Thread: 1st REAL Shave.

I am new and got my first square point recently. Took me about three shaves to get used to it and stop stabbing myself with it. That point is like a scythe in that hands of the grim reaper!

Congrats and keep at it.

Best regards,
Johan

Congratulations Jim!

Personally, I like to use an Alum Bar after I shave, it will sting a little, but I find it a 'pleasant' sting! I always allow the water to dry after I apply the alum, then I use an Aftershave Lotion (if I use one at all!) The alum bar is also a decent disinfectant. I love the way it 'tightens' your skin!

Smooth Shaving
Roy

Shave report: Shaves 7&8. Using the hanging strop for 40 laps, and rubbing it to warm it up before hand. ZERO nicks, ZERO cuts. The razor bumps from years of abuse at the hands of Gillette and Schick cronies are slowly fading, and whether or not they all go away I'm still getting the best shaves of my life.

I'm not confident my stropping is doing any good. There's no "draw" on my hanging razor, and I haven't figured out a way to hang the Shumate yet (I know how...it's getting it done that's lagging). Using just the weight of the blade on the shumate (which doesn't lie perfectly flat on the table - not cupped or anything, just was folded for a decade or two) doesn't seem to be doing anything either. The razor's so light that it doesn't press the strop against the table on it's own, and I don't want to use pressure for fear of screwing up the edge.

Then again, what do I know? This is the part of Straight Razor Shaving I could never practice before. I'm not feeling any discomfort from my shaves just over a week in, so is that because they were awesomely and expertly honed (they were) or because my stropping actually is doing something? I don't know. I did pick up a Swaty yesterday, so I guess if I screwed up the edge I could put it on the Swaty and use one of my others until I got the edge back.

I would appreciate your guys' insight. Can you go a week without stropping and not experience serious discomfort? (I do have to shave everyday. If I get 32hrs growth on my face I start looking like the wolf man)

(Cuda -- I don't have an Alum bar, but hot water rinse my face, then cold water splash my face. If, when the tight feeling goes away, my skin feels stiff or dry...or I'm just in the mood for it, I'll put on some Nivea Sensitive Skin ASB, or some Stetson AS which stings/disinfects.)

Originally Posted by BigJim

Shave report: Shaves 7&8. .

I'm not confident my stropping is doing any good. There's no "draw" on my hanging razor, and I haven't figured out a way to hang the Shumate yet (I know how...it's getting it done that's lagging). Using just the weight of the blade on the shumate (which doesn't lie perfectly flat on the table - not cupped or anything, just was folded for a decade or two) doesn't seem to be doing anything either. The razor's so light that it doesn't press the strop against the table on it's own, and I don't want to use pressure for fear of screwing up the edge.

Jim, if I understand you correctly, the strop is laid out on the table and your pressure is so light you don't even make the strop bend enough to touch the table?
If that is the case, then the strop is really stiff or you need to push down a little bit more.
When applying that pressure, try to think of it as if you are pressing down the spine, not the edge. I hope that makes sense.
In other words, you want the give in the strop to be centered on the spine, not the edge.
I'm not comfortable talking about pressure at all, 'cause it really only takes the weight of the razor, but if your strop is sound leather, and not touching the table, it seems you are almost applying negative pressure.

If you decide to try this out, do it carefully, I really don't want you to kill an edge trying to put too much pressure on the razor.
Let's hope others have ideas on what is going on as well

Originally Posted by Birnando

Jim, if I understand you correctly, the strop is laid out on the table and your pressure is so light you don't even make the strop bend enough to touch the table?
If that is the case, then the strop is really stiff or you need to push down a little bit more.
When applying that pressure, try to think of it as if you are pressing down the spine, not the edge. I hope that makes sense.
In other words, you want the give in the strop to be centered on the spine, not the edge.
I'm not comfortable talking about pressure at all, 'cause it really only takes the weight of the razor, but if your strop is sound leather, and not touching the table, it seems you are almost applying negative pressure.

