New guy from Columbia SC and first Straight Razor Shave

Hello, Steve here from Columbia SC,

Thanks to HarryWally for setting me up with a vintage Boker Hindoo, which he honed up for me nicely, a really cool apple Burl brush he made himself and a strop. First SR shave went down smooth this morning. My lip got in the way only once. it learned it's lesson and is staying out of the way of sharp blades...

Been shaving for the past 30 years with throw-away cartridge razors and I think I have the straight razor bug. It took 20 minutes to scrape my face this morning but it was the most relaxing 20 minutes I'll probably have. (The soap kept drying on my face, I took so long.)

I wanna thank the community at SRP for the well put together documentation, howto's, videos and community support.

Steve

Hi Steve
Welcome to the forum. Andrew is a great guy and makes exceptional brushes.

Your lather drying probably says you need a touch more water in the lather, OTOH, 20 minutes is a rather long shave so drying may just be the length of the shave rather than dry lather.

Here is a link to find other members near you.

Keep us posted on your progress.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/memberlist.php?do=search

Welcome to SRP Steve!

I had that problem too when I first started, so I just lathered 1/2 my face at a time.
Then when I got better, that took a while, I went for the full face.

Glad things are working out Steve, I'm sure you'll get your soap water ratio down so it doesn't dry. Try some of the above suggested tips.

That brush may smell like a wet dog for the first 10 shaves, but will soon dissipate. All new brushes have this problem initially.

I make sure the first part of my face that im going to shave is wet and lathery and my neck has extra wetness. By the time i get to the neck i brush it a bit more and its all ready. I take 20min to shave myself if you enclude pre-shave and post shave rituals. Enjoy it and dont rush. I dont care what the wife says, i take my time in the shave den/bathroom.

Hello Steve and welcome to SRP!
Andrew is a fantastic guy and it's great to hear that he took care of you.
We're all here to help so read, ask questions and enjoy yourself.
Good luck!

Pete <:-}

Welcome from a fellow Sandlapper, Steve-My son went to USC and still lives in Cola, so we visit occasionally. There are a few of us in Upstate SC too. It looks like Andrew hooked you up, but once you catch all the various AD's, there is literally no bottom to this hobby. Happy shaving and happy learning, for that is what many of us enjoy about this community just as much as the shaving!

Aaron in Spartanburg

Welcome, Steve.

Welcome to SRP from upstate SC!

Welcome to SRP, Steve. Glad to hear that you got set up by HarryWally from the onset. It really helps to get in-person guidance from a more experienced member, especially if you find you want to hone your own razors.

And, take all the time you need to shave. It's easy enough to just lather half the lawn or re-lather as needed. I've been at it for a while and still take 15-20 minutes. Why rush something you find so enjoyable?

Welcome to the forum. :)

Welcome Steve. Lathering half your face is a great way to start. Making lather takes some time but you will have it in no time. Practice making lather or test lather is good as well. Snoop around and be sure to check out the library.

Hi and welcome. Any questions feel free to ask

Welcome to the forum

Welcome and enjoy!

Welcome. I'm close to a month of straight shaving and I still 1/4 lather my face. I'm much quicker than when I first started, but I don't like to rush and it really doesn't take much time to lather. I do half my face then the other, then half my neck, and then the other.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

Good tips guys. I tried a half face lather this morning and that went well.