Starting the Journey Tomorrow

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by B Wade, Dec 29, 2017.

  1. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Keep your chin up. Literally; look up to keep the skin taught as well as to reduce the curve in your neck. This also makes it easier to maintain your angle. Try reducing your angle and take short strokes rather than long sweeping strokes.
     
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  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Good advice. I used a DE on my neck for touch up for quite a while. Never gave up trying to get the straight just right. Finally got it. Stick with it @B Wade and you'll get it, too!
     
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  3. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Make sure you are stretching the skin, and using the blade at a shallow angle. Sometimes speeding up the strokes helps. Try shorter, and quicker strokes.
     
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  4. B Wade

    B Wade Well-Known Member

    Good advice from all. Did the whole shave with my J. Allen. Did not pick up the DE tonight once. Was the shave excellent? Heck no. But it was sufficient. Yesterday I was somewhat certain I would never be able to shave my neck with a straight. Tonight with a bit of trial and error and your suggestions here we are. Turns out my blade angle was off just a bit.
     
  5. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Great news! The shaves will continue to, incrementally improve. Before you know it you’ll be str8 shaving without even thinking about it:)
     
  6. barbersurgeon

    barbersurgeon Well-Known Member

    Mapping the growth direction of the hairs on your neck could be helpful as well. Making sure you’re going with the grain on the first pass can make a world of difference.
     
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  7. B Wade

    B Wade Well-Known Member

    Yep this was something I picked up when learning with the DE. Not surprisingly I had some trouble learning to do my neck with the DE at first as well. Angles are more challenging so you really have to be decently competent to get it done. I think it will be a while before I’m consistently comfortable doing my neck.


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  8. B Wade

    B Wade Well-Known Member

    It was recommended to me to learn stropping with the strop on the edge of a table. I have done that and I think it has been helpful in learning the motion. Most videos show the strop being held and pulled taut from a hanging position. Is that ultimately a better way to do it once I get the motion down or is that just done out of a matter of convenience? For example, are you more likely to mess up an edge if you strop wrong when the strop is on a table as opposed to hanging. I’m not sure if that makes sense but that’s just something I have been pondering.


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  9. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    I would say most, if not all of us use the hanging strop. Using a flat surface forces you to focus on the motion without worrying about the tension. Kind of like training wheels. Get the motion down, then it will be much easier to work off the strop while it’s hanging.
     
  10. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    yup
     
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  11. B Wade

    B Wade Well-Known Member

    Random question about lingo. When people talk about 1/4 hollows and near wedges are they essentially talking about the same thing or is there a difference? I know it doesn’t much matter but I have been randomly wondering that.

    For example would a Friodur 1/4 Hollow be a near wedge or would that be an inaccurate characterization.


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  12. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

  13. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    [​IMG]
    Shows the "Near Wedge"
     
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  14. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Dunno, cuz there is some variability here between manufacturers. But practically speaking, I would doubt your face could tell much difference between 1/4 hollow vs a near wedge.
     
  15. B Wade

    B Wade Well-Known Member

    Yeah that would be my impression I can’t imagine there would really be enough difference. Just curious.


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  16. B Wade

    B Wade Well-Known Member

    Gotcha. Good visual.


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  17. TestDepth

    TestDepth Well-Known Member

    I actually don’t see a lot of bellied hollows in razors, but I got a surprise when sanding this one...
    Figured I would post to show what that may look like from the blade face.
    FA3B50C0-DC94-4FAB-885F-CB7E0C2EF67F.jpeg
    I did not see this until I started to sand and actually felt it. Pretty cool surprise. :)
     
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  18. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Any front view of the belly??
     
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  19. TestDepth

    TestDepth Well-Known Member

    My phone can’t pick it up.
     
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  20. TestDepth

    TestDepth Well-Known Member

    And I assume you are talking about the razor and not my own!:rofl:
     
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