Thread: Hello everyone I'm new here

Hello everyone, I'm new here and this is my first post, in fact I think it is the first thread I have ever started anywhere on any forum ever. This seems to be a really good community, so I feel like its a good place to start.

I got interested in straight razor shaving this year when I came across it while researching moustaches for a two month moustache contest that I did (as you can see from my sweet handlebar in my avatar).

I am new to all of this, and I have yet to receive everything that I ordered in the mail, but I should have it all by next week at the latest and I'm really excited to get started. Any way now that I have introduced myself I look forward to getting to know everyone and really getting a running start with all of this.

Welcome to the forum, 108. Hopefully all your gear will arrive swiftly and ready to rock. Just remember to be patient when you're learning, as using a straight razor has a learning curve to it. Don't be afraid to start more threads with any questions you may have, and be sure to read up on beard prep and proper shaving technique.

Enjoy the journey.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Welcome to the forum, 108. Hopefully all your gear will arrive swiftly and ready to rock. Just remember to be patient when you're learning, as using a straight razor has a learning curve to it. Don't be afraid to start more threads with any questions you may have, and be sure to read up on beard prep and proper shaving technique.

Enjoy the journey.

Thanks, yeah I have kind of been procrastinating this week by reading on here, and B&B and watching youtube videos. But I will take my time, thanks for the advice.

Welcome! Well, you chose a good place to get into the net's world of shaving. Enjoy!

Welcome, 108, to this fantastic world of straight shaving...your life will never be the same again! he, he...
Many of the guys and gals on here, are very eager to help with questions you may have regarding this art, as well as we have an extensive Wiki section, as you may already know.

Again welcome,

Mac

Welcome to SRP !

Welcome to SRP. Hopefully you ordered a shave ready razor or a shavette. If not be sure to have the straight razor honed by a professional before you start. When you do start, go slow, less pressure on the blade is better and be aware of your blade angle angle. No slicing motions and do not pause the blade on your skin.

Lots of newbies damage the very fragile edge during stropping. Again less pressure is best and do not turn the razor over on the strop edge down. SOme here have practiced with a butter knife.

Good luck!

Alright, well today was the first shave, and already I have made several mistakes, but I think it went well overall.

So yes, the razor that I got was "shave ready". It is a dovo prima silver steel from straight razor designs, and so was pre-honed. Although I could not get it to pass the HHT. I had bought replacement scales from dovo that I liked, and so I replaced the scales first. This ended up well i think, with the exception of one thing. The pin was placed as tight as it would go, there was no extra play in it at all, and it all fit very flush and tightly, but when I open the blade, it pretty much swings freely, instead of having more of a "stay in one place feel" that it had originally. Does any one have a suggestion about this, is that normal, or did I dot describe it very well. I did note that when I removed the original pin there was a slight bend in it, right where it held the blade, the pin that dovo sent with the scales had no such bend.

mistake 1) So I had mistakenly ordered a Zeepk strop from ebay (I have since seen the suggestions to stay clear of Zeepk and ebay), and it did seem like complete crap, and that is coming from someone who had never seen a strop in person before. I ordered a "paladin strop from ruprazor.com, subsequently, but was still excited to start so I decided to go ahead with the Zeepk strop for now, and I just tried to avoid the irregularities in the leather (I really did not strop it much, maybe like 10 passes, as it was supposed to be shave ready). Still could not get it to pass the HHT, but it did cut hairs on my forearm if i ran it along my skin.

So I read the beginner section after I tried shaving instead of before, because I could not contain myself (mistake number 2). So I did not do the whole dont shave your whole face the first day thing. It went ok, but I thought that it was "pulling" more than I had expected it to, I went with the grain, and used my dominant hand for my entire face (which I later read not to do). The chin was hard, and I did not get it as close as I would have liked. I then did a second pass on my neck going against the grain, but I kept it at 30 degrees (which I later head should have been 5 degrees) that irritated my skin a little). But I only had one small nick on my left side burn, when I attempted to use my non-dominant hand. Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give an update and get some advice if anyone has any. Thanks everyone

Nice! Got your first shave in, eh? Congrats!
Of course, many of the mistakes you made, we have all made our first time...looks like ya came through pretty well, all things considered.
Could ya tell us a bit, about your pre-shave prep...hot towel, soaps used, etc...that plays a major roll in the quality of your shave. You should not experience any tugging from the razor, if you got it from SRD. Its likely we can help ya with that.

Many thanks,

Mac

Hello, sorry I was offline for a few days. I take a shower and scrub my face clean while my scuttule is warming. when I get out I mix my lather from Proraso Green Tea and Aloe Ultra sensitive skin shave soap. I place a hot moist towel on my face for a few seconds, and then lather up my face and begin. It has gotten better the last few times, and I am using both hands now. I am convinced its my technique that is the problem, or maybe im not stropping enough.