8 weeks on ... newbies take heart!

[drifwood]

Hi,

Yeah, it's about 8 weeks since my Dovo arrived in the mail and I started straight razor shaving - and sharpening.

Is it getting any easier? Oh yes - my chin and upper lip no longer glow like the Red Badge of Courage after shaving. I look forward to the shot of witch hazel at the end. It merely tingles now, rather than feeling like flaming kerosene on my tortured neck.

I went against the general wisdom of the forum and decided to take on my own sharpening from day 1. (As an experienced cabinetmaker, I just balked at the thought of relying on anyone else to sharpen a tool for me.) Did this make my progress slower and more painful? You betcha! Did I get myself an education in razor sharpening along the way - absolutely. To me, it was worth the effort in order for me to "own" the whole process. But I'm not recommending it to the world in general.

I shook down most of the antique shop owners in about a 50 mile radius for "meat" for my sharpening experiments. I even got a couple of freebies After destroying the factory edge on my Dovo on Day 1, I couldn't bear abusing it again.

My No.1 for the last several weeks has been a Robeson Suredge that I had to grind the point back on (3/8 or so) because of a chip. Having a slightly shorter blade was no handicap - it makes shaving my neck a little easier, in fact.

Milestones:

1 Kyle's prep. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I never realised the importance of getting those whiskers standing on end and well hydrated. Don't skimp on your prep. This was probably 2 full steps up the ladder for me.

2. Uberlather. I started off using a very nice shaving non-lathering shaving cream. It's a great product, but it was never intended to sit on the skin for the time it takes a str8 razor noob to shave his entire face. Now it features in the wonderful lather I make with Proraso Soap and glycerin. I have oodles of nice cushiony lather and it keeps my skin hydrated much longer.

3. A more relaxed grip. From an old shaving manual, I saw a modified grip where the thumb rests on the back side of the blade for most of the strokes. This gave me greater edge control and more confidence once I got used to it.

(to be continued)

 

[drifwood]

Other Milestones:

4. A truly sharp razor. Are my razors as keenly sharpened as those done by folks who have done hundreds or thousands of razors? Doubtful, but I've arrived at a point where drag does not prevent me from executing just about any stroke I attempt. (Too long to go into the entire progression, but the final honing - and touch up - take place on micro abrasive sheets fixed to a good flat wood surface - 5 micron followed by .5 micron.)

5. A feather touch. This grew out of the modified grip, and the improved level of sharpness. Somebody on here described the act of straight razor as being like stroking your cheek with a feather. Well, I'm getting this feeling more often all the time now. The razor moves, the lather disappears, and the whiskers go along with it. This doesn't mean BBS on a single pass, but it means a smoothness that will allow you to make multiple passes without butchering the epidermis.

6. Having a clear plan for every part of my face. Get to know the territory! Don't confuse WTG and XTG with north/south or east/west. Only by getting truly familiar with the way your whiskers grow, and by having a plan for each zone on your face will you get a really consistent shave.

Why I'm writing this today. I can't claim BBS yet - and DFS does not yet extend to my upper lip(grrr!). But I've been checking the trickier zones off one at a time. It's like claiming one piece of territory after another by careful campaigning. I am calling BBS on my chin patch today!

Everything I've mentioned so far has gotten to the point where I could confidently make the required XTG scything strokes on the underside of my chin. Nobody could have convinced me to try this even a week ago. The comfort level was just not there.

Is there anything in his post that you won't find somewhere else in these forums? I don't think so - between the stickies and the general discussions, it's all been said.

I just wanted to check in at the 2 month point and give some others a glimpse at my particular path. Regardless of whether you sharpen or not, and regardless of whether you have the spiffiest Damascus razor in your hand - it takes some time to synthesize everything you need to take in.

I'm feeling pretty good about the progress I've made. I'm getting perfectly acceptable shaves in the eyes of the rest of the world. I'm looking forward to the day I can get all this, AND a smooth upper lip.

And if I do it all in 20 minutes or less, I'll be over the moon!

Thanks to all of those in the forum who have aided in my education, directly or indirectly. Many of my best teachers here are people who I've never had contact with. Those choice posts and tutorials have been an enormous help to me.

Cheers,
Ian

 

[gaj90027]

Thanks for sharing - agreed on all points except the uberlather - never tried anything like that yet.

 

[sanfranciscian]

from another Ian congrats, i am right behind you at seven weeks now and my hones should be here soon. glad to say i am also getting very similar results shaving and like yourself would not have believed it possible just a couple of weeks ago. today was about my 5th. shave with that feather touch you mentioned and i feel it is the biggest obstacle jumped yet. +1 for anyone just starting out, hang tough and you will be rewarded a lot sooner than you realize.

Ian