OP
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hando said:
Looks easy.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Put me straight
- Thread starter Fido
- Start Date
Looks easy.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
OP
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- #19
I have been studying the guides on straight shaving on the Straight Razor Place website and posted a couple of questions on that forum. Incredible source of information.
I'm approaching this business on the assumption I will enjoy and make a success of it. That's why I approached Neil Miller. He has fully lived up to his high reputation. He has supplied me with an excellent razor, with detailed history about it that involved a lot of research. I will include it in my blog and provide a link for anyone interested. The strop, bearing Neil's makers mark is latigo leather/heavyweight cotton double hanging. A veritable work of art.
I have ordered a cheap razor and strop on Ebay for around £20, simply to practice razor handling and stropping before I attempt to use my decent stuff.
And for another £11 I bought a straight made by George Wostenholme and Son - a good quality razor maker of Sheffield. Another restoration project for Neil. Together with one I sent him bearing a Southampton name it will give me three razors to use (ignoring the Ebay practice blade) - the capacity of a nice leather pouch for razor storage also made by Neil.
Chromium oxide paste, Dovo conditioning paste (for strop) and Camellia oil (for razor) complete the new investment. When I improve my straight razor photography I will post pics.
I intend to add the straight option gradually to my routine. Certainly don't wish to give up DE completely. There are conflicting views about this. Surprise, surprise!
I'm approaching this business on the assumption I will enjoy and make a success of it. That's why I approached Neil Miller. He has fully lived up to his high reputation. He has supplied me with an excellent razor, with detailed history about it that involved a lot of research. I will include it in my blog and provide a link for anyone interested. The strop, bearing Neil's makers mark is latigo leather/heavyweight cotton double hanging. A veritable work of art.
I have ordered a cheap razor and strop on Ebay for around £20, simply to practice razor handling and stropping before I attempt to use my decent stuff.
And for another £11 I bought a straight made by George Wostenholme and Son - a good quality razor maker of Sheffield. Another restoration project for Neil. Together with one I sent him bearing a Southampton name it will give me three razors to use (ignoring the Ebay practice blade) - the capacity of a nice leather pouch for razor storage also made by Neil.
Chromium oxide paste, Dovo conditioning paste (for strop) and Camellia oil (for razor) complete the new investment. When I improve my straight razor photography I will post pics.
I intend to add the straight option gradually to my routine. Certainly don't wish to give up DE completely. There are conflicting views about this. Surprise, surprise!
OP
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One latigo leather/heavyweight cotton double hanging strop. Another Miller masterpiece! Awaiting baptism.
OP
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- #22
And here is a not very good pic that doesn't do justice to the razor restored to its former glory by Neil. It really looks as good as new. It fully vindicates the point that there is incredible value in these old razors.
And to add even more to the feeling of being connected to the past by going back to tradition and actually using something from a bygone era here is some information supplied by Neil:
"The razor is one made for Maurice Viane who had a gentleman's shop in Knightsbridge at the time of the Great War and probably up to or shortly before WW2.  His son Edgar was killed in action in Poland in 1917.  The steel came from a company called Edgar Allen & Co., who owned the Imperial Steel Works in Tinsley, Sheffield, so it is a carbon steel, Sheffield forged razor.  The Imperial works were opened in the late 1800s and the furnaces installed in 1912 were still in operation when the site closed in 1988.
I would put the age of this razor between 1930 and 1950.  It has a round point - safest to learn with - and is slightly less than full hollow ground, giving it quite a firm blade which is not as hard to get used to as the really wafer-thin hollow ground razors.  I had three of these razors and this is the best of the bunch - it is elegant but understated, it's appeal lies mainly in the steel used and the fineness of the cutting edge.  This particular example has taken a very keen edge indeed!"
Neil is now restoring for me another old razor which was being used by the father of an old friend, it goes well back to the first half of the 20th century. My friend is thrilled to bits it will be used again. Perhaps it will go on to one of my grandsons.
And to add even more to the feeling of being connected to the past by going back to tradition and actually using something from a bygone era here is some information supplied by Neil:
"The razor is one made for Maurice Viane who had a gentleman's shop in Knightsbridge at the time of the Great War and probably up to or shortly before WW2.  His son Edgar was killed in action in Poland in 1917.  The steel came from a company called Edgar Allen & Co., who owned the Imperial Steel Works in Tinsley, Sheffield, so it is a carbon steel, Sheffield forged razor.  The Imperial works were opened in the late 1800s and the furnaces installed in 1912 were still in operation when the site closed in 1988.
