Going Straight

Steve27752

Steve27752

Messages
338
About 3 months ago I bought a unknown maker straight razor out of Neils bargain section. And he very kindly did some extra refurbishment work on it for me.
This morning after giving it much thought, I had my first straight shave and it certainly focused my mind.
It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, however, the result was not as close as I thought it would be. Possibly because I did not want to use any pressure just incase I cut any bits off, like my ear lobes :lol:
The shave took 20-30 minutes.
Afterwards I cleaned and dried the razor, then stroped it on the inside of my leather RM Williams belt.
The blade was then treated to a coat of very thin oil and put away.

Now, To get a closer shave do I just apply more pressure?
Which is better for a learner? A hanging strop or a paddle strop?
 
Closer means more passes or greater angle - both can cause irritation or loss of flesh.

As said - no pressure.

Concentrate on technique before going in for BBS shaving. Its something that will come with time, much like speed
 
a good honed and proper razor will be closer and smoother than ANY DE going on 3+ uses..str8 razors tend to be on the thicker side as far as blade quality goes...this would be Wedge grind...full hollow blades are slightly thinner and tend to "flex" a bit...due to them not being as stiff..If I were you..watch videos on youtube about "straight razor shaving"
 
Arrowhead said:
Barely any pressure Steve! Concentrate on the angle and skin stretching instead. And I'd say a hanging strop, though whether it's easier is highly debatable.
Click to expand...

+1 and please concentrate on streatching and angles ;)
 
:twisted: :twisted: Try using more of a sawing motion :twisted: :twisted: :p

Seriously though its about blade angle and how to stretch the skin to get the hairs to stand up. IME its a much slower learning curve than DE I've been at it on and off for about a year and only now am I getting shaves that I am properly happy with without having to do an ATG pass with a DE or SE. I can still get a closed shave with a DE but equally my good straight shaves are on a par with average DE shaves.
 
Closeness comes from experience and which pass you do. ATG will always be closer than WTG. But doing ATG first is not a good idea for beginners, and I don't think any veterans do it first either. But it is possible, it is painful.

Closeness also comes from angle, which is determined by the angle of the bevel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom