I must say, I think I'm getting pretty good at this

been straight shaving for about a month and I'm doing pretty good. surpringly good, actually

still not getting a really close shave right at my jawbone (?), where my cheek curves and turns into my neck.

just doing WTG shaves at this point.

also, when do I know when my razor needs honning. I just got my norton 4k/8k and want to give it a try. My razor is doing well with just stropping and then using the rough side of the strop with the green paste every 4 to 5 shaves.\, but I want to learn to hone

If you think it is better now wait six months ... then a year and so on. It just gets better and better as the technique becomes more advanced. You'll hit plateaus where it will be the same for a time but then on up to the next plateau.

If I was going to learn to hone I wouldn't do it on my one and only razor. What I did was buy some reasonably priced vintage razors in good shape that needed to be honed and began from there.

Don't worry too much about the jawline, that's a spot that can give grief to the most skilled among us. You'll get it down eventually, especially when you start doing different passes like XTG.

If your razor is doing well with plain stropping be happy and focus on stropping technique. You might be tempted to start honing too early and might damage the good shaving edge you have presently. When your razor stops responding to stropping and pastes (like pulling or rough shaves) then it's time to hit the hone.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Don't worry too much about the jawline, that's a spot that can give grief to the most skilled among us. You'll get it down eventually, especially when you start doing different passes like XTG.

If your razor is doing well with plain stropping be happy and focus on stropping technique. You might be tempted to start honing too early and might damage the good shaving edge you have presently. When your razor stops responding to stropping and pastes (like pulling or rough shaves) then it's time to hit the hone.

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ok. ok. I'll be patient w/ the honing. Until it really needs it or I get another razor. Just got the norton and want to try it out is all. I'll be patient. Strop is working very good at this point

The pro honed (I presume ?) shave ready razor is the benchmark. This is what you judge your own honing progress by IME. Go to flea markets, antique stores or more easily, ebay.

Look for full bladed vintage razors with no cracks or chips and good solid scales with no cracks at the pivot. These are a good way to learn to hone. Messing with your daily shaver could leave you stuck shaving with a DE or worse.

When I first started tattooing I got a liner and a shader tuned by a pro. I never messed with them. I got many more machines and pulled them apart, cut springs, wound coils and learned how to build and tune machines with the original money makers in tact and as a benchmark for what to shoot for. Same idea.

where are you located at Toplin?

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Originally Posted by smills

where are you located at Toplin?

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Pasadena, California

keep it up, it only gets better.

Toplin,

Get a copy of Lynn Abrams' "World of Straight Razor Shaving." It contains an entire chapter on honing and stropping.

Take care...

I've been SR shaving since X-mas now. Today I got my first extremely close shave without getting any cuts or nicks on my face!! I switched soaps and bought a few from Mama Bears Soaps and Gift Shop , Mama Bears Shaving Soaps and Bath Products for the Discerning Gentleman and Lady The first Rose soap I tried has worked and smelled wonderful. I'm very excited to get this first shave without getting cut. I tried the ATG strokes a few times and today was the only time i was able to not bleed on my razor.

Any tips would be much appreciated

Cheers

Patrick Engle