Thread: Hello and Ouch from Maine

Originally Posted by BeardO

What a great video. Is that an ogee detail on the crown moulding? A Delta shower head? If that guy's face wasn't in the way, it would be perfect.


Seriously, that's what I'm striving for. I'm amazed - AMAZED - at how quickly and cleanly he (you?) took the beard off in the first pass. If I replaced the blade on my Gillette Sensor after every stroke I wouldn't be able to do that good of a job.

I am also still mystified by the fact that everyone makes a second pass against the grain of their hair. Maybe I have particularly sensitive skin, but if I don't shave my neck exactly along the direction that the hair is growing (which, of course, changes from place-to-place), my skin gets wicked irritated. Which, in turn, makes me not want to shave for a few days. Which, in turn, makes the next shave more difficult...

How did men ever learn to shave without the internet?

Thanks, Ace, for the video, encouragement, and compliments. Have a good weekend.

You're quite welcome!

No, that wasn't me although I hope some day I will be capable of that kind of shaving. That's just for inspiration purposes and not something you should be attempting straight off (sorry, puns abound here). Notice how he is able to move the razor deftly over the chin and jawline by raising the spine? He is able to do that without cutting himself because he has complete control of the pressure applied. Angle and pressure are in a dance together, and here it does take two to tango. As the angle increases the pressure must decrease. At a low angle, like 10 degrees, the skin will deflect the razor somewhat if too much pressure is applied. At 30 degrees, the skin won't deflect the razor but instead will happily accept it into its bosom. We have names for that sort of thing on this forum, and one of them is 'cut'.

Have a nice weekend!

Originally Posted by BeardO

What a great video. Is that an ogee detail on the crown moulding? A Delta shower head? If that guy's face wasn't in the way, it would be perfect.


Seriously, that's what I'm striving for. I'm amazed - AMAZED - at how quickly and cleanly he (you?) took the beard off in the first pass. If I replaced the blade on my Gillette Sensor after every stroke I wouldn't be able to do that good of a job.

I am also still mystified by the fact that everyone makes a second pass against the grain of their hair. Maybe I have particularly sensitive skin, but if I don't shave my neck exactly along the direction that the hair is growing (which, of course, changes from place-to-place), my skin gets wicked irritated. Which, in turn, makes me not want to shave for a few days. Which, in turn, makes the next shave more difficult...

How did men ever learn to shave without the internet?

Thanks, Ace, for the video, encouragement, and compliments. Have a good weekend.

What I find amazing is that in the blurb under the video on YouTube he says he has been shaving with a straight for just a year. A suppose practice makes perfect. His use of pressure is amazing. I also love his hair! Haha.

Hi All,

It's been a busy summer so I haven't been writing - but I have been shaving. I'm going to wrap up this thread with a brief summary before graduating out of the 'Member Introductions' forum.

I did receive a replacement for my warped Edelweiss after a few months of being backordered. While I wouldn't have chosen to delay things for so long, the wait afforded me the chance to do a considerable amount of additional reading and video viewing before attempting my first real shave.

The result: Copious amounts of success, right off the bat

The new razor was perfectly straight and, appropriately, easy to hone. I ended up honing/stropping for my first shave, which turned out well. I removed a modest beard over the course of about 30 minutes with no cuts and minimal irritation.

The blade tugged a bit, which I attributed to being less than perfectly sharp. So, a few days later, I honed and stropped again for the second shave. This time, the blade was considerably sharper, and the resulting shave was considerably better (and faster).

Since that time, I've maintained the edge on the leather strop before and after every shave, opting for a few preparatory strokes on the canvas strop every few weeks for good measure. For the first time in my life, I actually enjoy shaving, even when starting from a beard. At this early point in my straight razor shaving career, I'd offer the following advice to other beginners:

The moral: With a little research and a little confidence, you can do it!

Do some reading and, above all, do some thinking about the mechanics of what you're trying to accomplish. Successful straight razor shaving is well within the grasp of normal men such as ourselves. You don't have to cut your face, and you don't need to scrape it raw, even at first. With some quality equipment, some time, and an interest in developing a skill, you can start off with a good shave. After that, practice will only make it better.

That said, I'm still encountering plenty of challenges. My primary weaknesses are currently as follows:

Challenge 1: My chin

I have a modest, vertical dimple which is a bugger to shave cleanly. With my disposable razor, I can just push on it until it cuts the hair, without gouging my skin. The straight razor requires a bit more finesse. I haven't quite figured out the best solution yet, but I'm working on it.

Challenge 2: Shaving against the grain

I just cannot shave against the grain without thousands of little nicks and significant pain. I can go with the grain, and even across the grain with sufficient lathering. No matter how sharp, smooth, or careful, though, cutting against the grain just plain hurts. I'm not working on this solution as actively, because the two-pass shave is already very smooth.

I've got about a week's worth of growth right now, which I'm looking forward to removing this weekend. In that respect, straight razor shaving has exceeded my expectations. Whether I have a 5 O'clock shadow, thicker stubble, or an actual beard, the straight razor makes quick and easy work of the job.

Thanks, again, for all of the great advice. I'll see everyone on the big kids' forums!

Hey Beardo,

I'll reply here since it's relevant to this thread--one of the tricks to shaving against the grain is a really sharp smooth edge. Your 8k DMT may not quite be giving you that edge. Most hones will release a piece of grit if it snags up on the blade, but a DMT won't do that. For that reason it may give you a slightly toothier 8k edge than would a Norton or Naniwa or similar. One measure of honing skill is being able to shave off your 8k stone; it takes a light touch to get a comfortable shave off that. I'm guessing you've got that touch.

You might try a 12k hone of some sort, and a pasted strop, to get to another kind of sharp. You'd feel the difference even with and across the grain.

Best wishes; see you out in the other threads.

roughkype,

Thanks for the feedback. I started a new thread on this topic in the honing forum: http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...tml#post835830.

I'd be interested in any further thoughts you might have on the matter.