I would put the age of this razor between 1930 and 1950.  It has a round point - safest to learn with - and is slightly less than full hollow ground, giving it quite a firm blade which is not as hard to get used to as the really wafer-thin hollow ground razors.  I had three of these razors and this is the best of the bunch - it is elegant but understated, it's appeal lies mainly in the steel used and the fineness of the cutting edge.  This particular example has taken a very keen edge indeed!"
Neil is now restoring for me another old razor which was being used by the father of an old friend, it goes well back to the first half of the 20th century. My friend is thrilled to bits it will be used again. Perhaps it will go on to one of my grandsons.
Looks very nice. Enjoy using it. There's no feeling like the end of the first shave with your straight that you don't feel the need to touch up with the de.
I use the de as well now, but to learn to use the straight I denied myself any de touching up for a few weeks and either got it or went out patchy!
Chris
I use the de as well now, but to learn to use the straight I denied myself any de touching up for a few weeks and either got it or went out patchy!
Chris
OP
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- #25
I said I would comment on my straight shaving experiences.
It's a case of so far not so good.
I eased my way in with a few days of low key trial runs over the easy bits. Then had a rather fuller attempt at one, then two passes over everywhere except my chin and above the upper lip. That was over the last two days. I have an incredibly sharp blade. Sensing that has made me too tentative to enjoy the experience so far. I find the whole ritual messy and fiddly as I try to get used to a whole new routine. Even those strokes of the razor that feel right in no way match the pleasure of the smooth glide of a DE razor. It is going to take some time to complete a whole shave with confidence.
With DE shaving it has been a fairly simple journey to achieving close, smooth comfortable shaves. The journey with a straight is going to be more lengthy and much more difficult.
So do I want to continue? If I am getting the 'perfect' shave comfortably and easily with a DE razor what's the point in going through a lot of hassle to achieve perfect+ ? It's messy, more time consuming and the blade against skin is nowhere near as pleasant as with my DE.
Well, the answer is yes. Thousands of delighted straight shavers have made the effort, so I feel that it is too early to give up. So I won't. Yet.
But I am left with a lingering thought. If straight shaving was such a joy, why did millions of men switch so readily to DE shaving? And then on to Mach 3?
Time will tell which camp I will end up in.
If anyone is still interested they may like to follow the thread I have started on The Straight Razor Place Forum:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/newbies-corner/44397-too-tentative.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forum ... ative.html</a><!-- m -->
It's a case of so far not so good.
I eased my way in with a few days of low key trial runs over the easy bits. Then had a rather fuller attempt at one, then two passes over everywhere except my chin and above the upper lip. That was over the last two days. I have an incredibly sharp blade. Sensing that has made me too tentative to enjoy the experience so far. I find the whole ritual messy and fiddly as I try to get used to a whole new routine. Even those strokes of the razor that feel right in no way match the pleasure of the smooth glide of a DE razor. It is going to take some time to complete a whole shave with confidence.
With DE shaving it has been a fairly simple journey to achieving close, smooth comfortable shaves. The journey with a straight is going to be more lengthy and much more difficult.
So do I want to continue? If I am getting the 'perfect' shave comfortably and easily with a DE razor what's the point in going through a lot of hassle to achieve perfect+ ? It's messy, more time consuming and the blade against skin is nowhere near as pleasant as with my DE.
Well, the answer is yes. Thousands of delighted straight shavers have made the effort, so I feel that it is too early to give up. So I won't. Yet.
But I am left with a lingering thought. If straight shaving was such a joy, why did millions of men switch so readily to DE shaving? And then on to Mach 3?
Time will tell which camp I will end up in.
If anyone is still interested they may like to follow the thread I have started on The Straight Razor Place Forum:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/newbies-corner/44397-too-tentative.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forum ... ative.html</a><!-- m -->
Hang in there Fido. There is a lot to learn at the beginning. What worked for me when I started learning (I haven't finished learning yet) was to only shave my cheeks with a straight, to really find out the best angle and pressure for me, until I could get as good a finish as with a DE. Only then did I try shaving other areas. It was 2 or 3 weeks before I felt I could get a reasonable shave with only a straight. I do still have a DE in the bathroom, as a backup.
I found the hardest thing was starting the first cut below the sideburn when your hand obscures your view. Once I got a feel for it, lost my trepidation about about putting a blade that can pop hairs off my arm so easily against my face and could start blind, I relaxed a bit. Just don't expect too much too soon,. It's a skill worth mastering.
OP
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Things are looking up.
Ruth went out for the evening. Time to play. Had already shaved early morning but so what?
