The old new fellow

Greetings Gents. I'm really happy to find this place since I believe in being a gentleman, and only a gentleman is completely at ease among other gentlemen...you usually know what to expect, and that is uncommon in today's world. Quite a few years ago now I thought I would try my hand at straight razor shaving, especially since I always like that feeling on the back of my neck after my barber, Harold, hits me with his hot towel, warm lather, razor, then talc. Being as thrifty as possible, and as unsure as any, I purchased a seemingly cheap straight from one of those Chinese razor places in the mall. The razor feels like the blade out of a safety razor, or my windshield decal scraper, but with a plastic handle and a flimsy back. Frankly, I thought I would probably feel more comfortable trying to learn to shave with my deer skinning knife or perhaps one of my broadheads on the tip of my arrows. So, in a hurry, I put the razor in the medicine cabinet, picked up my old cheapey disposable, and never went back. The other day I asked Harold if he had to learn to shave folks with a straight at Barber school, to which he replied, "hell yeah. If you try to shave with a straight without learning, you will cut the fool out of yourself." That was enough of a challenge to rekindle my interest. I got the bright idea tonight to do some investigating on the internet, and now I'm convinced I can shave with a straight if I give myself time and try to learn a little something from others who've gone this way before me before I try again (especially since last time I never got past just looking at the razor). I figure if I could teach myself to sew (either by hand or with a machine), then I can certainly teach myself to shave. If Harold can do it, then I sure can. Heck, I could cut my own hair to suit me if it just wasn't up on top of my head. My only hesitation now is that old blade. In my research, I read about how a good shave is only as good as the razor, but that a first-timer like me could give it a try with something like I already have without having to mortgage the farm just to try. I figure that if the old thing isn't rusted, perhaps it would be worth another look, but I wanted to see what you fellows thought about that idea first. By the way, the name's Rob. Looking forward to hearing what some of you out there have to say. After all, you can't buy experience off of a truck!

Welcome aboard,,,,, Do some reading in this link & it will give you a good idea on how to start your journey.

Straight Razor Place Library:Books/Beginners Guide - Straight Razor Place Library

Welcome to the forum, this is the right place if you want to learn, and learn properly.

The link Hirlau provided is the best place to start, and since he did that, I'm going try some instruction and entertainment. Here's the video that got me started in straight shaving, turns out he is/was a member here. Still my favorite video of a straight shave....

The Manliest Shave Ever, try not to look at the large kitchen knife on the wall, that distracted me at first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q4IRoaJH34

"Cheap straight from a Chinese razor place in the mall." doesn't sound like a great razor to start with. If you post where your at somebody might be close enough to give you some hands on. Harold would be the first guy I ask though. He could tell you if you have good steel or not and may even help you get it honed properly. Your experience may be stories he would love to hear :<0)

Glad to have you aboard! Be welcome here; look and ask as needs be.
~Richard

Welcome to SRP ! :chapeau

Welcome. You are likely going to need a few things. The search function works quite well for research. There are a lot of reputable vendors and some of the other kind as well on the net. If you look at the vendors here it will give you an idea of the better places to look. A more specific location in your profile could be used by others looking to help. If you check there may be mentors in your area. If there are none close at hand and you have specific questions that you would like one opinion on you can pm a mentor. Welcome to the forum and the learning.

