Hi, I just got my very first straight in the mail today. I can't wait to try it out tonight. I need some advice first. What to do if the blade is wider than the strop I bought? :ashamed001
I'm not a straight user, but perhaps this video will help. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3SlYrz2kt8
Thank you so much for that bill! The motion is a little different than I pictured it. It's more like honing. Cool.
Most people either x-stroke, or they strop the razor in sections - do the heel to middle stropping first, then middle to toe stropping, or some variant. Me, I prefer x-strokes (they are more like C-strokes actually) so I can do it all at once and move on to the shave. James.
Just had my first shave. It went really well. I came through largely unscathed! I got the most blood from the pointy tip of the blade. Otherwise, just a couple small cuts that stopped bleeding by the time I was finished shaving. And some razor burn. I don't know if I will have the time to do that every day though. It's a lengthy and slow process and I don't anticipate it getting any quicker.
Thanks James! I hope it does get easier. The learning curve is steep. I also had a question to pose: How can I tell if the blade is sharp? I need to shave with it again to say if the pulling was my technique or the blade. I think it was my technique. But like I told the seller, I am not knowledgable in this area. I know this question has been asked before- sorry but I need more info.
Congrats on the first shave. What kind of razor are you using? Like you said if the razor is pulling then it's most likely dull. Also there are a few tests that you can do to see just how sharp the blade actually is. One is the hanging hair test. And most shave ready blades can do this.
Thanks for the congrats! I bought a Landers, Frary & Clark 5/8. It is a used razor. I'll try the HHT as soon as I figure out what it is. :ashamed001 It was shipped in just an envelope. I am a little worried it may have been "affected" in transit. Could have been pinched or something. Too bad, too. But I am not ready to write it off. Still could be me. I am going to hang a hair over it and see if it cuts when I drop it. I think that's right?
Congratulations!!! Your shave time will get shorter with experience and confidence. Another option besides a dull blade that might cause pulling is the angle you are using. Most people start out with about 30 degrees. Too flat an angle might cause pulling as the sharp edge doesn't hit the hair properly to get a smooth cut. When I was learning, I'd put the blade on my cheek so the spine was flat on my skin (don't move it or you'll cut yourself), then raised the spine about 2 spine widths off the face and began my shave.
Thank you very much Reformation Student. I really am thinking blade angle on this. But there are so many things it could be, they are all dancing around in my head. I am going to rinse the mineral oil I put on it tonight and then strop it for the first time and then try the HHT -all tomorrow. Some of the things I have been doing (like not stropping yet) were at the seller's behest. I don't think it is right or wrong, I just don't know if it isn't muddling things just a bit. PS- Is that Hercule Poirot in your avatar???
You can tell if the razor is sharp in a couple of ways. The most conclusive of course is to shave with it, but that assumes you have ironed out technique issues, which at this point I would hazard you have not. The method I prefer is the arm hair waft. Gently waft the edge through your arm hair a good 3-8mm off the skin, depending on the length of your arm hair. Do not shave the hair off the skin. You are looking for hairs plinking as you waft (as in, being cut). The HHT does not involve dropping the hair, or at least I do not do it that way. I take a hair, hold it by the root, and gently place it on the edge. A small pull of the hair toward you (very small) should result in it being cleft in twain. The hair should do this at all points along the edge, don't stop just in one place. In particular, test at the tip and the heel. A point to note about all non-shave edge tests is that they are shave proxy measurements. In other words, they try to indicate what might happen during a shave using dry hair, and hair that is not beard hair (arm hair, or head hair for the HHT. Some people use the more short and curly hairs for the HHT - the choice is yours, but it is still not beard hair). As a result, best practice with these kinds of sharpness tests is to calibrate them to your shaves. This involves testing through time, and each time assessing the shave after the test. Eventually you will get to know what test result correlates with a good shave, and what results do not. It is one of those unfortunate things about straights I am afraid. To get the best out of them, you need to gain experience. But, rest assured, the journey is more important than the destination. In fact, I am not sure any straight user would say they have arrived at the destination. I know I haven't. Good luck! James.
Jason, Congratulations on successful shave! One thing to remember is in spite of all the tests out there, the ultimate test is actual shave. I only employ HHT after honing off 1k. It's good indicator but not entirely reliable as it's not indicative of good shave and would opt for dry shave test instead after some stropping. From there I'll do real shave. Everyone's different. You'll eventually find what suits you. May you have many more success mate.
Sounds like a good plan. Use process of elimination here. Try one thing at a time until you're sure it's not that, then try something else. One caveat with the HHT. I get every one of my razors shaving sharp but have never passed the HHT with any of them. It's a good guide but, as always, shaving is the ultimate sharpness test. And yes, that is indeed the most humble of Belgian detectives... Hercule Poirot
Thanks to Jimbo and to SiR-ed8! I will post back sometime tomorrow. PS- Thanks to Steve, especially for his advice, but also for his avatar!!!
Also i found that simulating strop by using butter knife on newspaper or over book helped ( honing ). You won't run risk of rolling edge on your strop. You can strop on newspaper or old pair of jeans truth be told. Way I did it was do them everyday-not just SOTD. Really helped mate. I stropped before and after. Call it overkill but your strop and razor will thank you. Take your time. As good as videos are. Don't mind how fast the user may be. Over time speed comes naturally.