Gave myself a serious talking to. What was my first round of golf like? Total disaster. Should have packed up there and then. Soldiered on, had lots of practice, then years of delight - on and off. The point is - all things involving a degree of skill take time to learn. It's often best to find out how good you can become at something. When you do, that's the time to decide on keeping it up or not.
So off to the stash, tools selected then strop and action. Gradually things seemed to look up. The blade started to feel a bit more comfortable and I got a bit bolder and managed two passes. Kept clear of the tricky bits. It was a relief to tidy up with my Jagger DE, but I did quite a bit with the straight without nicks.
Had the day off today - off out to friends. So it was a nice easy Jagger session.
More time at the weekend. It will be back to the straight. But I do still wonder. If choosing between a two wheeled bike and a penny farthing, why would I choose the latter?
To be continued.........
Ruth went out for the evening. Time to play. Had already shaved early morning but so what?
Gave myself a serious talking to. What was my first round of golf like? Total disaster. Should have packed up there and then. Soldiered on, had lots of practice, then years of delight - on and off. The point is - all things involving a degree of skill take time to learn. It's often best to find out how good you can become at something. When you do, that's the time to decide on keeping it up or not.
So off to the stash, tools selected then strop and action. Gradually things seemed to look up. The blade started to feel a bit more comfortable and I got a bit bolder and managed two passes. Kept clear of the tricky bits. It was a relief to tidy up with my Jagger DE, but I did quite a bit with the straight without nicks.
Had the day off today - off out to friends. So it was a nice easy Jagger session.
More time at the weekend. It will be back to the straight. But I do still wonder. If choosing between a two wheeled bike and a penny farthing, why would I choose the latter?
To be continued.........
Hi,
First, don't give up easily. It's a learning process like riding a bike or driving a car.
Well, "millions" of men switched to DE and Mach 3 because it's a faster way to shave, but not better. Time nowadays is the most valuable asset, so "millions" of men prefer not to waste time and shave in the fastest possible way.
If they only knew what they are missing.
As I type, I'm now in a greater mood because I used my big lunch break to shave calmly in my home. I got home, relaxed myself with a great shave with a wonderful straight, got myself my lunch and got back to work. I feel much better now than this morning.
This is what a great shave provides. Period.
First, don't give up easily. It's a learning process like riding a bike or driving a car.
Well, "millions" of men switched to DE and Mach 3 because it's a faster way to shave, but not better. Time nowadays is the most valuable asset, so "millions" of men prefer not to waste time and shave in the fastest possible way.
If they only knew what they are missing.
As I type, I'm now in a greater mood because I used my big lunch break to shave calmly in my home. I got home, relaxed myself with a great shave with a wonderful straight, got myself my lunch and got back to work. I feel much better now than this morning.
This is what a great shave provides. Period.
Fido said:
OP
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- #31
It's now 12 days since my last post on this thread.
How quickly things move on! I am now using my straight on most days. I am following a very simple regime. A down pass, then up pass with my straight with just a little more effort to extend my range according to time and my mood of the day. Then I finish with an ATG pass and tidy up with my DE razor. I'm getting really smooth shaves, very few nicks and a skin feeling afterwards so good I know I'll never go back to DE shaving alone. There will be days when lack of time means I'll leave the straight alone. But when ever possible the new regime will reign. I guess of all the lessons to be learned for any shave it is to take your time and relax. The need to hurry spells trouble! Better not to shave at all.
So to all wannabe straight razor candidates, if Fido can take to it, there's hope for everyone. As a cack -handed, impatient type who doesn't like to fiddle around with anything that might be troublesome I was always a doubtful straight shaver. I'm not in any hurry to complete a shave with a straight alone, so the DE will have a part to play for a while yet. But the day may come....
How quickly things move on! I am now using my straight on most days. I am following a very simple regime. A down pass, then up pass with my straight with just a little more effort to extend my range according to time and my mood of the day. Then I finish with an ATG pass and tidy up with my DE razor. I'm getting really smooth shaves, very few nicks and a skin feeling afterwards so good I know I'll never go back to DE shaving alone. There will be days when lack of time means I'll leave the straight alone. But when ever possible the new regime will reign. I guess of all the lessons to be learned for any shave it is to take your time and relax. The need to hurry spells trouble! Better not to shave at all.
So to all wannabe straight razor candidates, if Fido can take to it, there's hope for everyone. As a cack -handed, impatient type who doesn't like to fiddle around with anything that might be troublesome I was always a doubtful straight shaver. I'm not in any hurry to complete a shave with a straight alone, so the DE will have a part to play for a while yet. But the day may come....