I received this very nice set of two straights and a strop from @Drygulch . Today, I had my first shave with the Cattaragus Straight. I did cut myself one time, but although blood was let, it was more of a weeper than a cut. I will try out the other razor tomorrow following @swarden43 's admonition, " pay attention, go slow, pay attention, watch what you're doin', pay attention, keep an eye on the angle, pay attention, careful of the pressure, pay attention..." Here was today's shave. Friday's Dove Men Face Wash Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti Shave Soap Jayaruh #128 Cattaragus Straight from @Drygulch CWR, Asma Alum Block T.N. Dickinson's WH Aqua Velva Musk AS The Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti Shave Soap face-lathered well with my Jayaruh #128 synthetic brush. I did one pass with the Cattaragus Straight Razor. I followed @swarden43 's advice: " pay attention, go slow, pay attention, watch what you're doin', pay attention, keep an eye on the angle, pay attention, careful of the pressure, pay attention..." I only drew blood once, and it wasn't all that much. I did the second pass with the English Rocket I got from @Red Rider . I ended up with a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse and alum block, I finished off with T.N. Dickinson's WH and then Aqua Velva Musk AS. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...
The process of shaving with a straight was very different for me. With my shoulder still healing, it helped me slow down. I am glad I only cut myself once. I thought to myself while I was stropping that this is good exercise for my shoulder. I'm taking it slow and easy.
I was hoping to avoid any cuts, but all in all, I did very well. Finishing off with the Rocket was a good choice.
Welcome to the Dark Side. It's just a little more blade exposure than you are used to. Nothing like blood on steel to get you paying attention.
Nice, Jim! Slow & easy is always recommended for newcomers to the SR world. When wrist surgery compelled me to only use my non-dominant right hand, you can bet that I certainly was 'slow & easy' for those 3+ weeks of SR shaves.
Excellent, Jim! Glad you decided (either by hook or by crook) to join the dark side I don't know if @Drygulch muted the point on the square tip or not; but I caution you to keep a very close eye on that. I started with a square tip, and stayed with it for one solid month. If I would have started with a round tip I would have cut myself less. With that said; the worse cuts occurred when I placed the blade at a 90 degree angle on my face and applied some pressure. If you do that, you'll get a nice 3" slice in your skin Most blood, however was minimal and counted as negative reinforcement for improper technique The upside, is the satisfaction of a successful straight shave will surely dull the memory of any blood letting along the way.
Oh, and Adam, Very nice that because of your generosity others have been able to try straight shaving without the outlay of $$:
That tip has been slightly muted. It will still dig in if you put pressure on it, but it shouldn't scratch you as you do the passes.
Sounds like a good start and better than mine was. I learned quickly that with all the advice I have read. The one that is critical is the pay attention Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah, it is a pretty nice setup. I am going to give it a good try. I will be "paying attention." No second passes until I get the first pass down really good.
Jim, are you already using alum on your fingertips for skin stretching? This was a game changer for me.