Ok... I've Done It...

[Chef455]

A bit of an impulse after some mulling over. I just picked up a Dovo straight, strop and a stone. I am about to peruse the beginner stickies, watch some videos, shower and give it a go. Any suggestions before I begin are greatly appreciated. Wish me luck if nothing else.

Cheers!

 

[sanookd]

A bit of an impulse after some mulling over. I just picked up a Dovo straight, strop and a stone. I am about to peruse the beginner stickies, watch some videos, shower and give it a go. Any suggestions before I begin are greatly appreciated. Wish me luck if nothing else.

Cheers!

Good luck. I can’t emphasize enough light pressure, slick lather (not so thick) and not too steep an angle. Just a spine width off you’re face. Just think you’re trying to remove the lather not the whiskers.
Take your time it’s not a race.

 

[Chef455]

Plenty of time. I think I'll be starting with my easy bits to get a feel and stop there today.

 

[sanookd]

Plenty of time. I think I'll be starting with my easy bits to get a feel and stop there today.

Start at your sideburns and go straight down and do each cheek. That’s a good send off point!

 

[Chef455]

Start at your sideburns and go straight down and do each cheek. That’s a good send off point!

Yep. That's what I did. Baby steps for me. A very timid beginning but no blood drawn. I'll be sticking to that until I am more comfortable with finding the correct angle. It's a start anyways.

 

[RumpleBearskin]

It's a start anyways.

It's a GREAT start! Congratulations! Getting that first SR shave under your belt is a real milestone.

 

[Straight up]

Chef455, well done you just made the biggest step. Are you a DE shaver? I understand that DE shaving involves skin stretching, using a brush and wet shave gear (I never have DE shaved) and that this is part of the battle won.

Persistence and practice are the requirements of straight shaving. You'll initially get some cuts, nicks, and so-so shaves, but once you gain the skill you'll wish you started years ago.

 

[rbscebu]

@Chef455, at last we can welcome you to the gentlemanly art of SR shaving! Congratulations.

In a month or two's time I expect that you will be wishing that you started this journey in your teens. Keep us informed on your progress and remember, chicks dig scares.

 

[Chef455]

Chef455, well done you just made the biggest step. Are you a DE shaver? I understand that DE shaving involves skin stretching, using a brush and wet shave gear (I never have DE shaved) and that this is part of the battle won.

Yes, I have been shaving with DE razors for almost a year and a half now.

 

[Straight up]

Yes, I have been shaving with DE razors for almost a year and a half now.

Then you are almost there!

 

[Frank Shaves]

First congrats on your excellent decision! There is a significant learning curve to using and maintaining a straight razor, so be patient, pay attention to your shaving fundamentals, ask questions, and try different things. I am now four months in and I experienced a real turning point at about the three-month mark. Like many others have said, stick with it and you will be rewarded.

When I say try different things, I really mean it! Today, while shaving a difficult to-get-to area, I tried pulling my skin in the opposite direction than I normally do and, voila, I was able to shave the area. A couple of weeks ago, @Doc226 said that when starting out he would do a first pass with his DE and then a second pass with his straight. Why didn't I think of that ?

 

[ajkel64]

Congratulations, you are a step ahead of me. One day I will give it a go.... one day.

 

[Tomo]

Welcome aboard. I joined this forum looking for the perfect shave. It wasn’t until I started with straights that I finally found it. Comfort and closeness are second to none.

My advise:

1. Make sure the razor is sharp. Should easily pass hanging hair and tree topping tests
2. Stretch the skin
3. Low angle. About a spines width
4. If it feels wrong or catches, stop and try something else
5. Practice using both hands. Feels weird at first. Pays dividends in the long run
6. Stop using your DE. Go all in and you will learn much faster.
7. Take your time
8. If the blade is on your face it should be moving
9. Always move the blade forwards. NEVER sideways.
10. Pay attention to lift the razor off your face before moving to a new location
11. Never try to catch a falling razor. Let it go and move all body parts that you want to keep out of the way fast.
12. Small strokes
13. Don’t get cocky or careless

After 10 shaves you will start to get hang of it. After 30 it will really start to click. After 50 you won’t want to use a DE anymore. After 100 you will have most of the tricks worked out. After that the thrill fades, zen begins and it just keeps getting better and better as you start to let autopilot take over.

 

[rbscebu]

@Chef455, something that is not often raised is that the sharper the blade the flatter the angle you should use. With my near Festher-sharp edges, I'm down to about ½ a spine thickness off the skin. Forget that 30° thing you hear on YouTube.

Another difference between DE shaving and SR shaving in that with DE shaving I would tend to increase the blade angle if I was experiencing difficulties. With SR shaving it's best to then decrease the angle.

 

[Slash McCoy]

A bit of an impulse after some mulling over. I just picked up a Dovo straight, strop and a stone. I am about to peruse the beginner stickies, watch some videos, shower and give it a go. Any suggestions before I begin are greatly appreciated. Wish me luck if nothing else.

Cheers!

A stone? <faint ringing of a distant alarm bell> Hope it is a stone that you will end up actually using. Congratulations and welcome to the manly way of shaving! Check your edge by this method:
Is My Razor Sharp? The Treetopping Test | Badger & Blade
If it isn't truly shave ready, don't waste your time trying to shave. You will need to send it out for honing. if it has the factory edge on it, it is NOT shave ready. Some vendors will hone the razors that they sell, most do not, and many of the ones that do, do a rather mediocre job of honing. So test, and see if you should expect it to shave well, or not. This is important, so you know if you are shaving correctly, or not, if the shave is not coming out good. Please do not try to hone your own razor until you know how to shave with it, first! Same reason. It will take more than one stone, anyway.

