Practicing shaving with a SR. Would using a taped over blade work? General help on SR shaving.

[DavidDavidson]

I'm not exactly 'new' to SR shaving, though I did take a 4 year break from it so I'm having t re-learn some of the finer points of it. I still get a rough patch here or there when shaving, or end up with bloodspots and the occasional nick. I also get what feels like razorburn so if I could be told that I'm doing wrong there to get mild razorburn that would be great as I never used to.
I have a second razor (given to me, it's in pretty bad shape though still has a sharp edge) and as I want to practice with how to hold the razor most comfortably and how to be able to see myself in the mirror (it's only a tiny 6x6" mirror) without the blade getting in the way I figured using some electrical tape over the blade then practicing shaving might do the trick.
DO you guys think this would work? Obviously I'm not going to get the angle spot on as I'm using a taped over edge, but would it help me learn how to best hold the razor and such.
Or is there a better way? Obviously the best way would just be to shave, however I don't have much in the way of facial hair (despite being in my late twenties) and it doesn't grow particularly fast. I suppose that's a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it.
Thanks
-David

 

[EclipseRedRing]

That sounds like a good idea although you would want to be careful not to damage the edge. When I started using a Feather Artist Club DX I practiced holding and moving the razor without a blade installed in order to build up muscle memory; I certainly found it a useful exercise. It enabled me to concentrate on developing my non dominant hand without fear of accidental injury. I would consider masking tape as it is easy to remove without leaving a residue. Good luck.

 

[Ravenonrock]

That’s a tough one. I personally would not tape the working end of my razor for practice, although I get that you want to practice safely and get used to your razor again. Practicing, being cautious and taking it slow is a good start. Hold it, inspect it, respect it. Eventually though you will want to shave and the blade needs to go next to your skin. You can watch videos and prep but eventually you will want to shave. The advice I've heard around here is to lather up, try a North/South pass on your cheek, call it a day. I think you answered your own question about the best way....just shave. I started using SR’s again this year and am really enjoying it. Hang on for the ride!

 

[Atlantic59]

You aren't really practicing without a blade. Make sure you prep and lather up well, and go for it. Just use a light touch, don't go against-the-grain, only a couple of passes, don't strive for BBS. Shaving well is all about developing muscle memory. It takes practice.

 

[sanookd]

Practice with a shavette without the half blade inserted. In case you mess up an angle you at least won’t cut yourself.

 

[global_dev]

I used the back of my basic butter knife.

 

[rbscebu]

@DavidDavidson, as you may remember, the best technique in SR shaving is to shave to just remove the lather - forget about the whiskers. You don't need facial hair to practice your SR shaving.

My suggestion is to just shave without "protection". It will all come together for you soon. Remember, stretch the skin, keep the blade angle to a spine thickness or less off the skin and only enough pressure to remove the lather. Concentrate and learn with each shave.

 

[McBlade]

Pressing too hard could be the cause of razor burn. Or too many passes.

Good skin-stretching helps the blade to glide effortlessly across the skin.

What soap are you using? For straight razor shaving you probably want to be using the slickest of the slick.

 

[DavidDavidson]

@DavidDavidson, as you may remember, the best technique in SR shaving is to shave to just remove the lather - forget about the whiskers. You don't need facial hair to practice your SR shaving.

My suggestion is to just shave without "protection". It will all come together for you soon. Remember, stretch the skin, keep the blade angle to a spine thickness or less off the skin and only enough pressure to remove the lather. Concentrate and learn with each shave.

Completely agree. The best practice is shaving, however I can at best get a real shave in every two days as my beard hair grows super slow, I shaved on Saturday and I'm only just getting that sandpapery feel, I get a five O'clock shadow after two days.

Pressing too hard could be the cause of razor burn. Or too many passes.

Good skin-stretching helps the blade to glide effortlessly across the skin.

What soap are you using? For straight razor shaving you probably want to be using the slickest of the slick.

I'm using a mix of Crabtree and Evelyn soap and cream, I find a bit of both gives the best lather, I keep the lather and brush warm by keeping my bowl inside another bowl filled with hot water, kind of like a double boiler. Brush is an Edwin and Jagger best Badger brush.

As for the people worrying about edge damage, I wouldn't worry about it, the razor is old and has been sharpened rather oddly as there seems to be a lot more heel than toe to the razor, unless they manufactured straight razors like that at some point in the last 80 or so years, it could be even older; the name of the hardware store that sold it is etched onto the blade and all I can find out about it is a record dating back to 1910.
I did try shaving with it but I found that my Wald solingen was much better in terms of holding an edge and it's slightly shorter too, so it's more manageable.

 

[GearNoir]

I agree with @rbscebu . Only practice you need is actual shaving. I’d say get your razor honed up or grab some kind of shavette (I prefer the folding Feather AC SS myself) and have at it! Every day you “practice” could have been another real shave that got you real experience.

I didn’t think I could shave every day either for the longest time...until I just up and committed to doing it.

 

[rbscebu]

Completely agree. The best practice is shaving, however I can at best get a real shave in every two days as my beard hair grows super slow, I shaved on Saturday and I'm only just getting that sandpapery feel, I get a five O'clock shadow after two days.
....

That's why I said you don't need facial hair to practice shave (without "protection").

I have been known to SR shave my BBS face, just for the fun of SR shaving. You can do the same for practice.

 

[ajduplessis]

If your razor is sharp its more a case of refinement your routine. Pressure and angle can always improve. Keep shaving, soon you be back on the bike...

 

[Slash McCoy]

What they said. Stretch good, low shave angle, light pressure. Sharp razor. If it won't shave, it isn't sharp. If you need a high angle to make it shave, it isn't shaving; it is scraping, and the razor isn't sharp enough. Best practice, just shave. Two WTG passes. If the razor isn't sharp, send it out. When you get it back, it will be sharp, but not SHAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRPPP. Read the Pasted Balsa Thread. Go 50 laps or so on each grit, adding a few pull strokes and plenty of short x strokes at the end of each stage. When you finish with the .1u your edge should be insanely sharp and very smooth. As long as you have good slick lather and a low shave angle, and you stretch good, go WTG or as close to it as possible, and use only light pressure, you should have no cuts or irritation. Maintain your sharp edge by stropping 50 laps on the .1u balsa after every shave. Then strop on clean leather before every shave. The balsa will not make a dull edge sharp. It will make a sharp edge a whole lot sharper, though.

 

[trentr]

All good advice given. I might add something I have found in my limited experience. Addressing the razor burn, like they said limit it to a certain number of passes regardless of smoothness. Be it 2 or even 1 pass and shave more often. The smoothness will come eventually and in the mean time a less than perfect shave is better than a neck that resembles an abused strawberry. And for me....shave angle. The razor, for me, is a spine width or less depending on where I am on my face. Usually less. The razor has little audible feed back or feel. It is almost like it is not doing anything. If I pull the spine away from my skin I begin to hear the razor cutting, to feel the razor cutting. So I assume that is "better". After minor frustration and razor irritation, I finally laid that razor down nearly against my face and shaved even though it felt like it was not cutting a thing. Low and behold, a smooth irritation free shave. I still catch myself trying to stand the razor up so I can hear and feel it cut. And I get some irritation. The next shave I remember to lay it down tight to my skin and ignore the fact that it seems as if it is not cutting.....and back is the smooth shave with no irritation.

Keep at it. Slow and deliberate movements. Shave angle, shave angle, shave angle.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Also... don't keep buffing away at a spot after you have removed all the lather and the skin is drying! I always forget to mention that. You can always dab on a bit more lather, especially if you use a badger brush of sufficient size to hold a good quantity of product.

And that's another thing. Some guys have found that their irritation was partly or even wholly caused by their brush. Boars, especially if they are not properly broken in, can be pretty prickly. (plus they don't hold much water) Black badger is just as prickly as boar. A silvertip of decent size doesn't have to break the bank. Check out Larry's silvertips at www.whippeddog.com for brushes that are only a couple bucks more than Chinese prices, without the wait. My daily driver is his 30mm long handle model. I recommend a 26mm or larger, set at normal depth. It will be very kind to a tender neck.

 

[BigJ]

I am in the ‘just shave‘ camp (that’s what worked for me in my SR days)!

You should also post this question on the straights forums since those guys are the real experts!

 

[Frank Shaves]

Can't hurt to try - whatever works. When I started using a straight, I spent a little time practicing with my Feather AC with no blade. Didn't hurt me .

 

[DavidDavidson]

Thanks for all the help and advice.
I've been trying with that vintage , beaten up razor with it's (blunt) edge (with one very tiny chip) covered over with electrical tape. Obviously I can't practice angle well at all. However what I have been practicing are different grips and flipping the racor around so it's a horizontal mirror image of the way I normally shave. Although this grip is somewhat awkward (I could use another joint in my forearm) it let's me actually see my face rather than looking and making a guess as to whether or not I'm shaving right. I've also practiced how and where to pinch skin (such as to shave just under my earlobe and other awkward places) I'll be having a shave to tonight so I'll let you know if it's made why significant difference.

 

[Luecke2326]

Great advice given.

I will add that if you really want a practice straight razor, they were produced by a number of different companies. The one I own is a vintage straight razor with butter knife dullness. I would assume it could be sharpened, but I'm not sure if the steel is as good as other razors. You can find them on an auction site if you are interested.

Though, the just shave option is a great one too. It's gonna take some time no matter if you do it with a practice razor or not.

 

[DavidDavidson]

Just to update, unless you're completely inexperienced and don't know how to hold a blade properly doing what I did would be almost completely useless.
Trying to apply some of the techniques I thought would work better simply didn't turn out right as there's a big difference between a shaky hand and vinyl tape and a shaky hand an a razor that'll cut a hanging hair.
I ended up with mild(er) razor burn than last time and removed more hair (though one side of my upper lip could have used another pass) no blood spots like I was originally getting when I got back into straight razors but one or two very small nicks (right on the jaw bone where there is the most curvature), though in my defense my shoulder has been killing me all day (must have done something to it while working out yesterday) so I was a little off focus.