Thread: New Member

I think cuda has said it all for me. I have brought sample packs of soaps before and even soaps in the same brand behave differently. Every time you change something it will take x number of shaves just to be back at the level you were before you start making progress again. Soaps can take a bit of learning and just because you get it once doesn't mean it wont be sub par the next time. It is like shaving and will take time to achieve consistent results. If you have to I would only change once just to satisfy the need for a scent and then stick with that till your shaves are up to scratch. Is is a bit monotonous but you will advance quicker than constantly trying to learn something new all the time.

Welcome , can't really say much other than look up members in your area and see about some one on one mentoring and if they will help you keep your razor sharp, the advise on slow down and learn the equipment you have will be priceless. You must learn to SHAVE simple word but it takes time , you think you like it now wait till you figure it out! STROP, this is the most important aspect of this hobby, a properly honed razor, stropped properly will give those smooth shaves that your looking for, if stropped wrong then no good time. Lather, it just takes practice but the world doesn't come to an end if your lather isn't perfect, so have a good time learn with the tools you have for now ,, then go wild! Tc

Hi ejmolitor37 & welcome aboard. There is a wealth of information on here & starting in the Library in the Beginners Guide like criswilson10 already pointed out is the best place to be, then go from there. There are a couple of articles, one is in the Library for sure & the other might be on the forum so I'll leave you the links to them, they are pretty good to read while new, otherwise I would let you find it on your own:

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Library

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...icipation.html

As previously pointed out, you need to learn to strop most importantly when owning a straight razor which you can find in the Library but I'll leave that to you. What is good, is to practice with a butter knife so you don't cut your new strop up accidentally. Everyone has done it at one time or another, especially when starting out. I think my first one was cut but not bad. If you do cut one just a little bit, you can glue it down with super glue (CA) or I like to use rubber cement because it is pliable & you can buy it at any crafts store, Wal-Mart or hardware store. You can also sand it down with sandpaper if you don't glue it down. You will also eventually want to get yourself a second straight razor for a spare. That way when you send one out to be honed, you aren't stuck out w/o one. Also be careful, don't drop your straight razor or make sure you don't bump the faucet with it because the edge may be fragile & chip or crack. Always dry it off as soon as your finished using it & strop it for your next shave. Some strop before & after each shave but stropped between each shave is the key. You will learn other tricks like getting some lube for the pivot pin but you don't have to run out & buy anything for it. There are discussions on here about different lubes & there are several that are good & you will find the threads on that. The main thing is to strop it, shave, dry it off very well & then store it until the next use. I usually leave mine out, opened for a few hours to let air dry. As for soap, I'm not going to even go there but like Eddy said, just go slow, use what you have for now. SRD sells quality products that you can never go wrong with. There are very many different soaps & aftershave out there & more so just do some research on here & you will be alright. Oh & if you get a chance, look up Lynn Abrams on YouTube & from there you can see all his video's on using a straight razor along with shaving, stropping, honing & more. And as Razorfeld pointed out, ask questions if you need to. I will stop here. It is long already.
Good luck my friend.

Welcome to the forum ejmolitor37. Some great advice already been given. What SR are you using? We love photos here!

Well wayne394 I am trying to figure out how to get a picture on here but right now it is not going so well. But I purchased a DOVO 5/8 with faux pearl handle, gold inlay on the blade and spine. I love the look of it, looks classic to me. If I can figure out how to get the pic from my email to here I will post it.

Holy smokes I might have done it. It only took me forever to even find the pic I had saved. wayne394 here is what I am shaving with, when I got this set from SRD I opted for the 3" strop seemed smart for a newb. Thanks for the assistance cudarunner, I was raised in the era of this tech and I hate it. Your help is appreciated.

Good to hear that you figured out how to post pictures!

I"m glad that I could be of some help!

Sanfte Rasur, mein Klingenbruder!

We just had a razor meet in Iowa!

Here is the link...........http://straightrazorpalace.com/get-t...a-meet-up.html

Oh man I wish I would have known that I would have loved to check that out!! I will have to hit the next one for sure Thank you randance062449