Rob, welcome to SRP! You're gonna love this place. There is so much to absorb like a sponge here. Just go to the Library here & start at the beginning. Get yourself a nice well made straight razor whether new or used but if you buy a used one, make sure you know what to look for in a used straight razor. If new is what you want, I suggest going to the Straight Razor Designs & start with the Ralph Aust razor or pick one out yourself. Straight Razor Designs is partly owned by this forum founder Lynn. If you buy a straight razor & strop set, Lynn will hone the razor so that when you get it, it will for sure be ready to go. Many places offer a shave ready straight razor but when the buyer gets it, it won't shave ready. Some places WILL sell a shave ready straight but you would have to know who does. When you buy the set from SRD, it WILL be shave ready plus you'll get a certificate for another free honing when it is due for it, which will be a long time as long as you learn to strop it right. You can learn to strop in the Library or here:
Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Library
For now you can practice stropping with an old wide belt if you have one you don't use anymore & a butterknife because if you try to learn on a new strop with a straight razor, you will accidentally cut the leather which is something you don't want to do. Since you are new to this, I suggest you buy Lynn's dvd which shows how to strop, hone, shave, restore & of course he shows his collection which is nice. You can also watch videos on here on how to strop & how to hone. There are some youtube videos on straight razor shaving. There might even be some on here but I haven't looked into the shaving part on here. I have Lynn's dvd & I love it. If you buy the new Razor & strop set, there's an option to buy the dvd there. There is a wealth of information on here & a lot of knowledgable people here that will answer questions you might have. If you really get into it & start buying razors, you will develop RAD, a thing we call "razor acquisition disorder" because a man can never have enough razors. I have several hundred! : )
I have a collection of a lot of older razors, some of which date back to the late 1700's. One of them might possibly be in the 1750's-1760's. It's a fun hobby along with know how to shave with a straight. Do lots of research & have fun doing it!
Steve

Hi and welcome. From the sound of it the razor you purchased might be a shavette not a straight razor. Along with the razor we reccomend you use a quality soap or cream with a brush to make lather. This helps with the shave dramatically. If you start with the library most of this will be covered and im sure will leave you with further questions. If you do have any questions feel free to ask

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Originally Posted by eddy79

Hi and welcome. From the sound of it the razor you purchased might be a shavette not a straight razor. Along with the razor we reccomend you use a quality soap or cream with a brush to make lather. This helps with the shave dramatically. If you start with the library most of this will be covered and im sure will leave you with further questions. If you do have any questions feel free to ask

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That's good Ed, I forgot to mention the brush & soaps to our new member. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by engine46

That's good Ed, I forgot to mention the brush & soaps to our new member. Thanks!

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Gosh fellas. I really appreciate all of the insight. As an update to last night's post, before bed I got out the old razor just to take another look. It is a sort of disposable straight that has a razor blade that can be replaced. It also came with a sort of toothed guard. When I was a kid, my mother had this thing sort of like a comb with a razor between the teeth. She had the bright idea that she was going to save money by cutting our hair, and she started by dragging this torture device over our heads. You could hear the strands of hair breaking, tearing, cutting, and it felt like every follicle was being pulled out by the roots. Why she didn't simply use scissors on us was beyond me, but needless to say we protested so loudly that she soon gave up. I can only assume that this guard thing that slips over the blade is possibly for some similar use, which means that it went directly into the trash last night.

While my curiosity was piqued last night, I knew better than to attempt something so new and specialized right before bed when I had neither the time nor the patience to take the time to get it right. Now, bear in mind that I have been shaving with a brush and soap in a mug for years, so at least I have that part down. This morning, I took a leap of faith and took a stab at a few first strokes. I got about 1 square millimeter successfully shaved just below my sideburn before giving up and grabbing the old untrustworthy disposable schick. What little area I did get clean with the cheapey, I could feel each follicle being tugged just as my mother's torture device used to do, so I figured the thing must be dull and far too dangerous to continue trying to learn with. The cheapey Chinese straight is just too much of a Saturday Night Special-looking thing for someone respectable to shave with, so I've decided that it's not worth the effort. It might be fine for the immigrant hairdresser at the all-you-care-to-get-cut barber school, but it's not for me. I suspect I will be looking for a bona-fide straight with which to officially kick off this endeavor.

I would have been at this a lot earlier in my life but for the lack of a razor. You see, I had a double great-grandfather who was an Army officer before the war between the states. When the war came around, in order for the Union to keep him from defecting to the South - since he was a Southerner, they transferred him out to San Francisco to be stationed at the Presidio (sp?) to aid in negotiations with the Native American Indians. Ultimately he was killed in a runaway horse and carriage accident, and since he was not killed in battle, his poor wife and daughter were not awarded any pension on which to survive, but I digress. This Colonel John Thomas Lindrum had a toiletry kit with his name engraved on the top. It was an elegant wooden box that contained all sorts of ivory handled boot lacing hooks, fingernail files, an ink well, glass bottles for aftershave I'm sure, a hair brush, and a shaving brush. It also had a sort of a travel strop which looked like a wooden ruler with a sort of leather strip attached. By the time I got the box, the straight razor was long gone, but I'm certain there must have been one with it once upon a time. At any rate, I was impressed by the gallant Army officer who was obviously very refined and gentile to have such a box just for grooming, particularly at that early period of time in this nation's history. Additionally there was a tin-type photograph of him with his period-mustache and goatee. Had their been his straight razor in that box, I'm certain I would have been at this that much sooner, but there wasn't.

About 16 years ago I happened upon a pile of someone's personal things outside of an apartment complex near my house. It was apparent that someone had been evicted and their things had been put out on the street for disposal. After passing the pile several days running, I finally stopped to see what things of value I might salvage. I felt very sorry for the poor person who had been evicted because it was obviously someone who either had been or was already a barber - at least that's what I thought at the time because I found amongst his things a strop. It was obviously new, or at least it looked new to me, and realizing that it was something of value, I got it. I'm pretty sure I kept it thinking that I might have a use for it one day, but I will have to search to see if I still have it. It has both the leather and the canvass, so I already have some of the tools. I figured that this person may have gotten locked up or perhaps hospitalized for him to be evicted without all of his possessions. Now I realize that perhaps he was simply an SRP shaver who had come to this unfortunate end, and perhaps is having to go back to shaving with safety razors until he can get back on his feet and replace all of his lost equipment. At any rate, perhaps I will get the benefit of his strop after all.

The video of the manliest shave ever was astounding. Thanks for sharing. I had to watch it again to see that the fellow started with a full goatee and mustache before he completely shaved it off as though he did that every morning. I suspect if his razor had not been sharp enough to suit him, he could have just as easily gotten the job done with that large kitchen knife on the wall behind him. His prowess with a straight is certainly something to be admired, and something for me to set my sights on.

I certainly appreciate all of the kind words and encouragement I have found here. I will continue researching and shopping until I find the necessary tools. Since a man is only as good as his tools, I know what I'm going to tell my family they can contribute towards a gift for me for Christmas. In the mean time, I will start shopping and comparing. I will also follow the leads you fellows have so kindly suggested for me to reference. Thanks again gents. I'll try to keep you posted on my progress.

Incidentally, I live in the Atlanta Georgia area. Many thanks again. Rob

"Now I realize that perhaps he was simply an SRP shaver "
Sounds like one us that the wife through out of the house for taking up too much space in the bathroom. :)

Welcome to SRP!
I'm glad you decided to ditch the cheap Chinese razor. If it costs less than a broadhead, do you really want to put it to your neck?

You might want to check out whippeddog.com. He sells some not so pretty razors that are shave ready and cheap. That way if you don't like it you will not be out a lot of money.

Rob
I have a lot of razors & I'm going to be honing & stropping some soon so if you don't find anything send me a pm & I'll see if I can fix you up. Meanwhile, give your family members hints for Christmas but make sure you tell them of something you are looking for so that they don't get you one that is not preferred. Here are brands to avoid:
Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library
Here are some good brands of razors that you would want to own:
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Library
Study those lists & remember the ones to not buy. If you search on eBay, don't buy anything with excessive hone wear on the spine or one with a frown on the cutting edge. If you need some help, don't hesitate to ask.
Steve

If you do have a strop then all you need is a razor. Maybe check out the classifieds here. That way you know that you will get a shave ready razor and one in good condition

+1 on looking in the classifieds and pick up one of the less expensive ones to start if it says shave ready by a member it more than likely is. Oh and just forget EBay for now , learn to shave before trying to figure out blade condition just by pictures and even if it says it's shave ready , unless you know the guy , Buyer beware! All you need to concentrate on now is stropping, and shaving. Tc

Update to the New old fellow. Greetings gents. Well, I took the advice of the mentors here and asked for a Ralph Aust for Christmas. It required patience to wait for it, and I took the time to watch more videos and try to educate myself. My razor finally came in the mail, addressed to my wife, so there was nothing to do but wait for Christmas and try to be patient. Christmas day came and went, and all I could do was not shave so that there would be something to shave by the time I got around to trying out my new razor. My father-in-law also gave me a nice Roo strop to go with my new razor, so now I have all of the basics.

