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I read the wiki and looked at the GIF but I'm still confused.
To preform a scythe motion do you lead with the heel or the tip? You pivot the blade to make the cutting action right? Please tell me there's a video that shows this!
The GIF in the wiki looked like the Guillotine motion, so I guess I'm really lost.
:rant:
This is an awkward topic for me. If you peruse THIS thread you will learn more about it.
In my opinion, what most are considering to be a scything stroke, with a windshield wiper motion, is not an effective cutting stroke in comparison to what the barber manuals call a scything stroke but what the Wiki calls a guillotine stroke. It is the guillotine stroke that you want to use to get the best cutting stroke. You can lead with either the heel or the toe. I prefer the toe.
Others will disagree.
:medvl:
+1 ..... the guillotine is the way to go.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
:w There is no way I am going to let myself get sucked into this Vietnam again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Whatever Utopian says is Ok with me. He is the only person I know that has actually ever used a scythe.
Edit: and Utopian and Jimmy are right - however you want to call it, the guillotine cut is what you want to use. It takes less effort and cuts whiskers better and more efficiently. But it is a somewhat trickier stroke to master - be careful when first starting out.
Hey, when I wrote "others will disagree" I wasn't just thinking of you!
For the OP, if you read that linked thread, I think you will get a better sense of either stroke and it really doesn't matter what you call it.
:roflmao Yes - I am egotistical that way - and offended!Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
What's in a name? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet. :) Shakespeare .... not me.
From personal experience here. A word of caution about scything. How you hone a razor will determine just how difficult and messy (:D) this endeavor is. I use to use diamond pastes and, although very sharp and polished, diamond edges tend to be a little harsh...meaning that the edge is a little "toothy" and will slice you in a heartbeat. Good for straight on cutting but a little bit if a problem if you are scything. A very nicely honed razor off a J-Nat or off Chromium paste will lessen the problems. Just go very light so if you make a mistake you will probably just take the top layer off!
Take Care,
Richard
I agree with you guys as well, I don't know why I'm typing this, other than I just got up, and my mind is working fully...
If your new, I wouldn't recommend attempting this manuver. This hobby is difficult enough, proper angle, etc... A move like this performed incorrectly could lead to some major cuts....Learn your face, get comfortable with the razor, Learn how to build lather...Getting proficient with the blade will come in time naturally....
Scything, in my experience, helps me to get BBS shaves, and helps to preserve the sharpness of my edges. With that said, it can be dangerous, if uneven pressure on the blade is applied during the scything stroke! Whichever end you lead with, the part of the blade with heavier pressure will sink effortlessly right down into your face. How do I know this?...:eek:
The red rune of incorrect shaving has often been inscribed on my cringing face.
Thanks for clarifying guys! :tu
Utopian speaks words of wisdom. The idea is to let the blade move in two different directions, perpendicular to each other at the same time. This is not hard to visualize or to do. Imagine you are cutting a baguette: if you set the knife flat on top of it and press down, you will not cut very efficiently and will "squish" the bread. To overcome this problem you move the knife perpendicular to the long axis of the baguette as you lightly press down. This makes the slices really nice as the cutting is very effective. You must absolutely make sure that you are cutting in both directions as the same time, this is the key.If you cut parallel to the long axis to the blade, you can and will, seriously cut your face. This is the danger with this stroke and hence, why it is not recommended for beginners.
Al raz.
