My Journey on the Straight Path

[gthomas04]

Looking at the above pic and post, I'm kind of glad I piffed my Kabrand straight to @gthomas04 and wouldn't blame him if he never gets it shave sharp either.

.

Too late @eggbert, I have just received it back from @Mark and the thing looks brand new as well as evilly sharp - will one day gather up my courage and give it a try.

 

[eggbert]

Too late @eggbert, I have just received it back from @Mark and the thing looks brand new as well as evilly sharp - will one day gather up my courage and give it a try.

Really? Got any pics?

 

[gthomas04]

Really? Got any pics?

Yup they will be up shortly - soon as I work out the new picture process.

 

[Arnold J Rimmer]

I had a great shave last night. 4 days of growth and it was really starting to itch on my neck.

I am finding that the lighter I strop the blade, the keener the edge is at shave time.

I have my 3 passes down to about 25 minutes now, so I'm happy with that. I took a small slice out of my chin, but that was my own fault - I hesitated on the stroke up to the lip on the second pass. Styptic closed it up nice and quick.

What I am discovering more and more, is that I have been resting the blade to heavily on the skin, when it really does need to just glide across. Bad habits learnt from cartridge shaving all my life. The lighter I go, especially on the first pass, the better the shave, and the less razor burn I have at the end. Today I have no burn, though I did apply small amounts of witch hazel last night, and emu oil this morning. The only burning was the emu oil in the nick mark on my chin.

@filobiblic, keep it up. I have only been doing this for a few months, and I see it as a fun hobby more than anything else. I just get an even, clean shave out of it to boot. My advice would be to hold the blade firmly, but barely let it touch your face.

@gthomas04, when you are ready, following @filobiblic's path to enlightened shaving will probably be a really good, well laid out path to follow. He has described his experiences really thoughtfully, without over-complicating things.

 

[filobiblic]

I had a great shave last night. 4 days of growth and it was really starting to itch on my neck.

The straight really takes off so much hair so quickly and easily.

@filobiblic, keep it up. I have only been doing this for a few months, and I see it as a fun hobby more than anything else. I just get an even, clean shave out of it to boot. My advice would be to hold the blade firmly, but barely let it touch your face.

Thanks mate. That sounds good advice. [emoji106]

 

[Dale.Whiley]

Shave 15
Since it still takes extra time to shave with a straight, I had to stop and run half-way through a single pass. I wouldn't have had enough time with a DE either. One of those days...

Shave 16
Really cracking now with the first pass (WTG). The straight mowed through the 2 day stubble with no effort. Smooth and great results. So I thought I'd start making a XTG pass...

The first issue was holding the razor and working out which way to go. The second was that it was going so smoothly, and I felt too confident, that... I cut myself.

It's interesting but I find that cutting yourself with a straight is a clean wound and doesn't hurt really. (What hurt was thinking about putting styptic on it!!! So I didn't.) This was a 1 inch cut a couple of mm deep. Not bad, but not good. Oozing blood which stopped after applying pressure. After 10 min there was no more blood and its sealed by itself. It's actually smooth to the touch now and although there could be a scar, I feel it's unlikely.

Giving myself a good cut certainly knocked the wind out of the sails; I finished the shave with a DE rather than finished the new pass. But I think after a day or two it'll be back to it. I think a cut is instant feedback on your shaves - much more than with a DE. With a DE, a lot of your feedback comes post-shave with the alum or AS or redness. Sure, there may be weepers or scraping as you go and you adjust accordingly. But nothing as instant and telling as cutting yourself with a straight.

What I learnt from this "feedback" was that twofold: I became over-confident and too careless going XTG/ATG. I got too confident with a new direction/style. After only going WTG for 15 shaves, I started a new pass going chin to ear which is almost ATG for me. But I now know that going XTG/ATG means you're more likely to catch and dig into the skin more easily. I didn't have a good hold on the razor and was cocky after having such a great first pass.

I recently came across this helpful image on cutting angles. Reflecting on what I did wrong, I probably had too great an angle for the XTG/ATG pass. (I'm just glad I cut my cheek near the ear and not on the soft skin of the neck or throat!)

Any thoughts and feedback on the second pass? Should it be XTG or ATG? Is this idea of a shallower angle for XTG/ATG correct? Thanks!

@filobiblic ,

Never really thought of the angle used when transversing the direction of stubble growth, but this is exactly what you do after a while. Instead of concentrating on how tight you hold/what angle is the blade/short-long stroke you learn what feels comfortable. What feels comfortable is the correct angle and the smoothest method. I know that ATG in particular the angle I use becomes much shallower.

 

[SchoolForAnts]

Well after watching this thread with interest from day 1, my straight arrived from @Mark today and I had my very first shave with it tonight. I was originally going to go with a Gold Dollar, but instead opted for a vintage 5/8 Bengall and a new strop to enter the straight world.

I tempted fate and did a one pass shave across my entire face WTG. Like @filobiblic mentioned in his very first shave at the beginning of this thread, the most difficult part for me was the awkward angles and being able to see where I was shaving in the mirror. I too tried to change hands, but found it VERY difficult, so opted to just use my master hand (right) and concentrate on correct angles for now.

