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New member introduction
Hello,
I have been shaving with a straight razor for about two months now and loving it. My right hand technique is not bad the left well.... still working on it. Thus I have a smooth left side and a slightly cut and rough right side, guess I am a work in progress. Besides the joy of the ritual shave I have found the idea of finding old razors and restoring them to be very intriguing. I have found a couple of nice razors recently which I have sent to Classic Edge to be sharpened but I am hoping I will soon be able to restore these myself. I looked through the restoration section on this site but as with most things those that can do it make it look easy. I have tried to hone one of my razors on a quick sharp honing stone but had no success I am hoping I can make this work at some point. I am glad SRP is here providing a place where those of us who have seen the light in the old ways can share ideas and information making the world a better place to shave in.
Cheers
Oldschool66
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Welcome to the family. If changing hands is a problem just stay with your dominant hand. Just make sure you stretch the skin.
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Hello and welcome to SRP.
Sounds like you're well on your way into the world of straight razor shaving.
Enjoy your time here on the forum and have fun.
Pete <:-}
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I started just using my dominant hand but after reading posts etc there seemed to be a consensus that changing hands was the best way to go about this. It's coming along, to be honest I get as close as an electric shave so its not noticeable to the public just to me and my wife lol. :) Besides the excitement of getting through a shave without blood is really an incentive at this point. Thanks for the welcome I really enjoy this site and am glad its here for us to share.
Cheers
Dave
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Welcome to SRP Dave !!!!
A lot of great folks and info here, check out the library
Do what's comfortable with your hands. Yes using both is easier to many of us here, but it takes practice. Remember just shave the lather, no pressure.
We're here to help
Enjoy and have fun!!
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To save loosing more blood try practicing with a butter knife....................
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Welcome to SRP.
If you're able to achieve marginal results with your off hand, that's great. Keep at it and in no time it'll be second nature. Try doing all the easy stuff with the left hand and the hard stuff with the right.
One trick that I used was to make my lather in a bowl, using my off hand. It felt clumsy as hell, but soon felt natural. As an added bonus, it involved no blood loss!
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Hi and welcome aboard. You mentioned using a quick sharp stone. I take it that it's a knife stone so will likely only do the very basics for a razor and you will need higher grit stones to complete honing a razor.
Check out the library lots of info including honing and what is needed
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Welcome to the Forum, we would like to follow your progress. Please let us know if we can help in any way.
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Welcome to SRP!! Definitely the right place to take you to the next level or beyond!!
Enjoy your journey!!
Shawn
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Aloha!
Welcome. This forum is amazing. Many of the gentlemen here have forgotten more about straight razor shaving and honing than I will ever know.... and I've been wet shaving since I was 18 (many decades ago). Enjoy the journey.
I still have a bit of confidence concern with my left hand (non-dominant) even after decades of holding a straight blade. It's not uncommon. You can indeed use your dominant hand for the entire face, but since you are so new to straight blades, keep at it. You may find that over time your opposite hand becomes confident.
As far as honing, it is an art. I've been honing (touch-up) with a barber hone since I got into straight blades, but only recently got fully into it with ground-up bevel-set honing. You can't expect to be an expert overnight as you well know. There are some amazing how-to videos by some of our members (Lynn Abrams and GSSIXGUN to name a few) on Youtube. Watch and learn. You should also watch Lynn's "Intro to straight razor shaving for beginners" if you have not already.
-Zip
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Welcome aboard ! There's a wealth of knowledge here. You'll learn a lot . Enjoy the journey !
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I had a bit of beginner luck and bought a Boker King Cutter with a quick sharpe honing stone and a Gillet 84 adjustable safety razor along with a few other items for $11.50.
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Welcome to SRP! Keep practicing and remain patient. Your off hand will become adept at shaving before you know it. :tu
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Hello and welcome on the forum.
Indeed, you had quite a bit of chance. Böker is a good famed brand in Solingen.
Was it shave ready or did you managed to find some member to hone it SR?
If you have just one, it is a very good one.
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Most shaving videos show using the standard three-finger method to hold the razor - two fingers on the shank, one on the tail. However, I have learned that sometimes it works best to vary your grip. I use the standard grip when shaving WTG, but when shaving ATG, I hold the razor as if it were a screwdriver with my thumb on one side of the shank and my forefinger on the other.
When shaving WTG, my right hand shaves the right side of the face, but when shaving ATG, my left hand shaves the right side of my face.
I am not suggesting you do what I do. What I am suggesting is try different techniques until you find out which ones work most comfortably for you personally.
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^^^ This right here is some solid advise. You need to be comfortable when you shave. Hold your razor in a way that is comfortable to you. Different strokes for different folks. We each have our own personal way to shave. After all, it is a personal thing.
As long as your grip is solid and you have control, shave on!!!
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Sadly no its not shave ready yet but, I am hoping to develop the skills to make it so. There is no rust or pitting anywhere so I think I just need to hone it to readiness.
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Funny you should mention the "screwdriver" method as I came across this myself. I was thinking I was being unorthodox so its nice to know that I can vary the style and still be considered a true patron of the art. :) Thanks for sharing it is coming along very nicely now with almost even shaves on both sides of my face now. lol
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I use a pencil or scalpel grip for the mustache ... and the scale in line for the throat upwards. The "academic"grip is also different between a 5/8 Solingen and a 7/8 W & B !
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Hi Oldschool66 & welcome aboard. I'm right handed & sometimes I can use my left but I find myself using my right hand most of the time. It's no problem, just different. To each his own & we have our own ways of doing things sometimes. In case you haven't sen it yet, check out the Beginners Guide & go from there. That's the best thing for a new user. You will find an large source of information here. Great to have you here.
Good luck my friend.
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Welcome to the forums! As I'm sure you've already realized, there is always more to learn when it comes to straight shaving (that's part of the fun). Enjoy!