Free Straight and Strop for Newbs

[temjeito]

PIF will run until September 1

I was going to do this in honor of my 100th straight shave, but I couldn't wait.

I'm giving away a 4/8 straight razor (Krusius Bros. KB Extra 25), shave ready to my standards, and a Whipped Dog Poor Man's strop.


Make sure to read the rules after the pics.


Here are the eligibility requirements:

1. You must not currently own a straight razor or a strop.
2. You must be new to straight razor shaving, or coming back to it after a very long (years) absence.
3. Shavettes and kamisori don't count as straights for purposes of 1 or 2 above.

If you meet the eligibility requirements above, here is what you need to do:

1. Read as many of the shave journals in this subforum as you can.
2. Once you've read a bunch, come back here and post one thing you learned from each journal you read. Make sure you identify whose journal it is, and if you a savvy like that, go ahead and provide a link to the posts you reference, so others can easily find them (links are totally optional). Feel free to come back and update your entry as you read more journals.
3. In order to be eligible, your entry must include at least one thing you learned from at least three separate journals.
4. Limit one post/entry per person. BUT, see rule 5.
5. Contributors with eligible posts will get two entries into the random drawing. Active duty military or veterans with eligible posts will get three entries. If you a contributor and military, you get four total entries. This will be determined exclusively by the badge(s) under your name at the time the PIF is closed.

I will keep this PIF open at least until I post my 75th shave in my journal, but may decide to keep it open longer. I will post to this thread when I am closing the PIF. Once the PIF is closed, I will randomly select one winner from among the eligible entries, and send them the goodies.

IF YOU WIN, YOU AGREE NOT TO SELL THE RAZOR OR STROP. IF YOU SHOULD DECIDE YOU NO LONGER WANT THEM, YOU MUST PIF THEM TO SOMEONE NEW TO STRAIGHT SHAVING.

Rules are subject to change at any time, for any reason.

 

[Obiwan]

Bravo, great PIF!

 

[Attila]

Very generous. Hats off to you for doing this!

 

[Mr Bob]

Very nice PIF for someone to try their hand at straights. The razor photo's are awesome

 

[davizera]

I really want to join this PIF but I'm so afraid of using a crazy sharp steel bar as my daily shaver. I've seen your video, temjeito (BTW do you know what your nick means in Portuguese? temjeito = there's a way) and I'm amaze how people can do it so easily.
I've seen some from geofatboy and he makes it seem like a 2 year old could do it, and I think that with my coordination I'd never be able to do it.
Amazing PIF!!!

 

[temjeito]

I really want to join this PIF but I'm so afraid of using a crazy sharp steel bar as my daily shaver. I've seen your video, temjeito (BTW do you know what your nick means in Portuguese? temjeito = there's a way) and I'm amaze how people can do it so easily.
I've seen some from geofatboy and he makes it seem like a 2 year old could do it, and I think that with my coordination I'd never be able to do it.
Amazing PIF!!!

I felt the same way as you did. And, I am one of the least coordinated people in the world. Then, this very razor fell into my hands, and I knew I had to try it. It is not as scary as it seems once you actually do it. You are in control, and as long as you respect the razor, you'll be fine. Your first few shaves probably won't be great, but you'll soon learn to wield the razor with confidence. Read the journals--you'll see!

Edit: yes, I know what tem jeito means. In a former life I played a lot of capoeira, and my Portuguese got pretty good.

 

[jrp316]

I really want to join this PIF but I'm so afraid of using a crazy sharp steel bar as my daily shaver. I've seen your video, temjeito (BTW do you know what your nick means in Portuguese? temjeito = there's a way) and I'm amaze how people can do it so easily.
I've seen some from geofatboy and he makes it seem like a 2 year old could do it, and I think that with my coordination I'd never be able to do it.
Amazing PIF!!!

Fear not the sharp blade. You're more likely to nick yourself with a duller blade than a sharp blade. Get in on this...do it...do it...do it...

 

[davizera]

Okay guys, I'll enter this PIF. You guys have convinced me

temjeito, the coordination part was the crucial one. Eu acho difícil alguém ser mais descordenado do que eu (to those non pt speakers, I think that it's really difficult that a person would be more uncoordinated than me). I'll read the journals and post what I've learned. Again, great PIF.

jrp316, you're completely right, the duller the bigger the chance of nicks. I'm in this PIF.

Wait for my posts in the following days!!!

 

[Slash McCoy]

What? No brush, mug, and puck of VDH? I guess the gecko doesn't come with it?

Seriously, nice PIF. I like the razor. You are spreading the love early in your straight shaving odyssey. Good for you! That kit is gonna get somebody started out right.

 

[temjeito]

What? No brush, mug, and puck of VDH? I guess the gecko doesn't come with it?

Seriously, nice PIF. I like the razor. You are spreading the love early in your straight shaving odyssey. Good for you! That kit is gonna get somebody started out right.

Who knows what might get added before the box goes out? But the gecko stays.

 

[Jasman]

That's one very generous PIF, temjeito.

 

[Doc226]

Awesome PIF.

 

[AndroiDad75]

temjeito,

Very cool PIF. This is definitely going to help someone new/interested in SR shaving. Very kind of you.

