Zak is finally going to try it out!

Hi, all!

I have been lurking on the site for about 3 months now, and finally realized yesterday that I would have to indulge my fascination with straight razor shaving. I bought a razor from holli4pirating. It is listed as shave ready and holli4pirating has been quite good contact so far.

11/16 “The Feather” German Hollow Ground – $50 « Holli4's Straight Razor Page

I opted to start with a very cheap brush I found on amazon and the Taylor of Old Bond Sandalwood soap (links below), and will upgrade if this becomes enjoyable. I'm planning on using a super-side coffee cup or medium bowl for soap for now.

Amazon.com: Tweezerman Men's Shaving Brush: Health & Personal Care
Amazon.com: Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream Jar: Health & Personal Care

And so, I'm on the way to being set up. My dad is a saddlemaker, and so I'm going to ask him to make me a strop. Anyone out there who knows what the best fabric to put on the back of the leather is (canvas, synthetic)?

So, let me know if you have any suggestions or if anything I've said sounds red lights and whistles and alarms, please let me know. Otherwise, wish me luck!

New member,
Zak

Hello, Zak:

Congratulations and welcome to SRP. We're glad to have you.

You've made a wise choice at the start with holli4pirating's razor. He is an expert in the world of straight razor shaving. Everything else you're doing speaks of a thorough and methodical person. These are good traits for a straight razor shaver.

So take your time learning the craft. Look around SRP and you'll find plenty of information. If you want more, post it and an expert will have your answer in no time.

Regards,

Obie

Hey there Zak, glad to see you posting!

In the past, I have heard that Tweezerman's make good starter brushes, but I've never tried one myself. I started with a $3 noname brush and was pretty happy with it for quite some time. I'm glad to see you're not skimping on the cream, since that is more important. TOBS is one of the highly regarded creams, and I think you'll love it.

I'll be looking forward to hearing how your first shave goes, and I wish you luck.

Good luck on the new adventure!
The TOBs creams are amazing when you get it just right.

Welcome aboard Zak.
Traditionally the cloth component of strops was linen but even seat belt material has been used. Your choice.

Many thanks to all who've welcomed me so warmly!

I take it you guys like the Taylor of Old Bond Street soaps. :hmmm: I'm glad I made the right choice!

Obie - I will try to take my time. Anticipation is already building in me, but I can temper that by digging into the 1st shaves literature we've got here at SRP. This site really is amazing, btw.

onimaru55, thanks for the advice. I'll see what Dad has available. He's always had lots of medium-sharp knives around for his shop, and so probably has some ideas about it, too!

I'll post again on this thread after my first attempt, guys!

Hello, again!

I got the razor, Dylan, and it looks absolutely great. I haven't tested the sharpness yet, but it looks deliciously dangerous. So... ...I shall have to be careful.

The rest of my kit is in transit. EXCEPT the strop. I asked my dad to make one when he gets time, but I have not a clue when that will be. It'll be awesome, as all his leather goods are, but I'm left wondering what to do in the mean time. I want to start slowly, as suggested, but soon!

Guys (gals), what's the best way to go about this? Should I wait for for the dream strop, or can I get away for a while with a different method (newspaper stropping? cloth?)?

Suggestions and comments appreciated!

-Zak :confused:

I'm glad to hear the razor arrived safely and is looking good. While you wait for your leather, you can strop on a smooth pair of jeans or newspaper laid on a flat surface. You can use the jeans like you would a hanging strop or, if you are very careful, while you are wearing them (I find on my quad works well if I sit and pull the leg taught with one hand).

Thanks!

Will do, as soon as the soap arrives! You must be online all the time, holli4pirating (btw - what does that screenname name mean?). :hmmm:

Welcome aboard Zak!

Your first shave you shouldn't need to do anything. So if you want to wait for your father to make you a strop and, say, you know the stop will be done in 2 days time (whenever that is), go ahead and shave when it's a day or two from completion, and strop it before your next shave.

Otherwise, newspaper or clean denim will work. Just don't use a belt. I learned from personal experience this is a bit hit-or-miss, due to different compositions of leather that can be called "genuine leather," but will hurt your blade none the less.

I am on quite a lot, usually afternoon through early morning.

My nick is from college; I lived in the Hollister wing of my building on the 4th floor. I was quite good at finding things on the internet, so everyone assumed that I pirated things. I didn't actually pirate anything - I don't know anything about hacking, cracking, or other such illegal activities.

Thanks for the welcome and advice, MistressNomad.

