Singed up!

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New to forum but at 55yrs of age NOT new to shaving!.....That said new to different types of shaving and have finally progressed from cartridge razors, used from the first bum fluff shave and throughout most my adult life!?! Then for the last 10yrs I made the transition to DE, mainly because I was fed up with the extortionate increase in the price of cartridge blades!?! My weapon of choice was/is an IKON open comb. But back in 2020 I decided to finally take the plunge an go for a STRAIGHT RAZOR as this has ways been on my bucket list to do/learn from an early age of watching old western and other old movies. It always struck me as the ultimate man's skill, so having looked into the tools that would be required I decided foolishly or otherwise that at my age i cannot afford to chop and change/progress /upgrade every few years plus I am a great believer in getting the best you can afford!?! Having saved my pennies and done some homework I firstly invested in an Alex Westholme STROP (managed to catch him at the right time and had first pick), then saved some more, ok a lot more pennies and ordered a Thiers Issard Singing Hollow Rams Horn 6/8" Straight Razor, which arrived just in time for Christmas this year!
So begins a new chapter in my shaving life of experiences!?! Things pretty much started as I expected BLOOD, SWEAT and Tears oh and more BLOOD but hey-ho wants a pretty face!?! But can never wait to have another go and each time it gets a little better and a little less claret, to me it's part of the fun of learning a new skill!!! The only down side is having to wait 3 or 4 days for a good nick to heal before you can put a blade over it again.
What ever happens now I can go to my maker satisfied that I HAVE shaved with a STRAIGHT RAZOR! Now I just have to perfect it and that's down to time , technique and practice.
Well that's my intro, regards all, Andy
 
Welcome :)

It's a great way to shave. Nothing is quite as satisfying as mowing down a week-old beard with a straight.

I never EVER pick up a straight if I'm in a hurry though. That's a recipe for disaster. Always bring your A game to a naked edge.

If you haven't already figured out skin-stretching, you'll find several vids on youtube. It's amazing how far you can shave around the jawline just by pulling up the skin ;)
 
Robin Williams Hello GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
 
Thanks for the welcome guys and @mcgruff I'm getting to that age where I need to stretch my skin just to find my eyes!?! But as you say I have watched a number of videos on YouTube, which have been informative in one way or another. Sadly when I was a child the straight razor had all but died out so never saw my father use one. I remember him having a brass DE and also remember him changing to a NEW modern WILKINSON thing black handle upto a chrome blade holder thing, even my grandad was using a DE by this time. So YouTube fills a good void!. That said I appreciate you still have to do some figuring out and find what works for you. Besides I always thought my left ear was in the wrong place
 
Welcome from me too! My dad was a crap role model in many ways, but not least for using a Braun electric foil razor, which he at some point gave me when he grew a beard. I never liked it and went down the cartridge route. I got into straight razors during the Lockdown on the basis my boss was killing me in my own living room and with nowhere to go I needed to do something for me that I'd often fancied, that would mean learning a new skill, looking after myself, getting some sensory pleasure and having focus on something other than work. There is nothing like a razor to the throat that says "focus!"
Since finding this motley crew I have about 5 straights, 2 strops, a Welsh slate, diamond spray, balsa, 2 DEs, an Altoids tin full of blades, 5 brushes and a whole shelf of soaps, creams and splashes. All of which counts as "a small selection" by TSR standards, so join in and hang on to your wallet!
 
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