Thread: Many questions with straight shaving?

i have been around less lately but i notice a lot new or people who has started using straights gets early in to some trouble.

1. Most people Turns to straight razor shaving in some point of their lives has been used DE OR Something else
2.Straight razor looks like knife and at first look most people gets scared as a result don't use proper way to shave.
3. Sharpness of the straight razor edge.
what can help people to handle transaction period a little easier?.
At least i hope.

1. Proper honed blade. ( remember you don't have to use pressure at all while you shave)
2. Proper techniques.( Scything motion shaving is the answer in here . i will come back to this more).
3. stropping blade correctly.
4.pre shave preparation.

i will pay attention only #2 in here. i think rest has been discussed SRP A LOT AND someone can find answers very easy.

guys DE blades in factory
Sharpen then they add special coat to make edge harder after that they add 1 more coat to make blade slide easy.

Now if we compare straight razor edge to DE or use straight razor as same as DE we basically killing the straight razor edge.
This is why straight edge doesn't feel like as sharp as DE and wont shave same as DE.
What we have in straight razor advance is using Method.
if you use proper Scything motion shaving then we most likely will bring straight razor edge similar to DE EDGE without coating it twice.
As no one could use DE as saw but every one can use straight razor same as saw.
This gives us chance use straight razor scything motion to get comfortable shave.
in short ways to say.
Instead of using straight razor as same axe to chop woods use it as saw. Edge will stress a lot less.
Lastly

Please guys try to learn getting great shave without AGT SHAVING.
IT IS possible and i assure you every single of you one day will get there.
hope this will help not confuse you.
gl

REMEMBER PRESSER IS ENEMY OF STRAIGHT RAZORS. INCLUDING HONING ,SHAVING .STROPPING.

Great thoughts, Sham. Thank you for taking the time to send us this reminder. I know I'm still trying to learn the right way to do things, and these tips are invaluable!

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

i have been around less lately but i notice a lot new or people who has started using straights gets early in to some trouble.

1. Most people Turns to straight razor shaving in some point of their lives has been used DE OR Something else
2.Straight razor looks like knife and at first look most people gets scared as a result don't use proper way to shave.
3. Sharpness of the straight razor edge.
what can help people to handle transaction period a little easier?.
At least i hope.

1. Proper honed blade. ( remember you don't have to use pressure at all while you shave)
2. Proper techniques.( Scything motion shaving is the answer in here . i will come back to this more).
3. stropping blade correctly.
4.pre shave preparation.

i will pay attention only #2 in here. i think rest has been discussed SRP A LOT AND someone can find answers very easy.

guys DE blades in factory
Sharpen then they add special coat to make edge harder after that they add 1 more coat to make blade slide easy.

Now if we compare straight razor edge to DE or use straight razor as same as DE we basically killing the straight razor edge.
This is why straight edge doesn't feel like as sharp as DE and wont shave same as DE.
What we have in straight razor advance is using Method.
if you use proper Scything motion shaving then we most likely will bring straight razor edge similar to DE EDGE without coating it twice.
As no one could use DE as saw but every one can use straight razor same as saw.
This gives us chance use straight razor scything motion to get comfortable shave.
in short ways to say.
Instead of using straight razor as same axe to chop woods use it as saw. Edge will stress a lot less.
Lastly

Please guys try to learn getting great shave without AGT SHAVING.
IT IS possible and i assure you every single of you one day will get there.
hope this will help not confuse you.
gl

REMEMBER PRESSER IS ENEMY OF STRAIGHT RAZORS. INCLUDING HONING ,SHAVING .STROPPING.

You've hit all the important points, Bud, and the razor I bought from you was my first properly honed blade. Still, I ran into trouble because it wasn't until very recently that my brain could get through to my hand to stop putting pressure to my face. You and others tried to tell me but it took a while to sink in.

