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Hi there,
I'm Arturo and greet you from Mexico and have been wet shaving with DE and SE since May 2016 and just bought my 1st SR, a vintage Westenholm & Sons.
Now off to get a good strop and about to decide between a Heirloom Strop, an Ezra or an IRL one.
The thing that drew me this time is that I've been growing a beard for the last 6 months, so thought a SR shave would be an epic mow down this time around😜😜😜
SR shaving has been the golf standard since 1876.
Welcome to the forum..
Hello Arturo and welcome to SRP.
Enjoy the forum!
Pete <:-}
Welcome to the forum
We like pictures, lots of pictures.
Hi Arturo, pleased to meet you.
If your getting your first strop and haven't had too much practice with one yet.
I would suggest not spending too much on your first one because there is a very good chance you'll cut it good, I did - a lot.
I was reading that a lot, although I was convincing myself to avoid the entrance thing since those things are rarely ever used back from my DE days, but it makes sense here since I run the risk of damaging the strop itself.
Thanks for the advise.
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Welcome to SRP. :)
There is a ton of good info here that will help you on your journey.
We answer questions and like to look at razor porn. :)
BTW, has your razor been honed by a pro?
As Randy said, you need to have your razor honed by a pro so it will cut 100% correctly and not cause you any issues. And that doent mean a knife sharpener.
As far as a strop, as said, dont spend big money on your first. But Heirloom sells a nice beginner strop. Or used to. Its worth asking about.
Enjoy. You will find your first 100 shaves will not go as well as you were hoping for as it takes much more time to learn than a DE. But ask questions and we will be happy to help you along this road.
95% of people who fully learn to use a straight razor never go back to safety razors so your in good hands here.
I agree Jerry, although I have 3 DE's that are just part of my rotation and get shaved with when their turn comes up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasman
Rockwell 6c, Parker open comb and a Weishi. I prefer the straights for sure but it makes a nice change to have a Safety Razor shave once every couple of weeks.
Welcome, Arturo! New Orleans, here.
Rather than try to shave off a full beard on your first shave, I would suggest first using your new straight razor to square up your beard, trim it, sculpt it, landscape it a bit. Going from a full beard to a trimmed one can make quite a change in your appearance. You can spend a few weeks playing around with modifications to your beard style, easy. Maybe end up with just a van dyke or a moustache, before eventually shaving the last bit off. A full beard removal is a very ambitious first shave. Most likely, there will be blood. But simply lining up and squaring up your beard will tech you patience and attention to detail, and present fewer opportunities to bleed.
If you do go through with it, I will echo the replies already made, that you should get a proper "honemeister" to put your razor into shave ready condition, especially if you will be shaving off the whole beard at once. One thing I always say is never trust a man who does not shave with a straight razor to hone your straight razor. It will almost always end badly.
How about a pic of your razor? Westies are good razors but vintage razors are sometimes in pretty bad shape after 100 years or so of use or neglect. Let's see what you got. I am sure someone right here on the forum will be willing to take it in for honing, if it isn't too far gone.
I have used one of Tony's Heirloom strops and they are well constructed, not outrageously priced. Plus he is a fine person to do business with, always looking out for his customers. However, you might consider a cheaper one for starting out, though, maybe a Illinois or Fromm. I almost guarantee that you will cut your strop before you have used it a dozen times. Better to do it on a $30 strop than an $80 strop. If you can find some "D" rings, you could even make your own out of some vegetable tanned leather and it wouldn't cost you more than maybe $20. With leather only, no fabric component, D ring on each end, if you cut one edge, (you usually slice the right hand edge, if you are right handed) then just hang it the other way and that cut is out of the path of the razor, unless it is a narrow strop.
Here is a video of the last time I shaved off a face full of beard. Entertainment purposes only. Don't try this at home! LOL!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OrmjAc7KE8
Good Luck, and Happy Shaves!
Welcome from Florida. Hope you find the information you need to find your way. If you don't find answers feel free to ask questions. We are always here to help.
Hi and welcome
Not sure if a pro, since it was an ebay restored, but by the reviews I'd say there were no red flags
Good advise, will probably stick to line up the cheeks first and after a while go up depending on the skill/confort level
well, as I mentioned, I was growing a beard, so was kinda putting it off and my 1st SR got lost in the mail, so had to buy another one, this time from Maggard's, a Ralph Aust and also the Strop they sell, MountainMike or something like that.;)
So I ended up shaving with my 2nd one, but fortunately received the 1st one later on.
I'm just 6 shaves in, and as expected, building muscle memory, and getting better.
On the 1st shave although going in with all the trepidation in the world, just got 2 minor scratces on each cheek, i mean, really small, kinda like small kitten scratches, not even blood came out.
2nd one went well
3rd one a small irritation on the upper lip. No fools pass just yet, at least on the lip area.
4th, some razor burn on my neck,
5th, went well. Not removing all the hairs along my lips,
6th, caught myself on the chin on the 1st pass. Didn't bleed ( that much), alum didn't sting, and it almost closed with the soap on the second pass.
Obviously still some hairs left behind, some minor scratches, an not that really close, although i can start seeing an improvement, so looking fwd to my1st 100 SR shaves to see how the improvement goes.
Stay safe!!!Attachment 345101Attachment 345102Attachment 345102Attachment 345102Attachment 345102Attachment 345103
Stick with it. It gets better as you go. If you are hanging in so far you will likely be an old hand with time. A lot of people try it once or twice and get discouraged or scared and give up. If you've kept at it for 6 and are seeing improvement you will likely soon be proficient.
Remember, 100 sounds like a lot but at just 2 shaves per week that's still less than a year and at 4 per week it's less than 6 months.
Sounds like you have some decent equipment. Keep going. Don't give up. It takes a bit of time but in the end, it's worth it.
Glad you popped back in to let us know how it's going.