I actually do have several nice, very quality belts. I did consider it, and I think that the kilt belt would work best, as it's very wide, but I don't want to nick it up. Just for fun, here's my dad's website http://shootingstar.montana.com, which I used to maintain when I was like, 12 (excuse the broken links, he keeps it up now, and he's a saddlemaker).

ALSO: wow and good job over in the "my wife wont let me shave" forum. I'm glad that discussions like this exist even though the conditions that require such discussions are, as you've delicately pointed out, problematic and result from an unbalanced society. I hope you don't catch too much flak from those who would categorize such posts under the heading of "rant." :beer2:Here's to respect for boundaries!

Cheers, I'm off for the night.
-Zak

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I didn't actually pirate anything - I don't know anything about hacking, cracking, or other such illegal activities.

---

Hahahahaha!
Sure, sure.

Thanks again for the suggestions concerning make-do strops.

-Zak

Okay. I got my brush today, and decided to go ahead and at least do the prescribed single/couple of strokes down the jaw/sideburn.

I showered, and got a mug ready with a small bit of soap in the bottom of it. I don't have the Taylor's of OBS soap yet, and so used some standard (but nice) goats-milk hand soap. Upon dowsing/squeezing the Tweezerman's brush, and trying to apply a nice lather to my cheek, I noticed a rather distinctive smell - that of old hair on semi-rotten hides. So, my first question: is badger a particularly pungent fur, does Tweezerman have any sort of smelly reputation, or did I just get a bad brush? I brushed this inquiry aside and continued to apply lather.

As this was the first shave, I didn't strop before shaving. I was much too cautious at first, keeping the angle too shallow and not applying much pressure at all to keep the razor close to my skin. Moving the blade slowly doesn't seem to work very well, and I had to increase my angle/pressure to get much of an action on the hair removing front. The soap, had it been really a lather seems like it would have been bothersome, I couldn't always see what I was doing through it and had much better luck following a soaped stroke with a clear-shot second. Second question: Do people mostly shave by feel, not eye, when they have a good lather on their face?

The razor performed quite well (thanks, Dylan!). I shaved my cheek and sideburn on my dominant side, and the cheek on my alternate side (oh yeah, and my mustache, but that's not much to write home about!). I can believe that the neck and chin are going to be very tricky. I'm going to read up on those again before attempting. The shave I did achieve was medium on my right-hand (dominant) side and pretty coarse on my left, but I'm sure that I'll get used to it and the shave will get closer/quicker. I'm very pleased with the results so far.

Thanks again for all the help thus far, and if anyone would be able to address those two questions (smelly badger, lather obfuscation) I would be very appreciative!

...and, in case you're wondering - NO CUTS!!! :y

Glad to hear you're pleased with how the first shave went.

Badger brushes do tend to smell when new; I believe they can be shampooed/conditioned like you would with your own hair, but I'm not totally sure so I wouldn't take my advice there.

As for the lather, yes, it will make it more difficult to see areas you have not yet shaved. There is no way around that. You should find that better quality soap/cream will give you a better cushion and glide.

Do not apply pressure to try to get the blade to cut better. The razor should be shaving sharp because I shaved with it before I sent it to you, so it is likely beard prep/lather and technique. Be paitent as you develop your shaving skills, and do not fall into the trap of applying pressure at a steep angle or doing loads and loads of passes. You may not, and probably will not, get great close shaves at first, but that's normal; there is a learning curve.

Good luck, and I hope you continue nick and irritation free.

Ah. I will wait for the TOBS soap to arrive before I give it another try. It is quite possible that the beard prep was to blame, but I was working with a really flat razor at first, seemingly <15 degrees. Lifting the spine up just a bit more off the skin really did start the whiskers falling. It's a good trap, if it is a trap. I will try not to get caught.

Also - I dried out the brush as much as possible, dried the blade carefully, and then tried very gently (probably ineffectively) stropping with newspaper 30-40x. Anything I'm forgetting??

Ah, ok. Yes, really flat will not likely shave well. What is it everyone says? The spine should be 2 spine widths off the skin? I forget the degree number...

Sounds like your blade care is good; dry carefully and stropping will help clean the edge. You can oil between shaves if you are in a humid enviornment. I personally do not oil mine.

First off welcome to the world of the str8. Second I looked at your dad's website and it looks like he does fantastic work, you should be able to get some distinct and original lookinf strops. You say your waiting for him to make one for ya, you didn't learn the leather works from him? :confused: Again welcome and have fun!

Glad to hear your first shave went well, Zak! It's all about learning. And you've probably avoided a lot of unnecessary pain and frustration by starting out right, and with so many knowledgeable people at your fingertips. I know everyone here has helped me a lot. :)

I can't help you with face-shaving in particular, but I know that there is a lot of stuff I shave mostly by feel. I have a few blind spots on my legs, for sure.

