The saga of a straight razor and the day I lost my innocence

[TonyGold]

I had been dithering for some time with a Bengall straight I have resurrected, trying to summon up enough courage to lather up and shave with it. My initial, tentative experiences with this razor had not been good. I knew it was really too dull to use effectively and had tended to nick and then drag the hairs out rather than cut through them. So I applied myself yesterday and reworked the blade back to 600#, down through 1500# and then onto natural stones. I finished with chromium oxide on balsa and stropped it on home made strop. The finished blade was capable of severing a single bristle drawn across its edge.
So today it was down to work on two days of growth.
I had reviewed the recommended links and looked at the youtube videos and pictures and thought I had it off pat. After half a century of wet shaving I thought it would be easy to apply the pictures but it wasn’t and for the first time in decades fell victim to the image reversal that occurs in mirrors. I was moving left when I should have been moving right. This is the sort of mistake that can lead to expensive surgical interventions. Eventually I got the hang of it and did some rather attractive passes down my cheeks and throat. The Coup de Maitre caused me particular concern as I thought I was to loose my nose, my upper lip or both. My chin was also a bit of a challenge and it was there that I received my first battle scar. It will heal in time.
The result wasn’t amongst the best shaves that I have ever experienced and on a scale of one to ten it was worth a four. Practice they say makes perfect so I guess it is just a matter of keeping going until I get it right (alternatively keep going until I run out of unscarred tissue).
At least now I can say that I have shaved with a straight razor and that makes me feel rather noble.

 

[johnmrson]

Great job.

 

[Shangas]

Best of luck, Tony.

I noticed quite a few Melbournian straighters here. I wonder why that is...

 

[TheVez2]

Your technique will improve. Keep at it, you'll be glad you did.

 

[global_dev]

the first couple of shaves help ease the muscle memory issues. i found if i concentrated way too much I would slice myself. I just need appropriate focus on angle and light touch instead and my technique vastly improved.

 

[Defend Tacoma]

4 is a respectable score for your first time out! Keep at it!

 

[LarryAndro]

Shave WTG well, and the rest of the shave will fall in place. Shave WTG poorly, and you can enjoy a nice case of razor burn.

WTG is the key to the kingdom!

And, that's all I got for you today.

 

[Skrymr]

I am still learning to straight shave as well, so take this advice with a grain of salt. I didn't go for beard reduction in the beginning, instead I just used the razor on my face to get comfortable with the angles and my hands. For the first week or two my shaves were terrible, but I learned what to do with the razor and learned how to use my hands and the razor to get all the lather off my face. I am getting better results every time I shave, and you will too. Congrats on you're first shave and keep at it, it will get better. Just remember, if you're hands feel awkward, take the razor away from you're face and start over from a more comfortable position.