Thread: New Feature of the Advanced Beginner

It just hit me...the advancing beginner might be someone who now rarely cuts his face, but ends up cutting other parts of his anatomy?

Somehow I have gotten to the point of not cutting my face, but gosh I've given my fingers and thumb a beating! I also set a razor on my lap for a minute while honing, it slipped down my leg and I (STUPID STUPID STUPID) tried to "catch it" by putting my knees together…little cut…

Maybe it goes with the stage?

It's not just beginners, you always have to respect the blade.

About a year after I started, I was shaving one day and daydreaming, and as I changed hands I caught my thumb and took the tip right off!

Damn that took ages for it to stop bleeding, I was standing in the bathroom for about 30 minutes with the end of my thumb pressed hard on an alum block.

It doesn't have all that much to do with how long you have been shaving. You need a way to ensure you remain focused and attentive. Maybe before you start shaving you need to have someone come up to you and either give you kick in the butt to wake you up or maybe stick you finger into the AC mains. Rest assured the razor is always focused and ready to pounce on you if you're not.

Since you have and use a few barber hones, I'll point out another stupid potential mistake. When you hold a barber hone, you can either keep your hand fully open with the hone simply resting on top, or you grip the hone with your fingers. Now, if you choose the latter strategy, make sure that your thumb is BELOW the top surface of the hone! This is especially important because a barber hone is used to maintain an ALREADY SHARP razor!

Over the years, I have made that mistake twice.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Since you have and use a few barber hones, I'll point out another stupid potential mistake. When you hold a barber hone, you can either keep your hand fully open with the hone simply resting on top, or you grip the hone with your fingers. Now, if you choose the latter strategy, make sure that your thumb is BELOW the top surface of the hone! This is especially important because a barber hone is used to maintain an ALREADY SHARP razor!

Over the years, I have made that mistake twice.

I was contemplating that just last night while honing on my Swaty.

Senor Stone, you are extremely lucky that it was only
your leg that got cut!

Jeez oh dear....

Originally Posted by Utopian

Since you have and use a few barber hones, I'll point out another stupid potential mistake. When you hold a barber hone, you can either keep your hand fully open with the hone simply resting on top, or you grip the hone with your fingers. Now, if you choose the latter strategy, make sure that your thumb is BELOW the top surface of the hone! This is especially important because a barber hone is used to maintain an ALREADY SHARP razor!

Over the years, I have made that mistake twice.

Good Lord, man, I never even thought about that...the lowly barber hone can be a hazardous thing!

One of the problems with straights, IMO, is that the more experienced you are the more dangerous they become in that we get so comfortable with them that things become routine and we do them without having to think. And that's when we get into trouble! It seems that the more experienced we become, the more challenging it is to stay focused.

Originally Posted by sffone

One of the problems with straights, IMO, is that the more experienced you are the more dangerous they become in that we get so comfortable with them that things become routine and we do them without having to think. And that's when we get into trouble! It seems that the more experienced we become, the more challenging it is to stay focused.

+1

Overconfidence is the cause of most of my cuts, including the beautiful scar I now have on my cheek.

Same here... I rarely cut myself shaving, and then it is very slight. But, about once every few months I manage to cut myself during the shave, but not while shaving.