Thread: Hello from Calgary, Canada

[QUOTE=JMueller;1439778]Thanks Raol, I appreciate the offer, and will take you up on it when we get a bit further into January when life settles back into routine around the house.

When I shave again I'll try to watch the pressure more closely, my shave yesterday evening went OK, but I only did 1 WTG pass, so I'll try a 2 pass again this time.

And thanks to everyone for the warm welcome, and the continued advice, I really appreciate it!

-Jeff[/QUOTE
Hi there and welcome. Your new so take it really slowly at first both with the DE and the SR.
Only think to add is I'd wait a few weeks at least before trying ATG. Try XTG from ear to nose and the XTG again nose to ear. Wait until you've got that perfect before moving to try ATG again. As has been said watch your angle and pressure. Don't keep swapping DE blades at this stage, It'll take some months before you recognise which ones suit you. If your still having problems keep asking for help.

Hi & welcome to SRP.
You will love it here & there is plenty to learn as there is a wealth of information on here! Here is the first bit of information for you to know:
Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: December 2014
Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Library
You will want to buy you a nice straight razor to begin with whether used or new. Beware of used ones not that they are bad but know what to look for like a lot of hone wear on the spine & edge or chips in the blade. Stay away from razors with rust on the cutting edge as that will only result in it chipping more metal off as it is honed. Here is also a list of straights to stay away from:
Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library
Here is a list of good brands of razors you will want to own plus there are more than just these out there which you will find out from other members here:
Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Library
If buying a new razor, I suggest you buy one from Straight Razor Designs - Gifts for Men | Straight Razors or SRD. The owner & founder of this forum is Lynn & he is also part owner of SRD. When you buy a straight razor from him, he will personally hone that razor before you get it plus you will get a certificate for another free honing for when that razor needs it which should be a few months. There will be vendors who will sell you a straight razor that is supposed to be shave ready but really won't be. You will most importantly need to know how to strop & you can learn in the Library or here:
Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Library
You will need to strop your razor before & after you shave. If you buy one from Lynn, chances are you won’t have to strop it before you use it the first time.
You will also need a shaving brush, a shaving mug & some shaving soap. Later it will also do you good to get a second straight razor so that when you send the first one out to be honed, you will have a backup to shave with.
Here is a link to the Library where you will find stropping in there & everything else you will need to know including how to hone:
Beginner's Guide to Honing - Straight Razor Place Library
Also here is Lynns bevel setting video & some of gssixguns honing video's:
https://www.youtube.com/user/gssixgun/videos
Bevel setting on a Chosera 1K taught by Lynn Abrams
Here is another good link to know:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html
Should you have any questions, there are a lot of knowledgable members on here that will be more than happy to help you out. If you want to find someone in your area, you can look here:
Local Help - Straight Razor Place Library
And if you can't find anyone near you, just ask and someone that lives in your are & hopefully they will let you know how to meet up & you can get some one on one mentoring. There is a lot to do on here, just search everywhere on the forum & in the Library. You will spend hours on here & have fun doing it, so there you go, have at it!
Good luck & have fun!
I just went back over all these links & they are all working so far. I hope it continues to do so.
Steve

Welcome to the forum, good to see another Canuck...

Welcome to SRP!

Originally Posted by Anthony1954

When I shave again I'll try to watch the pressure more closely, my shave yesterday evening went OK, but I only did 1 WTG pass, so I'll try a 2 pass again this time
Hi there and welcome. Your new so take it really slowly at first both with the DE and the SR.
Only think to add is I'd wait a few weeks at least before trying ATG. Try XTG from ear to nose and the XTG again nose to ear. Wait until you've got that perfect before moving to try ATG again. As has been said watch your angle and pressure. Don't keep swapping DE blades at this stage, It'll take some months before you recognise which ones suit you. If your still having problems keep asking for help.

Anthony and Raol,

Thanks again for the advice. Did a cold water 2 pass today, skipping the hot towel and pre-shave oil. First pass, WTG, watching like a hawk to make sure to use only enough pressure to remove the lather, second pass with same pressure, only XTG on the upper lip and ATG on the neck.

This worked great! Only a very small spot of irritation on my neck, where I know the angle wasn't quite right on the second pass, and the lather had dried out a bit.

Not BBS, but definitely acceptable. SWMBO won't have too many complaints I think.

Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome, and for being so helpful!

-Jeff

My straight showed up the other day, and now that I've gotten a chance to use it a few days let me just say that had I not lurked around and absorbed all the information here I would have probably slit my throat open the first go! Thankfully it's been a real treat to learn and use, and my shave with it is getting better each time.



-Jeff

Nice Razor.
My first was a Dovo Best and is still in rotation.
Congrats on your shaves, you did it right by studying and absorbing prior to putting sharp object to face.
Now that you have come this far be prepare to build overconfidence and shed some blood.
Standard learning curve so don’t sweat it.
Next you may consider learning to shave with the less dominant hand.

Welcome! Plenty to learn here, you're in the right place.

Originally Posted by Raol

Nice Razor.
My first was a Dovo Best and is still in rotation.
Congrats on your shaves, you did it right by studying and absorbing prior to putting sharp object to face.
Now that you have come this far be prepare to build overconfidence and shed some blood.
Standard learning curve so don’t sweat it.
Next you may consider learning to shave with the less dominant hand.

Lol, Thanks for the heads up about the about the overconfidence, you were right! Very overconfident in my new found ability, blood was shed tonight, in the pursuit of BBS. However, in spite of the small cut on the neck (wrong initial cutting angle) BBS was achieved on 80% of my face, with very little irritation.

On another note, It's interesting to me that this has become a bit of a place to share what I would personally consider quite the victory, with people that will hopefully smile to themselves and internally celebrate with me, which is in stark contrast to various other friends who think I'm crazy for even wanting to shave this way, and roll their eyes whenever I try to talk to them about it.

In short, you guys are awesome! No wonder guys like TaipeiJake feel comfortable enough to share things like a complete log of each of his shaves with us! Great community!

Originally Posted by JMueller

It's interesting to me that this has become a bit of a place to share what I would personally consider quite the victory, with people that will hopefully smile to themselves and internally celebrate with me, In short, you guys are awesome!

We be just reeling you in