New to SR

[Ozz]

So I am new to using a streight edge razor & have some questions.

How long did it take you to get used to using the razor properly, specifically being able to shave around your throat, chin and around your lips?

Had two attempts and not carved my face up yet, but the shave isn't as close as my old blades gave just yet, just looking to figure out how long most people take to figure things out suitably.

I have also bought a whet stone for honing the razor, as answers from Google seems to be non to fussy, but here it seems to be more specific, is a normal whet stone suitable or should I be getting something more specific?

Thank you for your help.

 

[Luecke2326]

First, welcome to the party and we look forward to hearing about your adventures here on the SR foum!
To your first question; I seemed to be fairly ok with shaving around my throat, chin and lips within the first week or so, but I did give myself quite a few little nicks around the corners of my mouth and below my nostrils up until shave 100 or so. I decided to fight through the fact that I had not talent for shaving with a straight and ended up becoming very proficient.
Your second question was answered by my first comment, around 100 shaves is where most people feel their skill is up to a very competent level.
I'm not sure I understand your third question about hones. Can you share a picture or a link to the hone you bought?
Best wishes
Matt

 

[Ozz]

I just bought a generic sharpening stone advertised as for knives and the like, picture of what I bought should be attached.

 

[ScottChapin]

I just finished shave 20 this weekend and get a fairly quick DFS. I was starting weekend shaves with a single pass and finishing with DE since the first of the year, until about 10 weekends ago when I started using only my straights on weekends.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Clay S]

So I am new to using a streight edge razor & have some questions.

How long did it take you to get used to using the razor properly, specifically being able to shave around your throat, chin and around your lips?

Had two attempts and not carved my face up yet, but the shave isn't as close as my old blades gave just yet, just looking to figure out how long most people take to figure things out suitably.

I have also bought a whet stone for honing the razor, as answers from Google seems to be non to fussy, but here it seems to be more specific, is a normal whet stone suitable or should I be getting something more specific?

Thank you for your help.

Stones are Stones, they don't care what you are using on them.
Stones are Different, you need different "grit" levels for different stages of honing.

Stones for razors need to be lapped before use, which means making them flat, flatter than they come from the store. The honing sub-forum has a sticky with links to the steps for lapping/honing.

 

[steveclarkus]

View attachment 936352
First, welcome to the party and we look forward to hearing about your adventures here on the SR foum!
To your first question; I seemed to be fairly ok with shaving around my throat, chin and lips within the first week or so, but I did give myself quite a few little nicks around the corners of my mouth and below my nostrils up until shave 100 or so. I decided to fight through the fact that I had not talent for shaving with a straight and ended up becoming very proficient.
Your second question was answered by my first comment, around 100 shaves is where most people feel their skill is up to a very competent level.
I'm not sure I understand your third question about hones. Can you share a picture or a link to the hone you bought?
Best wishes
Matt

+1

 

[steveclarkus]

Newbie Honing Compendium

 

[bluesman 7]

The stone shown is much too coarse for razor maintenance. The 800 side could possibly be useful for the very beginning stage of setting the bevel on a razor that needed that amount of work.

 

[FedFire]

Welcome from another new guy. I still am learning but find skin stretching the skin on my throat from one side to another is a way to get the Adams Apple. Someone on here had me follow the septum of my nose down to my lip for shaving upper lip and it worked. I just make sure my skin is tight and I take my time. As far as honing goes I cannot help sorry. I haven't tried yet.

 

[Dick peck]

It took me at least three months to really think I was pretty good with a straight . A few months later I realized I wasn't very good at three months. It evolves and improves with time. The stone will have it's place but you will need a finer stone for maintenance. I would suggest a welsh slate for maintenance. That would mean the razor would have to have been honed properly in the beginning. The welsh is not outrageous expensive and it leaves a nice edge. There are many variables in shaving with a straight razor. Honing has variables on top of variables with magic that must be learned. The method is popular and it works. Good luck

 

[PerpetualWonderer]

Welcome Ozz!

My trouble areas are my upper lip and chin. It took me maybe two weeks or so to even be able to do the downward stroke on my upper lip. After that, I still occasionally got/get small nicks on my upper lip. I think they come from not holding the skin tight enough and the skin moves when the razor hits some thicker hairs.

I don't think I really got my chin really close until around shave #100. Part of it has to do with the keenness of the blade. I need at least 12k Naniwa / 1 um lapping film - sharp blade to do a reasonable job. Otherwise, I have to do many passes which ultimately end in irritation and a weeper or two. Once I settled on the 1 um film-level blade around shave #60 (and later 12k which is pretty close to 1 um), things got better as I find this level of keeness to be sharp enough to cut well but not so sharp that I am afraid to experiment with the blade (angles, pressure, etc.). I can do one WTG pass and two XTG passes on my chin and get it pretty much as close as the rest of my face. I tend to steepen the angle on the third pass on my chin - that really helps as my hairs around my chin lay flat and are thick.

Back to my upper lip, I can get an acceptable shave but it is still isn't as close as I'd like partly because anything more than two passes results in irritation. Still a work in progress...

Regarding stones, my first purchase was a set of four different grit lapping films. They really work well and are cheap. I then played with pastes a little. Man you can create some sharp edges with pastes. I then played with a coticule for a bit but I still can't get the keenness that I need. My latest purchase for honing was two Naniwa super stones (8k and 12k). They are pretty awesome and 12k is enough for me as a finisher, at least for now.

Happy holidays to you!