What most call a scything motion is in fact a pivoting motion of the blade during the course of a stroke. It is actually the most natural of strokes if you just relax and let it happen and is the basis behind Natural Shaving(sm)
It may be natural, but that pivoting stroke is not as effective as the guillotine stroke, which is the cutting action that actually occurs when a scythe blade cuts grass.Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterRolf
Yes, but, the scythe's blade also has a wicked frown. And to do the scythe shave correctly you may have to trade your scales in on a snath. :confused:
All daunting strategies considered, I just squeeze my eyes tightly closed and hope for the best as I listen for the phantom guillotine blade to rattle down the tracks. :chop:
:beer2:
The curvature of the scythe's blade matches the trajectory of the blade as it is swung, with the net effect being a straight line contact between blade and the grass. That's why the actual cutting motion of a real scythe is better described by what is called the guillotine stroke in the Wiki.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce
Very nicely put. For me it was chopping broccoli :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Alraz
I know you all warned me not to do it, but I tried the scything motion today. I only went WTG and it was great! Tough whiskers that gave me trouble were cut easier. :)
If your posting dates denotes your actual time using a straight....your a big boy.....but I don't know! :popcorn:Quote:
Originally Posted by gull
One thing that I have come to realize is that I never do a scything motion during my first pass, especially with a full hollow. There is a very real possibility, for me, that some parts of my beard will change the speed of the forward progression of the blade if not partially stop it....not good:cry: . I do a very light N-S pass normally, then do one scything pass and that makes all the difference in the world.
Another thing that has not been mentioned is that your razor should be very sharp so that you can lay it down as much as possible and thus any mistakes will be superficial......and for goodness sakes use a very light touch, please!
Take Care and be careful,
Richard
I guess I don't understand the concern about the safety of this stroke. To my mind, because it cuts better, this will result in a cleaner smoother stroke and for that reason is more safe, not more dangerous. I would never slice a tomato by pushing the blade straight down and I would never shave that way either.
Utopian...I, personally, have sliced that shit out of myself using this stroke! :rock: OH......am I allowed to use s..t?
LOL
Take Care,
Richard
Oh no no, I've been shaving with a straight for about a month now.Quote:
Originally Posted by riooso
I agree that the guillotine stroke works better with a straight razor than a scythe stroke. The razor is flat, unlike a scythe. I like to use the guillotine stroke on my throat, between the middle and the sides of my neck. This seems to be the best way to reduce the hair to smoothness in that area, it even works better than shaving ATG in that spot. Everyone's beard grows in different directions though, so this may not work good for everybody.
I feel the same. As long as you aren't sliding the blade completely parallel to the edge, you aren't going to be cutting yourself. This motion prevents pulling, is easier on the blade increasing longevity of the sharp edge, and gives me a better shave. No reason not to do it on any pass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Of course, if you are new to shaving or new to the stroke you want to be careful but it isn't exactly brain surgery.
Safety is from the slices some folk give themselves.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Shaving is a balance between cutting whiskers but no flesh.
I think of shaving as spaghetti, celery or carrot sticks sticking
out of jello.
Looking at a clock the line of the razor is 9 to 3 and
the stroke is Noon to 6.
If you tilt the razor 9:15 to 3:15 or slightly more extremely
tilt the razor 9:30 to 3:30 i.e. just a bit of an angle
then shave again noon to 6 some whiskers slice better.
There will be crazy people that go further and hold the blade
closer to 10:30 and 4:30. But that is asking to get sliced
in my opinion. Anyone that does this is CRAZY.
Surf the web and look at some of the slant DE razors
images out there. With a slant the blade is tilted just
a bit and catches the whiskers at an angle. That
small angle that a slant DE has when translated to
a str8 is about right, IMO.
This is the best stroke at slicing hair close to the skin.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Just for yuks, I decided to settle this for myself, with an
experiment:
1) using my "worst" razor (one I honed myself :) ), and
2) right side, scythe; left side, guillotine
3) single WTG pass
4) all else, normal (prep, etc).
Result? Right side is noticably closer to BBS.
Scythe wins....but, as others have said, this is not a
stroke for rookies!
Be very careful!
OK, what do you consider to be a scything stroke?Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulKidd
Utopian....As I understand it, and as I performed it:
Guillotine = N-S stroke, heel leading
Scythe = N-S + slight E-W, heel leading
+1 on Scything!
Excellent description of Scything.
Later,
Richard
If you just continue to shave as you normally do you will probably just find yourself doing it without thinking about it. Trying to force it you might get cut.
That said:
It's like a slicing motion but the word slicing has such a negative connotation in context of shaving.:tameshigiri: