BBS... well, almost

[The Blacksmith]

Boy, this is a learning process! Both for me as well as for my face I'm able, if I'm patient and remember that this is not the same "grab the Gillette Sensor and get on with it" routine to which I've been accustomed, to get a 'for the most part' BBS except for the two tough places... chin & lip (the Sensor comes back out at this point). Several factors are affecting this. My newbie technique, recently shaved full beard of several years (face is still tender) needing to learn proficiency with strop, and I'm sure there are several more that could be listed.

I'm able to get almost as good results with the two razors that I got at an antique shop (W&B, Shumate) and have honed and stropped as I do with the Joseph Rodgers & son that I bought from Sergio Bruno here on the BST.

I am really excited about the fact that I should be receiving my Dubl Duck Dwarf back from Glen aka gssixgun that he cleaned up, rescaled, honed & stropped. I will post pics as soon as 'she' is delivered.

Anyway, I appreciate the time that many of you give to the forums that enable others to learn. Hope to be able to contribute in due time.

Danny

[coully]

I can feel ya.....isnt that what they say. I recently made the decision that the goatee had to go, much to the displeasure of my wife who said I suited it. To stay on point, I have to be careful of shaving my chin, more through lack of practice as we all have various shapes of chins, so now in the mornings I can be seen making allsorts of monkey faces to get the best result, in a nutshell, be patient as time allows as we all dont have the time to spend standing in front of a mirror for hours on end.

Long and short. practice, patience and dont rush it. If you get your razors or when you do get your stropping down and you will find it easy with a great edge and seeing as no-one kn0ows your face like you do enjoy it and you will find a great shave finds you.

Keep at it and Im sure you will be pleased with your results.

regards,simon

[Mike_ratliff]

There's nothing wrong with cheating... I mean touching up... when you're learning to use a straight.
I honestly believe a little cheating improves your confidence, and helps smooth the learning curve.
If I hadn't run out of Mach 3 blades I would probably have kept it for those times when I just needed to hurry. As it is, I'm glad i didn't because I have learned to do a 1.5 pass decent shave in about 8 or 9 minutes.

As for your chin and lip, they are the hardest spots to master. You just need to figure out what works for you, and you really need to master skin stretching for both of those spots.

[sebell]

I would say that if you are getting a presentable shave with
just the straight, avoid using another razor for touch-ups
just to get that `BBS'. Shaving with the straight only will let
you get a better sense of how your shaves are improving as
your learning and practice progress.

- Scott

[fpessanha]

sory but I read somewhere that it's better to continue a thread than start a new one on the same subject...

I've been shaving with my straight for arround 2 months and I am getting quite good at it! That is... I feel confortable with it, shave every day, get very good shaves every time and am now dealing with the fact that my family and friends think I am looney!...
Anyway... I get decent smooth shaves with the WTG and XTG motion. Yet, when I attempt a ATG pass it's an whole different ball game!... The razor starts pulling, I can't figure out the angle of the blade, it sinks a bit into my skin and I nick myself and get razor burn... I just can't do it... It's nightmare-ish! So, I was wondering what I might be doing wrong: I figured out my beard growth and made a mental map of it... and its a complex one, I tell you... so, I follow it precisely. But the blade seems to pull a lot. And it doesn't pull in any other way!

I got thinking... is my razor getting dull? It works great in WTG and XTG and I get pretty close that way.

Any tips? I appreciate anything you might tell me on this matter...

Thanks!

[HenrikWL]

I would say that if you are getting a presentable shave with
just the straight, avoid using another razor for touch-ups
just to get that `BBS'. Shaving with the straight only will let
you get a better sense of how your shaves are improving as
your learning and practice progress.

- Scott

+1

Of course, if your job demands a standard of shaving that you are not able to achieve using only a straight, by all means touch up with a Mach 3. But I really do believe that this will slow your learning, as you lose some of the motivation for achieving that perfect straight razor shave.

fpessanha:

ATG is a different ball game altogether. Slightly different technique, different feedback from the razor, etc. If your razor is swiping whiskers on your WTG and XTG passes, it's sharp. Just keep working the technique.