I left doing my chin and under the nose with it for another day when I'm a little more confident, and cleaned up with a second pass using one of my DE's. Which after not giving myself so much as a nick with the straight, tore a chunk of skin off on my jawline with the DE.. ha! Go figure!

anyway, promise I won't clutter up your thread with my straight journey tales @filobiblic just thought I'd add my first shave notes, from the thread that convinced me to give it a try.

 

[Dale.Whiley]

anyway, promise I won't clutter up your thread with my straight journey tales @filobiblic

No, no @SchoolForAnts, please do clutter up our thread with your straight journey.

 

[filobiblic]

Well after watching this thread with interest from day 1, my straight arrived from @Mark today and I had my very first shave with it tonight. I was originally going to go with a Gold Dollar, but instead opted for a vintage 5/8 Bengall and a new strop to enter the straight world.

I tempted fate and did a one pass shave across my entire face WTG. Like @filobiblic mentioned in his very first shave at the beginning of this thread, the most difficult part for me was the awkward angles and being able to see where I was shaving in the mirror. I too tried to change hands, but found it VERY difficult, so opted to just use my master hand (right) and concentrate on correct angles for now.

I left doing my chin and under the nose with it for another day when I'm a little more confident, and cleaned up with a second pass using one of my DE's. Which after not giving myself so much as a nick with the straight, tore a chunk of skin off on my jawline with the DE.. ha! Go figure!

anyway, promise I won't clutter up your thread with my straight journey tales @filobiblic just thought I'd add my first shave notes, from the thread that convinced me to give it a try.

Wow! That's great to hear. You've done well for your first shave doing a full pass. [emoji106]
A Bengall is a solid blade I hear (@Nonick loves his!). Top stuff mate.

 

[filobiblic]

No, no @SchoolForAnts, please do clutter up our thread with your straight journey.

I agree. Join in the fun and add to this thread. It's a beginners thread for starting with a straight. (And it gets a bit repetitive after the first dozen shaves for just one person!!!) [emoji14]

 

[Mark]

Great stuff @SchoolForAnts. Best of luck with your journey, we'd like to hear your progression too, sounds like a great start!

 

[Nonick]

The Bengall is a great shaver.

It's true your hands get in the way of seeing, but after a bit of practice you get used to it. A few different angles should solve the problem.

Though if anyone sees you it will look like your doing bathroom yoga. Hard to explain

 

[Arnold J Rimmer]

In another thread, I mentioned re-honing my straight, up from 1000 grit.

It is a more significantly keen edge than it was, as I found out the hard way...

Every hesitation was met with blood. Just resting the blade on the face even for an instant, was a mistake!

In the end, I think I have 7 new styptic marks.

Time to refine my technique. Less on the face, more across it.

 

[filobiblic]

Every hesitation was met with blood. Just resting the blade on the face even for an instant, was a mistake!

In the end, I think I have 7 new styptic marks.

So why post this on the beginners' thread and scare away any potential new recruits? [emoji13]

 

[Arnold J Rimmer]

The truth shall set you free!

I'm still a beginner at this myself. Having that extra degree of sharpness was a surprise.

I'm not saying it as a bad thing though. The shaving rash was greatly minimised. In fact, this morning my face feels fine. A splash of cold water, and some St John's Bay Rum (small sting), and I'm on my way!

Honestly, it was like going from a butter knife to a filleting knife. For me that is brilliant!

 

[Mark]

The truth shall set you free!

I'm still a beginner at this myself. Having that extra degree of sharpness was a surprise.

I'm not saying it as a bad thing though. The shaving rash was greatly minimised. In fact, this morning my face feels fine. A splash of cold water, and some St John's Bay Rum (small sting), and I'm on my way!

Honestly, it was like going from a butter knife to a filleting knife. For me that is brilliant!

Well Done! Synthetics tend to give a very crisp edge, some like it others don't, If you're chasing more comfort in a very economical way without having to buy nats, hit with 300 light laps on Linen followed by 50 on leather and it will give you more comfort and still keep its keen edge.

 

[Arnold J Rimmer]

Thanks for the tip, Mark.

Now to find some linen...

 

[SchoolForAnts]

Felt braver with my second shave tonight, and tried out using my left hand as well as my right - awkward, but didn't feel as cacky-handed as last night. I was also confident enough to attempt my chin and under my nose. After successfully doing those without nicking myself, I also did one check XTG. So far so good!

I came close (I think) to cutting myself, as soon as the blade touched my face it didn't feel 'quiet right' and sharp against my jaw. I'm learning that the angle is where it's all at, and trying hard to keep it at 30 degrees.

The shaves are taking a lot longer - but enjoying it.

 

[Nonick]

This isn't so cheap, but it would take the worry out about cutting yourself.

 

[borked]

This isn't so cheap, but it would take the worry out about cutting yourself.

Hmm, I reckon @Mark could hone an edge sharp enough to cut yourself with that