It Burns, It Burns.....a little less.

[Fatbuddha]

Well, have I got anything to add ... no, not really.

I'm a dextrous shaver, inasmuch as I wouldn't trust myself to pick the damn thing up with my left hand, much less shave with it. This is a Bad Thing, and I encourage Mr Buddha to persevere with the hand swapping. There are no disadvantages to being ambidextrous after all, and it might come in handy if he ever wants to mess about with kamisoris (or if he's really daft, microtome conversions).

Ha ha, the coup de maitre! No pressure then. Right from the outset this has been the least of my worries because it's always worked out fine, but it is definitely easier with a narrow razor. Anything over 3/4" and the angles don't work so well for me, but years of practice for gurning competitions have paid dividends. Pull faces and stretch that skin and you should be all right.

"Beard Mapping". Well, this is a Good Thing, but you have to reach a workable compromise unless you're double jointed. So my first pass is roughly with the growth - down and out ... and the second is roughly against - up or across and in. And then there's some faffing about with the bits which grow in odd patterns like crop circles when anything goes. I do the ATG thing every time though, something I'd never consider with a safety razor.

The advice therefore is to ignore the preceding paragraph and work approximately WTG only for now, taking your time and sussing out what works well and what causes razor burn. Avoid the irritating directions, and aim to get a comfortable shave, whether it's close or not. Finish off with a DE if necessary, but keep plugging away with the straight every day. Probably you'll feel a bit shabby eventually unless you've worked your face over with a straight every time, and that's when to start experimenting.

Friend Spartacus said something very perceptive with regard to Willi the German Berserker: "he's obviously not afraid of the blade" or words to that effect. That I think is very important, a confidence that you're the master of the razor - in other words that the blade is just a lump of steel and you have the skills to make it do what you want without it cutting you. Six months of regular shaving, Mr Buddha, and I'll wager you'll be the boss.

Ooooh a Kamisori, one of these I guess:

I think I'll pass for now, I could do some serious damage with that! I do love traditional Japanese crafts though. Everything seems to be pared down to the absolute minimum yet still possess a great aesthetic without compromising function. I'm thinking Katana vs Broad Sword. Wabi Sabi, Shibui, that kind of thing.

I will stick with the 2-handed technique even though its slow and frustrating but from what I've heard, better start that way than try to adapt later on. Being blind as a bat and having to wear glasses while I shave means that I've got to try to reduce the number of blind spots as much as possible.

Beard mapping has been done. I pretty much know the angles required but knowing where I'd like the blade to go and it actually doing what I want is another thing entirely but its getting there slowly. I'm going to stick with WTG until I'm comfortable then across and against if and when required (but that's a good few weeks/months away no doubt).

Oh yes, the master stroke (no smut in the back please!) - coup de maitre. I did hesitate but luckily avoided a cut or nick. It wasn't the smoothest of results (pretty shabby to be honest) but maybe a little glycerin in the lather will help next time. Thanks Mr Miller for the tip - I popped into Boots this afternoon and acquired a bottle but I'll have to use some sort of lather bowl (ramekin maybe?) as I usually face lather and I guess splashing glycerin over my face or dropping it into the brush isn't really the done thing.

Today is another day of rest though. Much as I'd like to just rush in and practise everyday, until I progress from hacking away to actually shaving, I'm happy to take my time and absorb on all the good advice everyone is generously offering up (but not the slamming hand in door:icon_lol. It also gives me more time to idly spend on the internet looking at things like scuttles and Revisor razors (they do look the business - are they any good?).

To Fido - thanks for the kind comment. If I've maybe inspired you to pick up a straight again then that has made me happy. Unlike a couple of members that have very generously offered me samples and even a razor (many many thanks - you know who you are!) I have little to offer other than what I learn and experience on a shave by shave basis right now. I think I need to research brushes more too - I've been using my one and only brush since day one of wet shaving; a Trumper Super Badger IB6. I have no idea if it is good, bad or ugly but I remember the salesman saying that it was a good beginners brush but maybe not the best quality and would probably need to change it in a year or two. 5 years on and its still going strong. I wish you all the best with your NFB venture!

Looking forward to shave number 4.....

F

So onto shave number 4.....

As per usual strop first. Got to say, its not easy to get it right. I'm not even sure if I am getting it right to be honest. I find that I'm getting a "swiiiiiiish" sound on the away strokes but not consistently getting the same on the return. 2 out of three strokes are near silent. Not sure if that's right or wrong?

Prep, usual hard soap but this time added a few drops of glycerine to a ramekin, swirled the brush in it a few times (after being loaded with soap) and lathered on face (ramekin was too smooth to lather in). The glycerine definitely seemed to make a denser lather than before and did make the lather last longer before drying out.

The shave. Well maybe its muscle memory (I doubt it) or a little bit more confidence (probably the case) but it getting a little easier. I have my mental list of things to remember:

1) Stretch - don't be lazy like when I DE shave.
2) Take it slow, be v careful bring the blade to the skin. Flatter the better I think.
3) Angle, aim for a couple of spine widths away from face.
4) If it grabs then try a different angle/direction - do not force it. I did that on a particularly troublesome spot just to the left of my adams apple. So much for thinking I knew every hair on my neck line the back of my hands. There's a little section where there is almost a whirlpool of hair - 3 different directions converging. With the DE I've never really noticed; just managed to bulldover over it without any issues. The straight is a different matter though, got the blade 'caught' and just tried to push on through. Bad move - nick time. Should have really tried a different direction.
5) Be mindful of how I'm standing and tilting my head; make sure i mirror my right handed stance when shaving with my left hand (yes, I'm sticking to two handed). Its better, less blind spots but still not as comfortable as with the right.
6) More stretching!
7) Use a light touch and more strokes (oh err missus).

The result? Much better than the previous shaves. Far less irritation all over, closer shave (actually some parts of my right cheek were better than I'd achieved with a DE) only one nick and a little quicker than before. Left hand side not as good as the right and top lip's pretty shabby but it's improving and that's what matters.

Oh, is it me or do straights make a lot more noise when shaving than DE razors?

Happy Christmas All.

F

 

[shanky887614]

i get the swish sound from strop on forward and backwards stroke

its good that you are getting less iritation now though,

 

[Parwin]

To get the hang of different ways to weild the razor, I practised with a butter knife. No danger of a cut.

I also find I get on better with the larger blades (6/8) as its easier to judge angles (for me any way). It also seems easier to keep flat when stropping/honing.

 

[asharperrazor]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us.

With regards to the lather drying, there's no reason you have to lather your whole face. You can lather in sections. Also, if the lather does dry out while on your face, you can just dip the brush in water to re-hydrate the lather.

Many ways to tackle that problem.