If you decide to try this out, do it carefully, I really don't want you to kill an edge trying to put too much pressure on the razor.
Let's hope others have ideas on what is going on as well

Thanks for jumping in there Birn. The Shumate was discovered in an antique shop, stuffed in a shoe box with some safety razors and some other random junk. It had been folded over (but not creased) for at least 10years according to the proprietor. I laid it out and treated it with Neats Foot oil then pressed it under a bunch of books for several days to try and get it to flatten out, but there's still a slight hump in the middle. When I use this strop I use only one half (I don't strop over the middle) but the part of that half that's lifted off the table doesn't weigh down at all when I lay the blade down there. Maybe it is too stiff?

The other strop I use is a hanging strop. It is much older and has a bunch of knicks and cuts in it. It's very smooth with about 11" of usable length. When I use it I have to put a little pressure down since the strop is hanging (it's mounted too high to strop at a horizontal angle). But I'm not putting much pressure on it at all as I don't want to round the edge.

Not knowing if I'm doing this right, I only have my shaves to go off of. They've been pretty good, so I guess I should keep status quo and see how long it lasts. If I make it the 2-3 months I've heard quoted as a good run between honings, then I guess I must be doing it right!

Update: I thought I'd recorded another whole week of shaves here!

I made it through shave #10 before the Genco started to tug, but I also found some better vids of stropping (in one case found out a vid I'd seen was of a guy who DID in fact know what he was doing: honedright ) and made two more shaves with the Genco before I was too dissatisfied with it's shaving to keep using it.

I switched to VDH soap at shave 11 and am enjoying it so far. Very different feel than the Williams Mug. Lather's with the same amount of work IMHO.

I switched to my C&S (It was honed at the same time and by the same cutler as the Genco) for shave 13. BAD idea. Worst shave yet. Didn't matter what angle I used, what direction I shaved at, it wouldn't shave close. It shaved, but not well. #13 lived up to the superstition. I tried to follow up with my Leader and salvage a discouraging night, but it was only slightly better.

I did some more stropping research. Pulled my strop just tight enough there was no sag, and used just enough pressure to push the strop down 1/2" to 1" as I made passes with the razor. I used a chalked canvas strop (vintage) and my Shumate strop (both sides). 60 laps Canvas, 45 Laps textured side of the Shumate, 30 laps Smooth side of the Shumate. The Genco was back! Yeah baby! Shave 14 was great. Shave 15 followed suit so I tried stropping the C&S and Leader the same as I'd done to the Genco, but to no avail. (Shave 15 I did 45 laps canvas, 45 Shumate T, and just 15 Shumate S). So I pulled down shave 16 with the Genco and went searching the honing forums for info. Stropped the Genco for shave 17 30xC, 45xSt, 15xSs and spent the evening honing the Leader and C&S on a Swaty. Yeah, just a Swaty. Don't tell anybody though. Didn't have time to strop them that night, so I stropped them up tonight with the original sequence I used to bring the Genco back after a dozen shaves. I pulled out the Leader and gave her a go. BLISS! She shaved as well as the Genco did that first night!

Tomorrow I plan to try the C&S, and if she shaves well too, then I'll have successfully touched up my first pair of razors, AND gotten the hang of stropping, AND have three razors to rotate through. I still have plenty to learn on all accounts, but I'm very happy with the progress I'm making (wasn't so happy the night the C&S and Leader failed me).

Peace,

Way to go, Big Jim! Glad to see you "resurrected" your razor like that. I am looking to you as my guinea pig when it comes to honing, since you're about one step ahead of me!

Originally Posted by SpicyJem

Way to go, Big Jim! Glad to see you "resurrected" your razor like that. I am looking to you as my guinea pig when it comes to honing, since you're about one step ahead of me!

Hey, I'd be happy to help any way I can.

I wrapped a post-it around my Genco box today so I can keep a tally of how many shaves I can get out of it before stropping won't do the trick. Thankfully though I now know that my Swaty's awesome and I can successfully touch up a razor with it.


OH! And I DID shave with the C&S last night: FANTASTIC! I'm not saying these are the best shaves anyone's ever gotten, or the best I could ever get, but they're on par with the first handul of Genco shaves for smoothness, comfort, and closeness, and right now that means a lot. Eventually I'll judge myself by higher standards, but at this point these are my expectations, and I'm meeting them. SO that makes me pretty happy.

Peace,