I did find something that helped though. I build up lather in a separate bowl, then build it up a bit more on my leg. Then, after that, I stroke in the direction I want to shave with the brush, so the lather is smoothed out. I find it easier to see curves when the lather doesn't look like a crazy fractal. Not sure if this'll work as well on your face, but perhaps give it a shot.

I think you also just get used to it. Once you really get "NO pressure" into your head, it gets much easier to glide over stuff you can't necessarily see all that well.

Wow, your father does some really impressive work. I'm sure you'll have the finest strop in town.

Maybe you guys could make it a project you do together. Nothing like using a tool that not only comes from someone you love, but has a little bit of your own efforts engrained in it as well.

As per the thread in Lady's Corner - Thank you. :) I think everyone really pitched in with some very valid stuff. And it also made me re-think some of my views in the world as well. That's what I like about this place - most of the people here are very articulate, honest, and intelligent. Apart from all the help they offer on the subject of wet shaving, I regularly find myself in thought-provoking discussions as well.

It's hard to navigate that line between "rant" and "discussion" on such delicate issues. Glad to hear it didn't rub you the wrong way.

Thanks guys, for the comments concerning lather and my dad's work. I'll pass along the compliments. I would make it myself or with him if I was in back at home in MT, but I'm in Boulder, CO. True, I never appreciated the work he did while I was growing up, but now I know that I should have done so and learned as much as possible. I built with plastic at the time (Legos) and later with Si (computers) and didn't spend much time learning from him. However, I still grew up in that environment, can handle myself well in a shop, and am realizing how wonderful older-style methodology and materials can be.

The soap should arrive tomorrow, and I'll try stropping on jeans or on paper (whichever seems to give the best result), and let you guys know how it goes! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT/HELP!!

Don't worry about the badger brush aroma. I've found it helps actually helps me in making out with the mangy mutts (hey, everyone get lonely..) in the back alley.

I wouldn't screw around with any shampoos or conditioners. I got the same brush (also got a plastic Kent stand for it). The smell will fade on its own, but you have a nice shave soap and the animal scent can linger for some time when it becomes infused in the surface of the soap. Just keep rinsing it, even using the regular soap you've already used. But I think soaking in a cup and then holding the brush (including grasping by the hairs at the base to reduce hair loss) and flicking water out repeatedly would be the best, even if gradual, way to diminish the heavenly bouquet of our favorite shaving mammal hair.

Seriously though, if you like to mess with a dog's head then reserve the liquor de badger and let it reduce by evaporation and store the scum that's left as a special treat of a smell, or even put some dabs of an oil on it and use it as a romantic scent for a special occasion with your canine friend(s). You'll get a free tongue bath out of it.

Thanks, AxelH. I've already noticed a bit of a dissipation in the lovely badger scent. I just was around too much leather and hides in my youth, and so probably am a bit sensitized towards it. We used to live near a guy who did brain-tanning, and that seriously, always reeks. Anyway...

...I have achieve near-BBS in a few spots on my cheek and once on the neck underneath the chin! I've been stropping with a tightly stretched linen towel, and can notice the difference. I've stopped touching up the areas I don't shave with my electric razor, and am instead trying to alternate sides, chin, and neck so that I'm always symmetric, if scruffy. This means I'm also getting lots of practice. I haven't done much with XTG or ATG, as per Lynn's instructions I'm going to get as comfortable as possible with WTG on the whole face and then get fancy.

Quick question: I've heard lots of people have a razor rotation. Is this just something for the rich to spend their money on ;) or something of actual value? For now I think that I'm pretty good with the blade I got from holli4pirating, but just want to know if I should keep my eye out for a second razor.

Hi, all!

I'm almost a month in, now, and like straight razor shaving very much. I am still only stropping on a nice linen towel, but it seems to do the job for now. My dad has said he'll have time to make a strop soon, and I'll report back on if I notice a huge improvement.

So, I get weepers about every third shave on my chin (I have pretty darn wiry hair and sharp angles there, and am still experimenting with the best way to approach it). Other than that, I'm pretty happy with WTG, and am moving toward ATG on my cheeks. The shave is getting very close, and my lather is good. And... it's quite fun, a good challenge.

My only question is about the blade care: how much can I rub/dry the razor after shaving? So far I pat it gently dry away from the edge, strop on the towel, and then put it away after blowing any moisture out of the scales. But... I can imagine that between the spine and the edge I'm not cleaning off some of the soap residue by this method. Can I rub fairly close to the edge and not risk damage?