Patterns of blood.

Hey all I've noticed two spots that I've cut a number of times. I'm new to straights and I'm wondering if the sharp smile makes it easier to cut my cheek, I think it happens when I'm shaving the the left side of chin with my non dominant hand. I'm just using wtg and light short passes. Low blade angle.

Should i Learn to shave with it?
This is the razor I'm learning to hone on, I just started light rolling strokes and it's biting me. . I could re set the bevel back till the tip touches the stone with the rest of the razor. Or I could give the light rolling hone strokes a break

The other pattern is the knicked mole. Hard to stop before them. How do you all handle them?
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Here is the razor. Thanks for the info!

Your razor is not honed properly.

A razors edge runs continuously from heel to toe. You can't hone the toe, then the heel. The bevel has to be uniform from heel to toe, perfectly. Anything else is not excepted, and any further honing on higher grits, will be for nothing.

As for the cuts....too many variables. Moles n such.....shave around them, or have them removed is all I can say.

Maybe shave with your dominant hand, instead. Lots of us do, including myself.

Your still new to all this, it take's time to become proficient and comfortable using a straight. Honing, is another animal some can never tame.

Mike hit this right on the head here, take like 20 steps back and re-evaluate. Also PM a member about getting a razor. You are going to be blown away the difference in the edge if you haven't tried one yet. Trust me.
-Laramie-

I third what the guys have already said. If I cut myself it’s usually because I had a lapse in attention to what I was doing or my razor needed to have its edge refreshed.

You won’t believe how much easier and more comfortable it is to shave with a properly honed razor. Send it to someone who knows how to properly hone a straight.

A vary generous member is sending me a razor.
Sounds like I should leave the correction to someone who has done a few.

By no means should you not try it for yourself. However make sure you have at least one or two properly honed razor to shave with. Then as you learn to hone, you can then compare the edges you create to a known standard. This will avoid some of the unknown variables. I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but be prepared for more bad shaves(even with a properly honed razor). It's kinda part of the learning process, I'm sure there's a few members here who just picked up a razor, found a hone, and shaved. That is typically not the learning curve for most of us mere mortals, take it slow and enjoy the journey. Let us know if we can help more!!
-Laramie-

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Originally Posted by mattnat

A vary generous member is sending me a razor.
Sounds like I should leave the correction to someone who has done a few.

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We have some very generous members here, I've been helped and gifted razors and even hones and cotton for my strops, I am eternally grateful for their kind help in my journey.

Even though you have a rounded toe and the point is not very...pointy it can still bite you. You are certainly ambitious. Don't let that bite you too. Personally I think you may want to limit the honing until you get all the bugs out of the shaving part first. Not that you cant do both but it's hard to know for sure if the honing is going well if the shaving is still problematic. I admire your zest for it. Just try to make that work for you, not against you.

I have 2 spots on my face that I still cut myself more frequently. One is just above the chin ony bottom lip and the other is about where yours is. For me it is purely ergonomics. As David said lapses in attention and, for me, hurry will likely be the source of occasional cuts for as long as you shave. It's just inevitable but it decreases greatly over time.

How many razors do you have now that are shave ready? You said you had a member sending you one. Is that the only one that will be shave ready? Laramie is right. You should have a couple that are ready.

Yeah at the moment that plum was what I've been using to hone and shave with. I certainly know what I did to make the smile worse and won't do that again. The shave ready razor is in the mail. And I have another cropp full hollow that is diy edge.

I am going to stop by a barber shop for a shave tomorrow and continue reaching out to Vancouver members.

I know its a hard thing to do, but leave the hones alone for now. Learn to shave and strop first. Then next year think about honing. Sure it sounds like its not hard to do but you dont want to learn to shave with an unperfect edge. Too many things can go wrong and you wont know if its the razor or not.

Now Im going to be straight with you. When I started i too wanted to learn it all at once. I argued and fought my way through everyone telling me to slow down and wait to learn to hone. And when it all came together for me it was almost 2 years later. Sure i could make sharp but smooth and properly honed edges took a lot of time. Plus I didnt get great shaves for a long time but i kept at it and worked my way though. I will say that I now feel if Id have learned to shave first and left the hones alone i feel i would have learned both faster.

Do what you want to do, but know that some of us have been where you are. And most learned faster and better. Its all fun but do what is best and learn from other peoples mistakes is what my dad says.

Hey matt jus wanted to check in on ya and see how your shaves have been going? Hope you got that razor in from the other member.

