Well Guys, I had my first straight shave last weekend.
I picked a nice, quiet time so I could concentrate and not get bumped into by my four year old son who loves to watch me shave. Also, I don't want him to see me use a straight just yet because he'll be dying to get his hands on it once he sees it.
Back to the point. I went slowly and respectfully. I had no anxiety going into this shave. I learned that anxiety and shaving A) don't mix, and B) is usually unfounded. I was all kinds of scared to try my first Feather blade in a DE which proved to be completely not scary. Also, I was all kinds of scared to try a Slant. Again, not scary.
So, I went at it with my new Southern & Richardson 6/8 roundpoint medium hollow. It's a thing of beauty, really. The blade looks practically new. Sparkly and clean. Larry from Whipped Dog hooked me up. Long story short, I followed Larry's instructions. Wiped the petroleum jelly off and started shaving without stropping.
I got a very decent shave. One tiny speck of blood in my usual trouble spot (cowlick on the neck). No problem. I even did a few extra passes just to get a feel for it.
Onward to this evening. I just stropped the razor on my Poor Man strop. I was careful and deliberate, and I shredded that poor piece of leather like a hotdog in a blender. LOL. I've read in a dozen places that we ALL nick our strops when we begin, but I can't believe how many micro-slices and nicks I put in that bad boy. Wow. I hope it's still worth using.
There's still about 10" of undamaged hide between the top and bottom nicks. Should I avoid making contact with them? Will it have a negative impact on the blade?
Thanks to Larry @ Whipped Dog for the very nice looking razor and the helpful, timely instructions.
I picked a nice, quiet time so I could concentrate and not get bumped into by my four year old son who loves to watch me shave. Also, I don't want him to see me use a straight just yet because he'll be dying to get his hands on it once he sees it.
Back to the point. I went slowly and respectfully. I had no anxiety going into this shave. I learned that anxiety and shaving A) don't mix, and B) is usually unfounded. I was all kinds of scared to try my first Feather blade in a DE which proved to be completely not scary. Also, I was all kinds of scared to try a Slant. Again, not scary.
So, I went at it with my new Southern & Richardson 6/8 roundpoint medium hollow. It's a thing of beauty, really. The blade looks practically new. Sparkly and clean. Larry from Whipped Dog hooked me up. Long story short, I followed Larry's instructions. Wiped the petroleum jelly off and started shaving without stropping.
I got a very decent shave. One tiny speck of blood in my usual trouble spot (cowlick on the neck). No problem. I even did a few extra passes just to get a feel for it.
Onward to this evening. I just stropped the razor on my Poor Man strop. I was careful and deliberate, and I shredded that poor piece of leather like a hotdog in a blender. LOL. I've read in a dozen places that we ALL nick our strops when we begin, but I can't believe how many micro-slices and nicks I put in that bad boy. Wow. I hope it's still worth using.
There's still about 10" of undamaged hide between the top and bottom nicks. Should I avoid making contact with them? Will it have a negative impact on the blade?
Thanks to Larry @ Whipped Dog for the very nice looking razor and the helpful, timely instructions.