I first tried my new razor yesterday with fairly good results. I was able to shave my right side jaw with pretty good efficiency, but the left was another story. After realizing that I had better cut my losses on my first try, I threw in the towel and finished shaving with my cassette. However, later that day I realized that my right jaw had what I wanted; a DFS in that area. I decided to try it again today, and after sufficient preparation, some stropping, and plenty of time, I had my right jaw and neck shaved just fine. I continued to try on my left side, and I could do some of it with confidence, but I couldn't get the finesse. I now realize what everyone means when they say it takes time and practice.

Another thing I have noticed is that there are plenty of different grips for different parts of the face and different hands. I decided not to tackle any up-strokes or cross-strokes yet until I get better with the basics and comfortable with the down strokes. I also believe that as with any other razor, you get a better shave when there is more beard there to be shaved. Maybe the whiskers stand up straighter and taller when there is more of them, so you get a closer cut. At any rate, I am enjoying my new venture, and I'm not going to quit until I've mastered it. Then I suspect I won't have to quit and will be a bona-fide member of SRP.

Thanks for all of coaching, support, and mentoring I have found here. Lynn, thank you for the very good videos that help newbies like me get started.

I just learned the other day that my maternal grandfather was a straight razor man. He was also a WWI veteran who was a calvary MP officer in France. I never really knew him since he died when I was only two, but I hear he was an honorable man, a valiant soldier, and I know he had gumption because I knew his wife, my grandmother, when I was into my teens. She was a piece of work, so he had to have moxy to put up with her. At any rate, if he were here, I'm sure he would be my straight razor coach, but he's not, so I have been very pleased to get tutored in this place. For that I'm grateful, and I'm sure my grandfather, Henry, would be grateful too. He was a gentleman's gentleman, and I strive to be like him if I can. Many thanks again fellows. Rob

Good job. Keep with it and the dexterity with your off hand will improve. I just had my 14th str8 shave today. My left hand still has a ways to go, but it seems that I have the strokes and holds I need to make down. Just need more time to build muscle memory.

Watching videos of others shaving reminds me that I will get to where I don't struggle with the difficult razor positions.

One other thing to focus on, there has been a recent thread here on pressure. I am getting almost no razor burn when I focus on decreasing pressure. As my mentor told me "shave the lather, not the hair".

Enjoy the journey

Glad you are making progress Rob. One thing that helped me in learning to shave with either hand was a suggestion by an old member, Dannywonderful. In my case I used a 'shavette' with no blade, but you could use a long comb, a butter knife ....... Go through the motions of shaving with one of those instruments in your mirror. Once you get the hang of it do it while watching TV or whatever.

If you're like me you'll find that it aids in developing the muscle memory and dexterity to actually maneuver the razor when shaving. :gl:

Congrats on the shave success so far. Another tip for your left hand is to do some of the small things like brush your teeth, comb your hair etc with your left hand to he build the mind muscle link

Cool!!!!!!
I'm glad you got your Christmas present's! Have fun with them & enjoy the experience & the old way of doing things.............................the way it should be & should have always been.