Before sending your razor out for honing is a good time to practice stropping. Have a few 50 lap sessions, get the feel of it. Pull the strop tight but not with like full bodyweight. Lay the razor on the strop, don't press down. Always have the spine on the strop. Flip the EDGE up and over when turning at the end, never the spine. Spine stays on the strop. The razor should drift sideways across the strop slightly, as it travels along the strop during the stroke. This is called the x stroke, and is essential, even if the strop is wide enough for the whole razor to lay across.

pro tips:
1. Wet, slippery, almost drippy lather
2. stretch the skin really tight
3. Low shave angle. Too high is scraping. Normal edges, the gap between spine and face should be about a spine thickness. An extremely sharp edge (don't worry, you probably don't have one of those.) works best with an even tighter shave angle. If you have to lean the blade out more than one and a half spine thicknesses to get it to shave, your razor is too dull.
4. Go WTG only the first few shaves. First shave, one pass. Just survive it, don't try to get a perfect BBS shave or you will pay for your impertinence. Daedalus. The shave gods will have your blood sacrifice one way or the other. After one or two shaves, try two WTG passes and stay with that for a while. It will irritate less, cut less, and still give you a reasonable shave, even a pretty good one, once you get the hang of it.
5. Light pressure, of course. Don't go strip mining for follicles. It will end badly. Scoop off the lather and you will have most of the whiskers. First pass just reduces. Second pass is the cleanup.

When you are pretty good at shaving, check in for newbie honing tips. Get a second shave ready razor, and learn how to hone with the first one when it gets dull.

 

[Chef455]

Sorry I rang your alarm bells @Slash McCoy . I purchased the razor from a shave shop here in Denver that has been around from the mid sixties. The owner honed the razor for me and stropped it showing me his process. I only purchased the single stone because I was out a couple hundred and I figured it would be a minute before I would be honing my razor. I definitely understand that there will be a lot to consider and acquire prior to honing it myself. That being said, whilst I appreciate the input I have been honing my own knives for over two decades. I don't believe it is rocket science but rather arming oneself with the proper equipment and knowledge.

3rd shave this morning. Considerably more comfortable with technique than #1, but still a long way to go. I am still focusing on my cheeks just to get a feel for it. I did venture down my neck this morning without any bloodshed, however I left the middle alone. Gripping the razor, particularly with my left hand, is by no means natural yet. I am heeding advice on switching hands. It is going to take a little bit.

All in all I am pleased with my progress. I am in no hurry. Thank you all for your support!

 

[sanookd]

Sorry I rang your alarm bells @Slash McCoy . I purchased the razor from a shave shop here in Denver that has been around from the mid sixties. The owner honed the razor for me and stropped it showing me his process. I only purchased the single stone because I was out a couple hundred and I figured it would be a minute before I would be honing my razor. I definitely understand that there will be a lot to consider and acquire prior to honing it myself. That being said, whilst I appreciate the input I have been honing my own knives for over two decades. I don't believe it is rocket science but rather arming oneself with the proper equipment and knowledge.

3rd shave this morning. Considerably more comfortable with technique than #1, but still a long way to go. I am still focusing on my cheeks just to get a feel for it. I did venture down my neck this morning without any bloodshed, however I left the middle alone. Gripping the razor, particularly with my left hand, is by no means natural yet. I am heeding advice on switching hands. It is going to take a little bit.

All in all I am pleased with my progress. I am in no hurry. Thank you all for your support!

You’re wise to get used to both hands right from the start. It’s been said it might take you 50 to 100 shaves under your belt before it starts to feel comfortable so you’ve got a ways to go but keep at it. The rewards are worth it IMHO.

 

[FarmerTan]

Sorry I rang your alarm bells @Slash McCoy . I purchased the razor from a shave shop here in Denver that has been around from the mid sixties. The owner honed the razor for me and stropped it showing me his process. I only purchased the single stone because I was out a couple hundred and I figured it would be a minute before I would be honing my razor. I definitely understand that there will be a lot to consider and acquire prior to honing it myself. That being said, whilst I appreciate the input I have been honing my own knives for over two decades. I don't believe it is rocket science but rather arming oneself with the proper equipment and knowledge.

3rd shave this morning. Considerably more comfortable with technique than #1, but still a long way to go. I am still focusing on my cheeks just to get a feel for it. I did venture down my neck this morning without any bloodshed, however I left the middle alone. Gripping the razor, particularly with my left hand, is by no means natural yet. I am heeding advice on switching hands. It is going to take a little bit.

All in all I am pleased with my progress. I am in no hurry. Thank you all for your support!

Good on you friend! I fear that I'll eventually get bitten by that Filipino bug that @rbscebu has sent northward! I love a challenge.

 

[Kyle89]

Haha I'm right there with ya, Chef. Taking in a lot of the advice in this thread as well. Did my second shave today.

Was actually able to do most of my face today WTG with 2 passes. Felt good. May just work on WTG passes for a while. Worried about dinging the blade or rolling the edge on my strop because I want to keep practicing on it.

 

[rbscebu]

Congratulations @Chef455. Only 27 SR shaves to go and you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about.