Greetings From Vancouver, Canada

Greetings all;
I am a thirty-one year old father of two precocious boys (two-and-a-half and two-months) who are the highlight of my day. When I'm not playing with my boys, I can usually be found hard at work in the Immigration and Business Consulting firm in which I am a partner of. Prior to my joining the legal consulting world, I was the proprietor of a small seafood smoking company, producing both hot and cold smoked products for the domestic market under the trade name 'Schmitz Bitz'. I hold a B. Sc. in Food Sciences and more recently obtained an MBA.
If I do actually find some time outside of work and kids for myself, I tend to be drawn to the great outdoors - camping, hiking, hunting, fishing and four-by-fouring, I enjoy it all. If the weather is just too inclement, I will often take solace in a good book or engaging documentary. In addition, as you can see from my avatar, I am an avid pipe-smoker...and can be found with a piece of briar firmly screwed into my yap throughout most of the day. In addition, for the past year I have been applying my lessons in sensory evaluation and penning reviews for the pipe-smoking related e-zine PipesMagazine.com.

Now, to shaving:
When I was a very young boy, my father passed away; causing my mother to move in with my grandparents. My earliest memories as a child are actually the sound of my grandfather running his straight-blade against his strop each morning. Of course, I was fascinated by the whole process - to the point where my grandfather would let me lather up and 'shave' with a butterknife. Of course, as the years passed and my grandfather aged, he found it more and more difficult to shave with the straight blade, and out of convenience found himself purchasing the multi-bladed disposables.
When I first began actually shaving (with the goal of hair removal), I discovered the joys of the DE safety razor. For years, I used these, until I found myself working out of a small town in the middle of nowhere, B.C.; where the only options available were three- (and later five-) bladed behemoths. Sadly, I grew complacent, and must admit that for the past half a decade, I have not had a proper shave.

After pondering the options available - namely DE Safety vs. Straight - I have decided it is time for me to learn to shave with the straight blade. I have acquired a pair of straight razors (a Greaves and Sons Wedge with a shave-ready edge from a honemeister I trust and a cheapo Chinese razor for me to play around with honing on) and the other bits of kit that I require to start off - with the last piece of the puzzle, my strop, arriving this morning. I expect to attempt my first shave this evening; and will likely have a slew of questions for you.

Also more than happy to meet up with anyone in the area for a pint and/or a bowl and a discourse on shaving techniques - I find I learn more by example than by reading!

Adam

G'Day and welcome to the fold, Adam.
We look forward to sharing your successes with you as you progress through your journey.
Don't be surprised if you get a reasonable edge on that Chinese razor - some of them do work.
Read all you can in the Library and the stickies and use the search bar (top right of screen) - they are a Godsend in the early days IME
Let us know how you go

Welcome to a great forum Adam. There is a wealth of SR information from both the Wiki and members, so take advantage of both. The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.

Hello Adam,

I`m in Van area too . Welcome and feel free to ask any
questions ! I just recently broke my left elbow and had a plate with
pins put in . So back to DE razors . My 18 month old daughter is doing her
best to poke,pull,kick my left arm to torment me !

Cheers ,

Scott

Hi Adam and welcome to the forum. All I can say is follow the advice given previously and go slowly. Best of luck with your first shave. Be sure and let us know how it turned out and your initial impressions about using a straight.

Bob

Hey Adam,

Let me know if I can be of any help. Just send me a PM if you need anything. Welcome to the forum!

And I'm in Richmond, BC. With a bunch of hones, and some knowledge of how to use them, if you run into trouble.

If your "chinese blade" is a Gold Dollar, be warned that it may have to have its stabilizer re-ground before you can hone it properly. And that _after_ you hone it properly, it may give a mediocre shave.

. Charles

Thanks for the warm welcome. Midloth - ouch! I saw the pics you posted of the damage done; have to admit they made me squirm a little. Hopefully your toddler doesn't cause you too much grief - I am going in for surgery at month end and not looking forward to the healing process.

My Chinese blade is indeed a Gold Dollar; and to be honest I expect it will collect a lot of dust before I try and play with honing. One thing at a time - learn to shave first, then play with honing. Figure I'll cut less bits off that way!