The part that is still lacking is sufficient practice. There are still parts under my neck and chin that I can't get either with the grain, across the grain, against the grain, or with scything. I've learned everything that can be taught to me. What I have left to learn are the things that can't be taught. It is not easy to learn how to straight shave.

Where we cheat ourselves with the cartridge shavers most people nowadays use is that we never really learn how to shave. For instance, this year was the first time in 40 years that I actually took the time to find out which direction my facial hair actually grew. You need to know that before you can really learn how to shave your face.

I'm grateful to you and others for helping to lead me on the right path. When I received that razor from you, it came ready to go and with instructions on how to use the thing.

Once I master shaving I will address honing my own razors. That's the final frontier. Until that time I might need your services in honing a few for me.

You really know what you're doing.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Instead of using straight razor as same axe to chop woods use it as saw. Edge will stress a lot less.

Sham, I don't think you're describing scything here. I think what you describe is closer to guillotining. The two are shown here.

Encouraging anyone to use a sawing action is dangerous. If you saw with a straight you're asking to lose parts of your face. I think we should rephrase it. It's more of an Oblique Stroke.

Originally Posted by ben.mid

Sham, I don't think you're describing scything here. I think what you describe is closer to guillotining. The two are shown here.

Encouraging anyone to use a sawing action is dangerous. If you saw with a straight you're asking to lose parts of your face. I think we should rephrase it. It's more of an Oblique Stroke.

Ben i was hoping i was clear.
Have you ever seen anyone use DE as axe and chop the hairs on their face?
Axe and saw was just example to make people understand easier.
I really thought everyone knows what i mean by scything motion.
saw will go forward and backward.
straight razor using scything motion will be just one side motion.(or you call it Oblique stroke)
it could be both ways.
forward if someone else shaves you or backward mostly if you are shaving yourself.
i thought it was clear when i mean scything motion.
hope this clear now.

Originally Posted by ben.mid

Sham, I don't think you're describing scything here. I think what you describe is closer to guillotining. The two are shown here.

Encouraging anyone to use a sawing action is dangerous. If you saw with a straight you're asking to lose parts of your face. I think we should rephrase it. It's more of an Oblique Stroke.

I was always under the impression that the scything method was the guillotine method. Now I know that the two are different.

I always use the guillotine stroke, but I see that scything is almost slightly circular. Is this correct?

Originally Posted by Fbones24

I always use the guillotine stroke, but I see that scything is almost slightly circular. Is this correct?

To scythe, you are forming an arc with the tip of the razor, while the heel remains at the centre of what you're describing as a circle.

Originally Posted by ben.mid

To scythe, you are forming an arc with the tip of the razor, while the heel remains at the centre of what you're describing as a circle.

Thank you for that, I guess Arc would be a perfect word to describe that. I could not think of it at the time, so I went with circle.

I found that after several shaves I started to do both Scything and Guillotine strokes naturally.

My scything strokes aren't on a fixed pivot as what I believe Ben.Mid described... but are similar to the guillotine in that the heel moves at an angle across the stroke and the toe travels in an arc faster than the heel. I find I use these strokes on/under the chin and in the hollows next to my adam's apple.

I guillotine on my cheeks and the flats of my throat... angled strokes that heel and toe stay in the same plane... no rotation.

As Sham rightly pointed out... it's all about technique. As my technique improves, my shaves get better and better. Every shave improves my technique just so... I'm in this for the long haul, no questions.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Ben i was hoping i was clear.
Have you ever seen anyone use DE as axe and chop the hairs on their face?
Axe and saw was just example to make people understand easier.
I really thought everyone knows what i mean by scything motion.
saw will go forward and backward.
straight razor using scything motion will be just one side motion.(or you call it Oblique stroke)
it could be both ways.
forward if someone else shaves you or backward mostly if you are shaving yourself.
i thought it was clear when i mean scything motion.
hope this clear now.

Sham,
I got what you mean, those of us that have seen a scythe in motion should know.
Even in the link provided the scything motion is illustrated in the animation there.