Thread: First straight shave, OMG!

Ok, guys, lots more stropping practice! A few more thoughts as well...

I tried stropping with a piece of paper folded to 1 inch in width, to get my pressure right. Then I tried it with the blade. My X-pattern is getting much better, and I'm starting to hear the right sound probably 80% of the time.

I will admit I have some unique challenges with this. I think a lot of the reason I started out pressing so hard, even though I'd read so many times not to, is that I have dicky wrists. I hurt them pretty badly several years ago, and I frequently find myself having to use more force than most people do to do the same tasks. I'm used to having to compensate for having weak wrists.

Well, as soon as I stopped trying to compensate, the blade was laying flatter, the sounds were getting better, and I had a lot more control. I found my fingers backing further away from the blade (where as before I'd been grabbing it right under the heel, now my fingers have backed off to the top of the scales, only keeping the blade straight by keeping the tang in the scales), and I'm finding I am having an easier time adjusting my movements.

Still, despite my efforts, not much improvement. I'm gunna ship her off to Onimaru55 on Monday and when she gets back, I'll know how to treat her this time...

Thanks to everyone who helped out! Hope some newbie reads this and doesn't make the same mistakes...

glad to hear that went well for you!

Congrats on getting started. I've been str8-razor shaving for a month and it is only now beginning to come together - a bit! - and, like you, as far as I can tell from your posts, I am getting the bug and look forward to it every day (although I have had to leave it a couple of times to allow wounds to heal up).
If I had a son to describe it to, I would say it probably compares to learning to play the piano in terms of time and skill, but has more potential for bloodshed.
BTW, I am waiting to see how the other leg went!

AD

It's gunna kill me to have to send it away to be honed. I wanna do it again!

Unfortunately it won't actually shave at the moment, so that would be kind of silly I guess...

The other leg went similarly, but the stubble was less obvious as some of that leg has some ink done.

It'll be worth the wait - Oz will bring the razor back to life!

While you wait you can practice stropping with a butter knife - just to get some muscle memory going. Stropping is also kind of relaxing. Stropping is also really important for maintaining and reviving the edge - so the more stropping the merrier!!

All the best,
Michael.

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

It's gunna kill me to have to send it away to be honed. I wanna do it again!

This is why most of us own more than one razor. It's addictive

You may also want to invest in a barber's hone. I got one and had to use it plenty of times when I was figuring out how to strop. It would probably be enough to get your blade's edge back. I thought I would have to send my boker off for a rehoning until I tried out the barber's hone. It worked every time.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

This is why most of us own more than one razor. It's addictive

Oh no, RAD already? I'm too broke for that...

Well, it's sent. Fingers crossed.

bknesal - I was thinking that over. I may invest in one once I have a bit more money, and have my stropping down a little better...

Barber hones - they're pretty common, so they're pretty cheap.

If you miss one 'bargain' on a barber hone, another will be along shortly.
(And then you can stop spending money on shaving stuff... really!!)


Have a look at some of the threads on barber hones first though.

Between the strop and the barber hone you'll have all you need to maintain your razor - honing? you can get it honed if you seriously muck up the edge.

All the best,
Michael

I actually did have a bit of a look around for a barber hone. Last I looked, there wasn't one in the classifieds in my price range, and most of the stuff on ebay was in pretty rough shape.

Is there anywhere dedicated to selling such hones? The thing is that although it maybe "common" in the SR world, the SR world is a bit uncommon.