 

[Mbuckwash]

I am definitely in! My posts will be soon to follow!

 

[WVUfanMG]

I'm in and will be posting what I learned very soon. I did have a follow up question: Do contributors etc. automatically get two entries, or do we need to post twice with different tidbits from at least 6 different journals?

 

[temjeito]

I'm in and will be posting what I learned very soon. I did have a follow up question: Do contributors etc. automatically get two entries, or do we need to post twice with different tidbits from at least 6 different journals?

It's automatic. Each person who posts IN THIS THREAD things they learned from t least three different journals (whether in a single post, or two or three or whatever), will be entered. Default is one entry, but contribs automatically get one extra and military get two extra. Make sense?

EDIT: PROTIP: as noted in the rules, the extra entries will be tallied at the time the PIF closes, so if you want to up your chances of winning, just buy a contributors badge before the PIF closes.

 

[ClintO]

I currently have a straight razor that is not in shave condition and I have been researching how to restore it. It was handed down to me from my grandfather and he got it from his great uncle(making it from my great great great uncle I believe.) I've never actually tried shaving with a straight razor before and I've only been using a safety razor for a couple months. I've been interested but haven't made the leap yet. If I still qualify for entering, I'd love to be in.

Things I've learned so far about restoring(I don't recall what came from what threads) are sand from spine to edge, not long way because the marks are less noticeable. If the hole where the pin goes is a little big, you can fill it with epoxy, let it harden, then drill a regular hole so you don't have to drill a big one. Everyone makes scales seem so easy to make but I've already failed three times and decided to take a break and revisit in a couple months. Or pay someone to do it.


Reading from Shave_rat's journal, it seems perfectly normal to throw in the towel if it isn't feeling right. Knowing when to stop can be crucial in not tearing up your face. And don't sing while you shave.

DirtDiver was a particularly interesting journal read because there were a number of other members going on and giving him advice. Keeping the spine close to your face and stretching your skin the best you can while shaving. I get the stretching your skin part but I didn't realize the angle for holding the blade was so close to your face. Also the trick with the diamond paste on balsa wood to keep the razor's edge is brilliant and not too expensive. One of my hindrances in going into straight shaving is the idea of the initial investment. It seems much bigger than I thought DEs would be and DEs seemed cheap and ended up costing a fortune(I have a problem. A common one it would seem around here.) He iterates how much attention you need to give your shave and holding on to the razor at all times.

tkocloser's journal intrigued me because in the title he says DE shaver goes straight. I know this is how a lot of people start but it caught my eye. The feeling I get from his journal is that once you get comfortable holding a straight and more used to it, the easier the shave will be. Also, don't rush into XTG passes with the straight. It looks like he waited until shave #17 to try xtg with his straight and then shave #20 for his first atg pass. I think that's going to be my issue as I tend to get overly confident in my abilities. It also sounds like stropping is not nearly as easy as it looks.

I foresee a great deal of bloodshed but I'm excited about it.

 

[dimbulb71]

I would really like to try this so here's my entry.
#1 thing I learned is "Respect, Reduction and Relather, or at least wetter lather"
Thanks for the chance!

 

[temjeito]

I would really like to try this so here's my entry.
#1 thing I learned is "Respect, Reduction and Relather, or at least wetter lather"
Thanks for the chance!

Don't forget -- you need to have posted at least three things by the time the PIF closes, and tell us whose journal you got them from.

 

[WVUfanMG]

Ok...I've been doing my homework, and after reading several shave journals (Rockviper's, catherix, temjeito, etc.) Here are my three things, or at least some things I learned:
#1 It seems that almost everyone has a backslide in terms of shave quality at some point. For a couple folks (you and I believe Bird_flu), it was right around shave 6-8, which may be when the razor is starting to feel more familiar in the hand. As I learned with DE shaving, the second you get complacent or overconfident, you forget that you're using a very sharp instrument, and it's a recipe for disaster.
#2 Stropping and honing are extremely vital skills to develop for successful straight shaves. catherix had a great link to an old Japanese reference manual for honing and stropping that I will be looking into further once I acquire a straight razor. I'm not sure if I will be honing for quite some time, since I may not have the free time to learn the skill right away, but it's definitely something I'm interested in doing at some point.
#3 Blade angle and skin stretching are probably even more important here than in DE shaving. (From a combination of all the journals and the Chimensch video). I don't usually need to do a lot of skin stretching with a DE razor, mainly in the trouble spots only. However, it seems as though it is a crucial step in straight shaving. I've been practicing skin stretching like in chimensch's video while DE shaving, and with a little alum it seems pretty straight forward. I think the biggest challenge for any new straight shave is to keep the angle of the blade correct while paying attention to the entire length of the blade.

I'm going to add a fourth thing here, but it's more an observation than anything: There is so much to learn about straight shaving, that it may be weeks before I'm ready to jump in. I did about a week's worth of research etc. before picking up a DE and I think it will be twice as long for straights. There's just so much less room for error with that long edge, it's not worth risking a slice on the face if you're not ready for it.

That being said, I'm really looking forward to my first straight razor, and hope it ends up being this one!