Thread: Practice razor -safe

I watched a youtube video of a guy shaving with a Dovo razor and at the end he said the muscle movement would come and went on about switching hands for the off side. He said it would take maybe a month or more or about 100 shaves to get proficient with the straight.

So, I thought about my pistol target shooting and how useful AND successful dry firing is at a target. It gets the feel and muscle/eye co-ordination down better without having to expend ammunition or do it just when you can.

I don't shave that often. So 100 shaves will take a long time. However, I borrowed my wife's straight razor for cutting hair (yes she gave me permission) when she was doing some beautician work years ago. It is a simple thing, that takes blade inserts. I cut up an old Michigan pesticide card that had expired and will give it a try putting that in place of a razor and lathering up. I can do several shaves in one evening and have in dozens of shaves in practice before I will ever need to shave again.

Here is the pic, and maybe someone already thought of it. But it looks like it might give me some left hand practice this way.



I took the hair guard off and removed the blade that was in it and since it is all stainless steel, I really can't do too much in the way of rusting it. I would think any good plastic would work OR one could use one of the disposable straight razor blades that is way dull and use a stone on it to really dull it and that could be used as well.

I think that is a workable, and certainly safe, way to practice with a straight, especially with the off hand. I'm lousy with my left hand but found using both hands to shave no problem at all.

I would advise one caution, however. Using a dull blade for practice might make the jump to a sharp blade a bit of a problem because practicing with something that doesn't cut might give you more confidence in your technique than you should have. When you start equipping your hand with something that really can cut hair, and, uh, skin, you might be more bold with your technique than you should be.

Jumping right into it with caution with a sharp blade, after reading the Wikis here carefully, and just starting with the cheeks, worked for me. I don't think it takes 100 shaves to become proficient. I was sneaking up on good shaves and some proficiency at around the 15th shave. It is certainly true that much more improvement will come by the 100th shave.

I would think using a dull object as a possible problem. You would not get the feedback from the razor if the angle is wrong. And if you practice and get muscle memory doing it wrong when you shave with a sharp razor this could be problematic. But I guess theres only one way to test this theory.

Well, I have always been the adventurer, and will give it a try to see how it works. Mostly, it is not about trying to get down razor feel, as I know I will have a little more finess with a real - sharp - blade. What might help is holding technique, familiarization with the left hand and basic technique on doing it with lather. I can lather up, wash,, retry, wash lather up and keep doing that several times to get kind of a knack of holding a razor.

I think that if it helps you get familiar with using the left hand, that is a good plan.

The problem is that you won't get any feedback regarding where you're off. The face gives you that feedback with a sharp blade, unfortunately in the form of nicks, cuts, weepers, and razor burn. Some of that at the start is almost unavoidable. When you go to a real blade, be extra cautious.

I would just note that our forebears learned to shave by two resources that we do not have, which it is often wise to supply by various means.

First, most boys grew up watching their dad and/or brothers shaving. I remember sitting on the floor of my grand-dad's bathroom on cold mornings where the bathroom was the only warm room in the house, watching him whip his whiskers off with a straight. Boys growing up might watch thousands of shaves and have their memories full of images and conversations about the right way to do it.

Second, a very common toy given to little boys was a "play razor" set. Often this included soap, mug, and a "play" razor. I remember as a boy lathering up and then "shaving" with my toy razor. When the time came to use the real thing, I had "shaved" countless times with a non-lethal instrument.

Most of us lack these two vital life-learning resources. So that's why I appreciate so much this forum and the video's people post--it replaces #1 above. I also found a dulled razor very helpful. I have used my dulled Gold Dollar to let many of my students learn to strop before actually risking their new strop on a sharp blade. They have enjoyed using it also to practice their strokes and work up the nerve to try the real thing.

So…good idea. Some will crack on you for it. I have no idea why. Your practice razor fulfills the task that many a young boy learning to shave satisfied by more playful means.

I think it's a pretty good idea, with the caveat others have already mentioned about the lack of feedback of a sharp blade.

Muscle memory is the key to this. Learning how to ride a bike is hard, but once you practice, it is easy and done with little conscious effort. Using your non-dominant hand is difficult at first, but it gets easier as muscle memory develops. Dealing with the mirror AND the non-dominant hand is even more difficult, but practice here also develops muscle memory. Your plastic card strategy WILL help you develop that muscle memory, but it won't get perfected until you are using the actual blade and getting proper feedback.

For a child learning by watching his father and imitating, I think a mock blade is just fine. But for an adult, with years of already-engrained muscle memory, you have to unlearn bad habits and pick up good ones. An accidental cut or gouge will teach you the error of your ways quickly. It did me, at any rate. Others' comments about feedback I believe are valid also.

Personally, the greatest obstacle to my learning to use my off hand was fear and nothing else. But in learning to shave with my right hand, I gouged myself far worse that I ever have with the left since. In figuring that I'd already cut my self badly with my good hand, and in being extremely frustrated trying to acheive the proper angle with my good hand in complex and difficult positions, I simply decided one day to start using my left hand, period. The shave was just as good as with my right hand and I have yet to cut myself beyond a simple nick every now and then with the left hand.

Each and every shave I now use both hands. I will never be as skilled with the left hand as with the left, but I get a decent shave anyway. As skill improves with both hands, my shave will get better with both hands.

I have also found that my left/off hand tends to have a lighter touch than my right. If I give myself razor burn, the culprit is usually my right hand.

Originally Posted by DevilBlade

An accidental cut or gouge will teach you the error of your ways quickly. It did me, at any rate. ...

I have to say I never want to be cut.

I am old and it takes forever to heal.

I need to be slow and thoughtful.

An accidental cut or gouge will set me back weeks.
I feel like I am 1 serious,
2 mild, or 3 minor cuts away
from double edge shaving exclusivity.

--Shoki

I got a little feedback this evening. Troggie loaned me a 1000, 4000, and 8000 stone to try out. About 50 or so on the 1000 then about 30 or so on the 4000 and 8000 and some stroping with the latigo saddle tack. Not too bad, it was more comfortable than before, but need it a bit sharper. I nicked myself just a little bit. I take asprin for blood thinner and if I cut or nick myself it does do a good job of bleeding to wash out the wond. I have a bottle of Alum now on the sink.. LOL

These are small stones and I am honing like I do when I do a knife... of sorts. I have water on the stone and do small circular motions of the blade and spin resting evenly on the stone and give the stone just a bit of a swirl with my left had as I do small circulars with my right. 10-20 circles on one side and then 10-20 circles on the other side. When I got to the white 4000 stone I can really see the grayish metal on the stone, which I rinse off periodically.

I did manage to get in good bids this evening on a couple of stones, a Franz Swaty and a Emerald Pike w/box. They came witing seconds of each other for ending and I could not get my bidding program to cancel the latter bid before the auction ended due to our slower internet connection this evening.

I also bought a Belgian Couticle stone (very small) and I will look to using that. A mortician gave me a nice piece of headstone today for free. Polished like a mirror on one side, and I was thinking that maybe I cold use that with the Couticle stone. I'm drifting. But, the practice with the plastic "blade" is going well, as I can get an idea on direction and hold of the razor to remove it. BTW, I did cut the moustache area on my upper lip with the Straigh Edge this evening and did not suffer ill effects.!!