Update, I got a DFS this morning (Dang Fair Shave - "Dang" because I can't believe I got it) even though I decided to give it a go when I had to be somewhere early. Normally, I would take my time on a lazy morning, but I thought if I'm going to do this, I need to start out like I mean to hold out. I got a fair shave, but I did get a few more nicks than I would like. One nick is more than I would like! I still think that hairs shave better when there are more of them to shave, so maybe I'll lay off for a day or three and try it again on Saturday. I figure my blade must be good or I would cut myself all over and have burn everywhere, but since I only have issues in places I always seem to have issues with any razor, then I guess I'm doing pretty well. I have also gone back to watching videos and things to pick up on subtleties that I didn't notice the first time...like various grips, stroke lengths, etc. It's funny, in some places I can shave just as easily and effectively, but in others, like the places where my face is trying to reach the floor, I would probably be better off just trying to cut that part out of my face. I have also removed the blade from the cheap chinese shavette to practice strokes in the mirror a time or two. I shave great with a bladeless shavette, just not so close! I haven't cut myself with it once! Oddly enough, I was pretty good with my off hand this morning. I think another issue for a newbie like me is simply getting used to handling a surgically sharp blade. It's one thing with a big handle and a sheath, but make it little, light, shiny, and super scary sharp, and I get all jittery and stuff. Again I appreciate all of the support. Thus far I'm pretty satisfied, and I realize that improvement will come with time and repetition. It is kind of humbling to think that once upon a time, all men shaved this way...except I guess those who couldn't master it went to the barber. I figure if I want something done right, I've got to learn to do it myself. Happy New Year gents.

Really great to see you're persevering, I had loads of problems with my left hand but about 100 shaves in it seems to be my best hand now smoother strokes and lighter pressure. I agree with your comments about different angles and holds, funny thing is I can't tell you when all this came together, it just sort of happened. Also I can now tell when a razor needs some work as my technique has improved to the extent I know it's not the way I'm using the blade. Keep us informed on your progress.

UPDATE! To any of you other newbies out there, let me know if you know what I'm talking about tonight. I spent a lot of time today reading on SRP about all kinds of stuff from preshave prep to stropping, honing, concealed carry, practically everything. Actually, I was waiting for my beard to grow so I could try another Straight Shave, but I wanted to make sure the time was right and the stars were in proper alignment. After my DFS (Decidedly Fair Shave) yesterday, I thought maybe I needed to wait a little while to let the good luck have a chance to flow back my way like waves on the beach. OK, so I finally decided to take the jump tonight after supper as my daughter and wife overruled me on the TV show choices, so I decided to escape to my mancave...actually now it's a shave cave (6'x4' full bath with shower), to practice our art in private.

OK, so the stars were not aligned properly, at least they didn't seem to be after my sideburn to jaw shave test WTG. Heck, I even went to extremes with preshave prep hoping the test of my fairly new razor would prove it is indeed shave ready and only my method stinks. Well, after the first N-S pass, hardly any whiskers were gone. OK, so maybe my angle wasn't right, or perhaps the lather was too dry, or maybe my mouth should be closed, or was that open, hell I don't know. The more I shaved, the more I got determined to get something right...but with a little intimidation about the possibility of ending up like that jerk who cut his throat goofing around in that video. I got a few nicks here and there, but I also jumped right into ATG in spots that typically don't get too close. Re-lather, try some more, slap on some more water with another brush stroke, try another pass only with a different stroke. I must have shaved some places four or five times, but out of those times I must have gotten something right.

After giving up for done, and jumping in the shower, I realized that I really did get a fairly close shave even if I did have to fight for it. Now, the way I see it, if I had a dull razor, or a rolled edge, I wouldn't be able to get a close shave anywhere on my face no matter what I did, so it must be me and not my razor. The fact is that after yesterday, I felt pretty good about my shave but it was mediocre. Tonight, I didn't feel good about my methods at all...let me say that again for emphasis, AT ALL, but yet I ended up with a better shave than yesterday. I'm not quite sure what to think, but I think I like the way a close shave feels no matter the means to get there. I think I'll lay off tomorrow and try again Saturday morning after the stars have had a chance to get back into alignment. I read today where one fellow said that things went well for him up until something like his 17th shave and BANG, he got bit. I can totally see that. OK, here's to a happy straight razor new year. Maybe this time next year I will think back about tonight and just laugh. Happy New Year Gents. Rob

Happy new year Rob, glad it is coming together for you. It does take persistence and you've got that. Sometimes every other day is easier on the face too, if you can get by with shaving every other day.