First blood!!

[Cahoots]

Second shave with my SR. Started early being a work morning so I could take my time and not be rushed. Got all my prep done, stropped and ready to go. First cheek goes well and then starts off with a pretty decent, long edged nick just under the back of the jaw line. Ok, learning curve, I can live with that. Finish the first pass WTG reasonably well and move on to the second WTG. Working my way through my chin and POW!! A cut? Definitely. A slice of flesh even. Bleed like I'd been in a knife fight, even a styptic pencil wouldn't slow it down, need quick clot or something!! I was glad my wife was taking the kids to school not to see it or I'm sure she'd have been calling the ambulance.

Honestly I can live with the cut but I have to wonder how many learning curve scars my mug can handle. I'm not anything to write home about but I don't want to end up looking like Edward Scissorhands for my new found hobby.

All that said... I see the allure... even as bad as that shave was with two passes WTG, in the places I got it right it was definitely superior to what I would have gotten WTG only with my DE. Still felt like I was fighting with the scales, worst up near the side burn, mostly a visual thing and them getting in the way of my sight.

Back to the DE for a few days to give my chin time to recover but I'll not quit!!!

Thanks, just had to vent a bit.

C.

Oh - edit to add - today is the first day of the pandemic that I'm glad wearing a mask doesn't make me look out of place!! At least I don't have to explain the war wound on my chin!!! LOL

 

[ScottChapin]

That’s kind of to be expected. Ultimately, I hold the spine closer to the face with a very shallow angle. The pressures should be just enough to scrape the lather off of your face.

You can use a slightly steeper angle as you become accustomed to it. I got really better when I shaved ATG on my neck from bottom up. That gave me taught skin and a longer run. Soon I saw that laying the blade down on my skin, almost as like honing on a stone, things got better.

After mastering ATG on the neck, going XTG on my mandibles improved immeasurably.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eastcoast30]

When using DEs and cartridge razors, we have a tendency to "dig in". With str8ts, you need to gently glide with minimal to no pressure. And you need to stretch the skin so it does not fold and present a "target' to the blade. You won't cut yourself if you glide gently. Increase the angle, but don't increase the pressure.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Getting cut is never fun to be sure. It can put a damper on an otherwise decent SR shave that was going well and unnerve you. Glad to hear you plan to stick with it. Be patient but persistent and it will pay off. Good luck!

 

[Luecke2326]

You’ve got this, it happens to us all, plus chicks dig scars! Keep with it!

 

[camoloc]

Second shave with my SR. Started early being a work morning so I could take my time and not be rushed. Got all my prep done, stropped and ready to go. First cheek goes well and then starts off with a pretty decent, long edged nick just under the back of the jaw line. Ok, learning curve, I can live with that. Finish the first pass WTG reasonably well and move on to the second WTG. Working my way through my chin and POW!! A cut? Definitely. A slice of flesh even. Bleed like I'd been in a knife fight, even a styptic pencil wouldn't slow it down, need quick clot or something!! I was glad my wife was taking the kids to school not to see it or I'm sure she'd have been calling the ambulance.

Honestly I can live with the cut but I have to wonder how many learning curve scars my mug can handle. I'm not anything to write home about but I don't want to end up looking like Edward Scissorhands for my new found hobby.

All that said... I see the allure... even as bad as that shave was with two passes WTG, in the places I got it right it was definitely superior to what I would have gotten WTG only with my DE. Still felt like I was fighting with the scales, worst up near the side burn, mostly a visual thing and them getting in the way of my sight.

Back to the DE for a few days to give my chin time to recover but I'll not quit!!!

Thanks, just had to vent a bit.

C.

Oh - edit to add - today is the first day of the pandemic that I'm glad wearing a mask doesn't make me look out of place!! At least I don't have to explain the war wound on my chin!!! LOL

hang in there. it gets tons better as you gain experience points!!!!!

some thing become second nature after a while.

camo

 

[Slash McCoy]

Second shave with my SR. Started early being a work morning so I could take my time and not be rushed. Got all my prep done, stropped and ready to go. First cheek goes well and then starts off with a pretty decent, long edged nick just under the back of the jaw line. Ok, learning curve, I can live with that. Finish the first pass WTG reasonably well and move on to the second WTG. Working my way through my chin and POW!! A cut? Definitely. A slice of flesh even. Bleed like I'd been in a knife fight, even a styptic pencil wouldn't slow it down, need quick clot or something!! I was glad my wife was taking the kids to school not to see it or I'm sure she'd have been calling the ambulance.

Honestly I can live with the cut but I have to wonder how many learning curve scars my mug can handle. I'm not anything to write home about but I don't want to end up looking like Edward Scissorhands for my new found hobby.

All that said... I see the allure... even as bad as that shave was with two passes WTG, in the places I got it right it was definitely superior to what I would have gotten WTG only with my DE. Still felt like I was fighting with the scales, worst up near the side burn, mostly a visual thing and them getting in the way of my sight.

Back to the DE for a few days to give my chin time to recover but I'll not quit!!!

Thanks, just had to vent a bit.

C.

Oh - edit to add - today is the first day of the pandemic that I'm glad wearing a mask doesn't make me look out of place!! At least I don't have to explain the war wound on my chin!!! LOL

A sharp razor will do that if your angle is too high, pressure on the face too heavy, or skin not stretched tightly enough. You'll do fine once you get your parameters dialed in. Most new straight shavers shed some blood. A rite of passage.

