time in the Library section of the site; Read Read Read.

Best of luck to you.

Something to think about

There is no doubt that you learn more at these meets then any other way and we have a very large and active membership up here in the PNW

http://straightrazorpalace.com/get-t...ttle-meet.html

Those are the new plans being put together, hope to see you there, and Welcome to SRP

Originally Posted by ColonelG

Welcome to SRP.
As a fellow newb I tend to think primarily about the basics.
To that end, do you have any idea when the razor you are using was properly honed?
I know you said you had good results in some places...I'm just trying to ensure you are set up for success.
Spend time in the Library section of the site; Read Read Read.

Best of luck to you.

I had it honed before I used it. It had a nick in the middle and the tip had chipped off a little. The woman who did it said that there isn't much honing left to be done to my blade before it's out of life but it should be usable for a while. It's a Wester Bros Anchor Brand and the scales are in good condition.

I'm pretty sure that my problems are a result of poor technique and excessive passes. Time will tell.

Here's a pic of my setup at this time. I think I prefer olive oil to that American Crew oil, but I'm going to give it a few more shaves before making a final verdict.

Thanks. Have read much, will read more .



Edit:::

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Something to think about

There is no doubt that you learn more at these meets then any other way and we have a very large and active membership up here in the PNW

http://straightrazorpalace.com/get-t...ttle-meet.html

Those are the new plans being put together, hope to see you there, and Welcome to SRP

I'll keep tabs on that, thank you.

Originally Posted by shenanigans

I had it honed before I used it...I'm pretty sure that my problems are a result of poor technique and excessive passes. Time will tell.

Here's a pic of my setup at this time. I think I prefer olive oil to that American Crew oil, but I'm going to give it a few more shaves before making a final verdict.

Thanks. Have read much, will read more

+1 on having it honed.
+1 on realizing that technique is a learned process.
The learning curve is steep and long, but it seems you are off to a great start.
And I don't think I will be the only one to say, "Nice set-up."
All the best to you!

Welcome to SRP!

start with the beginner's guide. the large relatively flat areas of the cheeks are the easiest the jawline down is as you have noticed more difficult. proper stretching and beard prep help quite a bit, as the beard there grows in all sorts of directions.

Also, a truly shave ready razor is required to get a great shave. a slightly dull one is more likely to cut you and shave like you describe.

enjoy,
jim

Originally Posted by syslight

Welcome to SRP!

start with the beginner's guide. the large relatively flat areas of the cheeks are the easiest the jawline down is as you have noticed more difficult. proper stretching and beard prep help quite a bit, as the beard there grows in all sorts of directions.

Also, a truly shave ready razor is required to get a great shave. a slightly dull one is more likely to cut you and shave like you describe.

enjoy,
jim

I shaved yesterday after posting, sticking closer to the beginner's guide, and had a pretty fair shave. Wasn't super close, but didn't have any razor burn and my only cuts were from a poor choice (XTG along the upper lip should go away from the lip) or stabbing myself with the tip (I'm trying to cut my ear lobes off, I swear).

I decided to clean and strop a couple times during the shave and that seemed to help quite a bit. Does this indicate a shortcoming in my stropping or shaving technique or is this just something that some guys do?

Welcome to the addiction. As others have said it's a steep learning curve, but well worth the effort.

Originally Posted by shenanigans

The woman who did it said that there isn't much honing left to be done to my blade before it's out of life but it should be usable for a while.

Hard to see but if you take good care of it I'd say you can get at least a few hundred years of good shaving out of it...

... and welcome!