2nd time trying.

[Orca]

Have an old 5/8 razor (William Landell, Hamburg Ring) that I got back in shaving condition. Took hours on the edge alone and made a new handle.
Have not yet completed a shave with it. New to this type of shaving. Part way through I retreat to my Edwin Jagger. Have others done this, before you used the straight for the entire shave? Had only one weeper the first time which wasn't so bad. I have only gone back to DE shaving about 6 months ago after many,many years with cartridge. Now being retired I enjoy getting that barber shop shave. Certain areas are not yet in my comfort zone. I also read to do one area with cream so the rest of the face doesn't dry out. I was doing the whole face. One section at a time makes sense due to my current speed which is very slow. Still also working on the right angle.
Cheers

 

[BladeRunner001]

Have an old 5/8 razor (William Landell, Hamburg Ring) that I got back in shaving condition. Took hours on the edge alone and made a new handle.
Have not yet completed a shave with it. New to this type of shaving. Part way through I retreat to my Edwin Jagger. Have others done this, before you used the straight for the entire shave? Had only one weeper the first time which wasn't so bad. I have only gone back to DE shaving about 6 months ago after many,many years with cartridge. Now being retired I enjoy getting that barber shop shave. Certain areas are not yet in my comfort zone. I also read to do one area with cream so the rest of the face doesn't dry out. I was doing the whole face. One section at a time makes sense due to my current speed which is very slow. Still also working on the right angle.
Cheers

When I switched from DE to str8, I deliberately stored away my DE so I wouldn't reach for them when the going got tough...for me, that paid off and shortened my time to learning to shave with a str8.

I also lathered my whole face rather than sections at a time...part of what works for you has to be determined by you...everything else you read are guidelines...nothing more. Your personality will partly dictate how you wish to learn; i.e., jump with both feet or dabble here and there before starting.

As you have figured out by now, you will not get a perfect shave for the first few shaves...they will be rough and you will have bleeders and weepers...nothing life threatening though.

My advice: keep at it and don;t be afraid to experiment with what works for YOU...use the info and advice as guidelines. However, in achieving the "perfect" shave, there are two principles that are non-negotiable:

1. Angle
2. Pressure

learn these well and your learning will be all that much easier and fun.

Hang in there and have fun...whatever you do, don't quit or be discouraged

 

[natchez]

Welcome to straights! Sounds like you are being prudent, which is wise with a blade

When I started I just went for the whole face at once, but with a very light touch- no real patience for waiting. I bled a bit for my choice. It seems the part of the face approach is prudent.

As to lather drying out, if you are slow, sure it may. I use Shave Secret as a pre-shave and use a wetter than DE lather; seems to work. Good luck; keep it up and let us know how you are doing and your progress.

 

[Luc]

Good that you are giving this another try. I would recommend this page: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Getting_started_wetshaving

It should give you an idea on your next shave. I lather my whole face when I shave. If you use enough product, it won't disappear.

The straight that you are using might need to be honed. I would recommend sending it to a honemeister: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Honemeister

 

[johnmrson]

My first attempt was a failure and I went back to DE's for a little while but I figured it was something I needed to do so I changed to a different straight and I haven't looked back since.

 

[hmbbone]

I just started a couple weeks ago but used a DE to finish up whenever necessary. This allowed me to shave with the straight every day and become more comfortable with it while still looking presentable for work. Had I not done this, I probably would have only used the straight on the weekends and it would take me much longer to learn. I can now get a presentable shave with just the straight (no DFS or BBS yet) so I haven't touched up in a while so this has worked well for me. As always, YMMV and good luck.