 

[McBlade]

How did you cut yourself:

(a) a clumsy moment when the blade hit the skin when you didn't mean to

(b) a deliberate shaving movement which didn't work out

I think the solution for either is to leave the chin & mouth area alone for now. Just shave the easy bits like the cheeks. Maybe the neck (throw your head back to stretch the skin) and round the jawliine (pull the skin up so you don't actually have to shave around the jaw bone).

Leave the hard bits until you learn some care & discipline in handling a sharp edge. It doesn't take too long to get a feel for how a sharp edge can glide easily across your skin (or not...). Gentle pressure, stretch the skin and feel what the edge is doing.

To learn a new motor skill you must become a Zen master All of your concentration & focus while simultaneously being completely relaxed.

 

[Contact_vs_Feedback]

When I first started with half DE blade shavette, I too got a lot of accidental cuts, nick and weepers.
I too paid in blood, sweat and tears previously.
It helped me improve my understanding of the razor and my limits.

FYI, I got a very nice cut adjacent to my upper lip and it has turned into a scar, I think it adds Character to my face.

Now, when I've started with the Feather Kamisori style Single Edge razor, my previous experience and mis-adventures are paying off.

Using the Feather Kamisori is smooth sailing, and now it is a pleasure and privilege to use Straight Razor.

I recommend that you keep a journal, however short the entries may be.

It'll help you note down the minute observation, and in the long run it'll be a pleasure to read how far you have come.

Good luck with your Straight razor journey.

 

[Cahoots]

I think it was more of a clumsy moment... the issue I'm having with the scales and getting the blade lined up right are flustering me which in turn is making me want move quick... bad bad bad I know and I paid the price today. I need a 'blue' SE to practice with lol. I will say that I'm trying to do this all with my righthand. My left is so useless I can't even get the blade oriented correctly with it, let alone get angle, pressure and stroke right.

I did go out and buy a fresh styptic pencil this morning...

Thanks for all the input and support!!!

 

[kohalajohn]

Cahoots, don't blame yourself. It's decades of muscle memory from carts. The idea behind carts is that the edge is tucked so far back inside the clamshell that you can't possible nick yourself. You don't need skill.

But to get a close shave, we eventually push hard and use a steep angle.

And that's fine for carts, but moving to an exposed edge, you, as you know, need light pressure and a very flat angle.

Easy to say, but decades of muscle memory takes time to overwrite. At the outset, we unfortunately use cart technique with a straight. Bad.

When I was learning, I unfortunately tried a lot of shavettes. Even more cutty for a beginner. I got so sick of it I actually went back to DE for months.

But eventually I tried straights again. And as my technique was finally improving, I no longer nicked myself.

Now, I think my muscle memory is all consistent with straights, and I am very glad I kept trying.

Tight skin, super light pressure and a flat angle.

 

[Biltong & Boerewors]

Somewhere I read a remark that stuck with me and made me think.

The writer said that as soon as you stop the blade on your skin it will cut you.

Can this be right? How? Why?

Thought about it for a while, and I have concluded he was right. Sub-consciously you learn that one of the mistakes you make when starting out is to carefully place the blade where you want to start, and then start your stroke. Slightly too much pressure, and it will bite you every time. My logic orientated brain says it may have something to do with the fact that when you rest the edge on your face, it displaces the buffering layer of lather, but when the edge is in motion it planes on the thin film protecting your skin. Anyway right or wrong explanation, that's what experience has taught me. You soon learn to start the stroke before you touch your skin. In simple terms "hit the skin in motion".

The next thing you will learn is cat-like reflexes to stop when you feel any tugging. When you feel a slight sting, it is too late.

Pain and blood are good teachers!

 

[Tomo]

Be careful. Razors are sharp!

 

[mr_houston]

You’re doing fine.

I bled a lot learning, but can’t say I have any scars. The weird ones are the lines of blood that just show up, when you had no idea that you’d cut yourself.

What razor are you using, any pictures?

 

[Kyle89]

It happens, that's just part of it. Luckily haven't had any really bad cuts so far. Even happens to experienced shavers though once in a while. To me, that's the fun of it.

 

[Eben Stone]

Somewhere I read a remark that stuck with me and made me think.

The writer said that as soon as you stop the blade on your skin it will cut you.

Can this be right? How? Why?

Thought about it for a while, and I have concluded he was right. Sub-consciously you learn that one of the mistakes you make when starting out is to carefully place the blade where you want to start, and then start your stroke. Slightly too much pressure, and it will bite you every time. My logic orientated brain says it may have something to do with the fact that when you rest the edge on your face, it displaces the buffering layer of lather, but when the edge is in motion it planes on the thin film protecting your skin. Anyway right or wrong explanation, that's what experience has taught me. You soon learn to start the stroke before you touch your skin. In simple terms "hit the skin in motion".

The next thing you will learn is cat-like reflexes to stop when you feel any tugging. When you feel a slight sting, it is too late.

Pain and blood are good teachers!

^^ this is quite possibly the most useful advice I've read on this entire site. Thanks

 

[Lefonque]

Don’t catch falling razors.

 

[Jasper J.]

At the end of each short stroke, I keep the blade away from the skin.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Like @Slash McCoy said, think of it as a rite of passage. Be careful but not obsessive compulsive careful. Next time, just try to remove the soap from your face. You will be amazed at how much hair is removed.

 

[Cleanface]

Yes. I know only too well myself.