First Shave Experience

M

mifty12

Messages
13
Hi Guys

I have just got home from work and have picked up my parcel from the post office which was promptly sent by one Mr. Miller ( cheers Neil !) which had the below purcheses in it -

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I used Nannys soft shaving soap and had my first straight shave after my shower. Things went really well for my maiden voyage, the razor seemed to have a great edge thanks again to Neil and only once seemed to pull but that was quickly rectified by changing my angle. The shave was nowhere near as close as I am used to with my Fusion but practice makes perfect i'm sure. Went the whole hog as things were going well and did my whole face, cheeks were great even with first time using my left hand for left cheek, the only problem areas are my neck as i couldn't figure out which way to hold the razor, what direction to run in etc etc but i'll get there. One thing I really liked is as i have a goatee thats trimmed in the middle i could get a really good edge to it, a bit awkward on the but on my chin between the side but all in all not too bad.

Generally a good intro to straight shaving and one that'll keep getting better, oh and no nicks either which is a bonus.

Justin.
 
Well done mate! It prob. willl be a couple of weeks before you´re close to what you´re used too, but it sounds like you got a steller start :cool: .
 
Nice gear, and sounds like a nice experience for you.

On the first picture, is that a slice of bacon on the left? Has Neil spurned the hanging hair test for the 'Bacon Slicer' test? :D

Ian
 
That's great news - well done Justin!

IanM said:
Nice gear, and sounds like a nice experience for you.

On the first picture, is that a slice of bacon on the left? Has Neil spurned the hanging hair test for the 'Bacon Slicer' test? :D

Ian
Click to expand...

Ian - the Hanging Meat Test (HMT) tells you which side to dress the blade on...

Regards,
Neil
 
Justin,

Welcome to the club.

When I first started out I held off on hones but I knew after exhaustive research I would eventually get them and I did ( Norton starter set-CLICK off Amazon-price jumped from $115 to $180 ). I started by shaving just sideburns and finished up with my dying electric shaver-Ni-CD was old as hell.

Stropping-I practiced daily not just SOTD. I simulated it with newspaper and butterknife. Truth be told you can use newspaper and old pair of jeans to strop. Same can be said with the knife on book ( honing ).
Some may say these are overkill but preparation should be large part of shaving. You can have the best razor or brush or even soaps for that matter but if your preparation is lacking the tools aren't to blame but yourself.

Maintenance-it's best to take your time. I know there are ample videos out there. Don't mind the speed rate they go because over time speed will come natural to you ( stropping ).

Face-map out your face. I don't know what you started with but that's important as well.

Several vintage blades are great and others have vouched them to be even better ( though subjective ) than ones today. You wouldn't want to roll your razor on the strop because you would run risk of damaging the bevel and to rectify that you need to hone it or send it out for honing if damage was severe.

Patience is important as well. It's like going to gym and hoping a 6-pack overnight when you only work out once a week. Not gonna happen sir.

As far as the neck is concerned it's a bit tricky. Everyone hair grows different directions and such. Just have to find away to stretch ( very important ) your skin in such a way so hair is standing/bit elevated. From there you can take the SR and slice away. There are many ways to hold a straight. The way I hold mine is index and middle finger on shank while thumb underneath it, ring finger on monkey tail. Look HERE. Second picture of straight razor that's one of ways I hold mine and adjust accordingly when needed.

May you have many more shaving success!
 
Thanks for the tips, I understand what you mean about the pics, hadn't realised before but there is a touch of S & M about the photo :shock: although not my photo, it is one courtesy of Neil Miller :eek:
 
mifty12 said:
Thanks for the tips, I understand what you mean about the pics, hadn't realised before but there is a touch of S & M about the photo :shock: although not my photo, it is one courtesy of Neil Miller :eek:
Click to expand...

Yes, exactly, it´s Neils photo and it´s kinky :lol:
 
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