Also wanted to just mention quickly the importance of properly sanitizing old/new blades with some sort of barbicide solution or the like. There are all kinds of nasties you can get from using a very old vintage razor, that may have all kinds of things calling it home. Just food for thought for the newer guys.

Not trying to cause any alarm, but personally, I don't think it's mentioned enough. Sanitize your new/old blades, better safe than sorry. Barbicide is incredibly cheap, I still have the same bottle I bought over six years ago. A cap full is all you need to sanitize a whole stable of razors. I am by no means a doctor, but if it's good enough for barbers, it's good enough for me.
-Laramie-

I typically go with a 20 minute soak in rubbing alcohol. It is effective and as importantly easily available.

I typically have restored the razors I shave with, so I don't think anything survived, that needs worried about on that behalf. But those I've honed for...u betcha. I use Ethyl alcohol, better than rubbing alcohol.

Found in different % levels of hand sanitizer.
I think mines 98% Ethyl alcohol

My bad...80%
Attachment 346427

Interesting. I had not thought of hand sanitizer and we have 20 gallons of that at work.

Yep. Denatured ethyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol either one works. That's what I use. You can also set a kettle whistling and work it through the steam using an alcohol bath to keep it from overheating.

Hay all
It's going well, I've been keeping at it. With rezdog' razor and my own that Scot at rusty razor company put an edges on. he did a honing and strop session with me and I would recommend it.

Shaving is getting better, I've decided to stick with wtg for now.

I wonder if not washing my face pre shave gives more organic material for the razor to slide on?

I tryed coconut oil pre shave as it is supposed to soak into the hair and help with burn.

Also I seem to get half a pass of smooth before it starts to catch. I wonder... Maybe a video is in order.
Matt
I

That sounds like maybe you are putting too much pressure. My grandmother used to say, "You're trying to work the tool. Let the tool do the work." She was referring to putting too much pressure on a shovel or ax handle because she was afraid we would break the handle. My son started off digging into the whiskers too much and dulling the edge. I finally got him to let the blade cut instead of trying to force the edge through the hair. Try letting it glide over your face. It's okay if it doesn't cut it all on the first stroke. It's better to go back over what is left behind than dull the edge trying to force it through.

Interesting. I will try that. It's surprising advice so I'm interested to see what happens.
Matt

I use Noxema as a preshave

Well that's great that your chugging along! I would imagine that you just need more time to kind of dial everything in. Eventually your gonna have a couple aha' moments, and things will start coming together much quicker for ya then. Happy shaves!!
-Laramie-

So odd, I don't try to cut the hair and most of it is gone. I'll continue thinking about caressing my face with the edge .The blade stayed smooth a bit longer too. A second lather and some just xtg went ok too.


How to get the parts around my nostal and just below my lip?

Matt

Very carefully, lol. Just try different strokes and see what works best for you. Maybe check out a few youtube videos and see how other shavers get to that area.

I make a lot of faces to pull my lip down and out to stretch and hold the skin. Skin stretching and holding is one of the important factors in getting a very nice close comfortable shave. I rate comfort above all else.

Just to throw in my wee bit.

If you find WTG works for you, just stick with it. Over the years, I have found a couple of passes WTG is more than enough for me for a general days shave. Now I occasionally for XTG, and rarely against.

You'll find your sweet spot with time and practice.

Geek

Here’s a really good hint: if you feel a sneeze coming on, put the razor down.

I just avoided a trip to the ER and was able give my IXL a soft landing on a towel before the big sneeze hit. Heart is still racing.

I once tried to puff out my lower lip like a trumpet player and didn't realize that the blade was closer than I thought.......:gaah:

Noxema helps! Had a much more comfortable shave this morning using it as pre-shave. Thanks again rezdog. Then lather, hot towel and hot lather then start with hardest parts of face.
Matt

I learned that right here from TC a while back. It works well for me too.

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Originally Posted by 32t

I once tried to puff out my lower lip like a trumpet player and didn't realize that the blade was closer than I thought.......:gaah:

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Sounds like me, when I first started.

My first cut, and most memorable, was turning my head to get a better look at what I was doing, but forgot to lift the razor from my face.

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Originally Posted by RezDog

I learned that right here from TC a while back. It works well for me too.

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Anybody seen or heard from TC lately? I haven seen anything from him in a long while....

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Originally Posted by Johntoad57

Anybody seen or heard from TC lately? I haven seen anything from him in a long while....

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Pretty sure he's gone fishin.

I was helping him with repairs to his boat n motor, over the phone, a bit back. But its been quiet, since.

I'll send a text, see if he's catchin um.