Thread: Hello from Nebraska

good for you ,, because learning HOW to shave is the most important thing for you to concentrate on , then stropping , because we think we can , doesn't mean we can. having the razor ready will bring the learning curve down for you ,, and you don't need to buy another razor right now just to learn to hone I,m over a year in this and I don't hone , but I do have the finest edges that can be had , without the cost of stones ,, so don't jump too quick , but I will say having 2 blades will get an extra in case of an accident with the other, one problem with starting out is buying all the stuff then giving up when it doesn't work out ,,I tried this 30 years ago and my edges were not right and I quit till a year ago good luck and if you can find a mentor go for it tc

Welcome to SRP. You have already been given some very sound advice above so I will leave it at that. Let us know how things progress!

Hi and welcome. You already have all the right advice so the only thing I will question is your pastes. You said you have a Chromium oxide crayon and a green paste 6 micron. 6 micron is high in grit and kind of equal to a 4k hone. If using this at the end you may be taking your edge backwards. Try just the 4/8 and the crox crayon.

Thanks again everyone for the advice!

In case anyone wanted a follow-up status report: I sent my razor in to Lynn, and am eagerly waiting to get it back!.. (hopefully late this week, probably early next). I’ve continued using the shaving brush/soaps even while I use my normal razor just to get some added familiarity, and that is going well. Even without a straight-edge, I can tell the benefit (which admittedly to some extent probably includes the sheer enjoyment from this new ritual). I also got some Dr. Harris shaving soap in addition to the Col Conk I was using. Although I was beginning to get something approaching a decent lather with the Col Conk, the Dr. Harris is significantly easier to use (and the wood bowl it comes in certainly adds some old-world charm). I used my razor a couple more times before sending it in just for the sake of practice and to better appreciate it when it is truly sharp, and simply avoided the mustache/chin areas that it seemed to have exceptional trouble cutting through so that I didn’t butcher my face too badly. Anyway… looking forward to using a straight again, and will report back after I get things down a little better.

Welcome to SRP! There's a wealth of info on here. You'll spend hours learning & having fun here also!