Thread: scything motion

I've notice the term scything used to describe the correct stroke when shaving with a straight razor. I suppose this means to act like a scythe ---which means I guess to use a propeller type motion with a slightly scooping action. Is this correct? This came to my attention when I noticed that using this type of motion ---slightly pivoting around the handle/tang pin --- allowed me to shave the third pass/against the grain very well. Any comments?

Sounds like you have it about right. This stroke helps me clean off my jawline.

I would add that there's some increased danger of cutting yourself with this stroke, so be careful.

Another useful technique is the "tip leading" stroke. With this the razor moves downward and at a slight angle--about 30 degrees. The edge is parallel to the floor, but instead of going straight down you go down and (VERY SLIGHTLY) forward.

I'm attaching two graphics made by other members that help illustrate these two techniques.

Josh

Scything graphic didn't take the first time, trying to post a link...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/compo.../limitstart,5/

Josh

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

I've notice the term scything used to describe the correct stroke when shaving with a straight razor. I suppose this means to act like a scythe ---which means I guess to use a propeller type motion with a slightly scooping action. Is this correct? This came to my attention when I noticed that using this type of motion ---slightly pivoting around the handle/tang pin --- allowed me to shave the third pass/against the grain very well. Any comments?

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

Another useful technique is the "tip leading" stroke. With this the razor moves downward and at a slight angle--about 30 degrees. The edge is parallel to the floor, but instead of going straight down you go down and (VERY SLIGHTLY) forward.

This is a standard stroke taught in the barber's manuals, though it doesn't actually matter if the edge is parallel to the floor or not, the important thing is the edge is at a slight angle to the direction of the stroke. This improves the shave and seems to reduce the likelihood of a nick or scrape.

Is there a slight scooping action? I've seen these graphics before but wasn't sure about the scooping action. Thank you Josh.

The only scooping-type action that I'm aware of is the coup de maitre, which is a scooping action under your nose to catch the hairs at the corner of your nose and upper lip. Gotta be really careful with that one though...

I'm talking about a very slight scooping action --I believe this is in line with scything -- i.e., using a real scythe.

Thanks for clarifying that, mparker. I always have a hard time explaining what 30 degrees represents, so the "parallel to the floor" line was just a reference. You can do this stroke with the blade pointing in any direction.

Josh

Kinda like a shearing action?? Your approaching the whisker with forward motion, but slicing through it with a little lateral movement too? I guess this helps for a smoother feeling pass with the razor, as your not attacking the growth in just one direction?

I'm new to this pea but I suppose you're correct ---instead of pushing through the hair , by using this motion you are slicing as well as pushing ---all I know is on the against the grain pass, the results were dramatic for me. Usually when I try the third pass, the razor skips, bumps, and digs in if I use a straight push through ---but with the scything motion and pivoting slightly around the tang/scale pin, the razor seems more stable (maybe being anchored around the pivot point) and I was successful and --well --encouraged.