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Just want to thank everyone for the fantastic posts, and information! I have always wanted to learn how to wet shave, but never found someone to teach me how. Luckily, an AOS opened near me, and I took the plunge! I did nick myself up pretty good last night, but still very eager to learn. The sales person actually recommended this site, but I ran home to try my new razor instead of checking out this forum first. Live and learn.
Welcome aboard Mach & as they say in the stockmarket "do your research" :)
Thank you. I learned my lesson. I was asked at work if I got into a fight with a cat!
Welcome to SRP
As you said, Live and learn - well there loads of useful stuff on this site to learn from but DO take your time and watch your angles. Use a REALLY light touch and enjoy!
Ha. Just tell em chicks dig scars :p
They sure do! I got a few scars from chicks digging their fingernails in...Oh hang on. Gentlemens forum, we don't go there. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by onimaru55
Mick
Thank you guys again for the warm welcome. I do have a couple of questions, besides the proper treatment of scars. I kind of jumped right into this, and bought everything I read I needed (unfortunately before I came to this site), and I'm reading some varying opinions on some things. Maybe you can clarify a few. I purchased a TI razor, and the pamphlet says it shave ready, but is it? If not I also bought a Norton waterstone 4000/ 8000 (stop laughing at me), but is honing something I should not get into? I know many of you have recommended to get it professionally done, but if I spend anymore money my wife is going to cut my throat with my new razor. It is my fault for not researching more, but any opinions would be welcome.
First time around, I would opt for a pro honing job. If my razor was good to go from the factory I may have got into this a lot sooner. They don't tend to be as sharp as they should be, coming from the factory, but I'm not familiar with TI's razors, so take that with the grain of salt.
Practice honing on something a little more expendable. I learnt to hone my own, with some supervision after the fact to make sure I had it right, but I was at a stage where I just didn't care about the razor. Luckily for me I'm extra smart or just plain lucky and got it right from the word go. I would also recommend a higher finish stone than 8k, simply because it will offer a smoother shave. I've shaved off a 6k, but only because I had to. I didn't know any better at that time.
You will want to start keeping some secrets from the wife I think. Just to save your razor from abuse.
Mick
See if the wife will approve the cost of postage.
If you send it to me, I'll hone it and send it back to you for the cost of return postage. Send a PM if interested.
Honing is something that you should get into, especially if you already have a hone, but just not yet. You need to figure out how to shave and strop with it first. Do you have a strop? You absolutely need a strop before a hone.
Postage I can definitely do Utopian, and thank you for offering to do that for me. This site has been extremely helpful, and I would have saved alot of money by coming here first! I do have a strop, and just about anything else I read I needed.
Now you just need the skills to use that strop. Seriously, try stropping something other than your new razor first up & even practice on a single sheet of newspaper. http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...per-strop.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by Machiavelli9
I've been practicing, but the newspaper trick is a great idea. I have a question about shaving. Is it necessary to switch righty lefty, or does anyone shave just with their dominant hand?
I use either hand as needed but I don't think there are any rules about it.
Either hand for me too. I know there are a few that just use dominant hand. So it it is up to you.
Mick
I was just curious, read different things about it.
After talking to the fine gentlemen at Straight Razor Designs I decided to order a Dovo Micarta that is pre-honed, and risk my other razor to learn on. SRD also highly recommended the Naniwa Super Stone 12000 grit which I also purchased. My question is I already had a Norton 4000/8000 coming in, do i still need it? I know the Naniwa is just an upkeep, and finishing stone, but if I maintain the razor do I still need the Norton?
If you start with already sharp razors, then you won't need the Norton at all unless you damage your edge. Of course, if you ever venture into an antique store or check out eBay, that Norton will come in handy! Did you get anything for lapping? If not, you certainly can get by with wet/dry sandpaper and a flat surface.
I did get the sandpaper already, but I'm not sure if I should return the Norton or not. Not sure if i'll ever use it.
Sooooo... if... you damage your edge .... & you return the Norton what will you do. Send it out for honing or buy another Norton ? :thinking:
It'll come in handy at some point. You may as well keep it. Just lap it and put it away 'til you're needing it. And I can almost guarantee you will need it.
Mick
You'll still need it to hone up your first razor that you got from Art of Shaving. That one will need more than the 12k.
Welcome to SRP Machiavelli.
+1 on the advice offered by my fellow SRP brothers. Please accept Utopian's generous offer to provide you with a honing of your new straight. It will make a world of difference in your straight razor shaving experience.
No need to try honing your razor at this point. Hold onto your Nortons. You'll be able to make use of them in the future, but not right now. You'll have your hands full learning proper stropping, beard prep and shaving technique.
In the interim, use a butter knife or some other not-so-sharp knife from your kitchen drawer and practice your stropping. That way when you get your razor back, you will be able to proceed with your shaving.
Take care--and smooth shaving.
And speaking of chi-town...lemme know if you need anything! I'm assuming you're referring to AOS that just opened up in woodfield? What parts are you located?? If postage is too much, let me know and i'll throw an edge on there for you. We'll just meet up and do a trade, if we're close-by.
I lapped the Norton earlier today following the directions on this site. I decided to follow all of your advice, and hang on to it. I really appreciate Utopian offering to hone my razor for me, but I'll admit I feel bad putting someone out like that. I really would like to learn how to hone though. Derek C the AOS I went to was in Oakbrook Mall, but I live in Chicago. I'm in Bridgeport right next to White Sox park. Would like to meet up with someone that has some idea of what their doing. AOS was helpful, and all of you are extremely helpful, but it's a lot of info to take in.
First, you wouldn't "put me out." I'd be glad to do it. That said, you have the hone, you might as well figure it out for yourself with as much help as you need from us here.
I actually tried it today with little success, but was just using the 8,000 side. The blade is supposed to be shave ready, so I didn't want to mess it up. Can I go straight up, and down, or do I have to criss cross?
The criss cross is called the x-stroke around here. I'm only telling you that so you understand what you are reading as you learn about this stuff.
Now, the x-stroke is preferable in order to insure that all parts of the blade are contacted, but I would start with the straight up and down strokes. You have to learn to keep the blade flat on the hone, not lifting the heel or the toe off of the hone, so the straight up and down strokes make it easier because the full length of the blade has hone underneath it. This is opposed to the x-stroke in which the length of blade that has hone under it continually decreases and this makes it increasingly hard to keep the blade level. This is all about practice and establishing muscle memory in exactly the same manner as the transition from first learning how to ride a bike, struggling to keep it upright, and later being able to ride it without giving it a thought.
Also, if you bought a razor from A of S, what they call shave ready is not actually shave ready. It only has the factory edge on it and the quality of that edge can vary significantly.
My Naniwa super stone 10,000 is coming in tomorrow. Can I lap it using the 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper I already have?
Yes, that is sufficient. Be sure to do it under running water.
Running water? How do I do that? I have no flat sink that I could do it in. Alternatives?
Daddy wants to borrow that bad boy...
Go to home depot and buy a square of granite tile and 320 wet/dry sandpaper. Get paper wet. Get tile wet. Put paper on tile. Put tile in sink under running water. Lap.
Dip the hone in water frequently to re-wet it and to remove accumulated slurry.
Thank you again guys for all of your help. Utopian you've been tremendously helpful, and I really appreciate it! Derek your welcome to it whenever you need it.
You said you're in Bridgeport? Do you ever make it out to the burbs?
Yes, I'm in the burbs often.
We could def meet for coffee/lunch and go over the basics, if you want.
Sounds good. I'm off on Thursday's and Sunday's whenever is good for you let me know.
Welcome to SRP!