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Giving it the old college try.

Wanna say hi to the B&B community. Start off with saying trying a straight razor for the first time is a new animal to me, after using disposables and canned goop for about 9 years. So here is my little setup, American Made 2" Strop & 5/8 Dovo Classic White Straight Razor Heirloom Set off of classic shaving website Love the place. :thumbup1: So make long story short, here are my questions and goofs. :blush:

Shaving soap is still a science to me, when I have it in my mug and getting it worked up it looks flat but when I start applying it to my face it lather up to much then I look like Santa Claus with bird droppings on my chest. Water at my apartment is very hard, think if you drink it will preserve your insides. What is a good way of getting soap to work for you?

Still learning how to strop, I see to many ways on how to do it. The ends kinda looks like my face with the nicks. What would be a good way to get the nicked leather off?

Sharing my experience on the first time, I have to say I was happy and hyped but when it came to the shaving I was kinda scared "Going oh god what have I got my self into" but it went very good I think with one nick in the chin and razor burn on the neck think my grandfather was with me on that day he's been gone along time ago. Going on day 3 and its getting better, having a nick that look like I popped a zit and that bleed a pint it would stop then start and stop then start bleeding all over the shirt collar.

Well this is the end of my shaving story, any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. Also I been watching youtube way to much on how to do things it is my video google on how to. :lol:
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Welcome to B&B!

For your lather, consult the tutorials: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Lathers
For hard water, I would use bottle water. However, some gents might chip in as some soap work better with hard water.

Nicking a strop always happen, I try to be careful and it still happens, not often but it happens. To get rid of the "bump" try sandpaper. I use 1200 and it does a decent job.

If you have any other questions, don't be shy!
 
Welcome to B&B Retco! Str8 razor shaving is quite a journey that takes a bit of time to get right...best of luck in your endevours and read up as much as you can here on B&B...just about every question you have is in B&B somewhere....although some of it may be hard to find!

+1 to Luc's comments about asking questions as well...I started str8 shaving and have kept at it thanks to heavy encouragement and advice by a number of BBers!

Good Luck!
 
Shaving soap is still a science to me, when I have it in my mug and getting it worked up it looks flat but when I start applying it to my face it lather up to much then I look like Santa Claus with bird droppings on my chest. Water at my apartment is very hard, think if you drink it will preserve your insides. What is a good way of getting soap to work for you?

An image that I'm sure will stick in my mind for some time....
Maybe try a drop or two of glycerin in your lather. Also, maybe vary the amount of water used to see if you can find a sweet spot.

Good luck.
 
Certain soaps react poorly with hard water...but I'm a diehard soap guy and we dont have the softest water at home.

Soak your brush
Squeeze it out
Add a ton of product to it (many swirls on the puck...)
Lather it in your face or the bowl...if its a bit dry, run the tips of the brush really quickly through the water and then back to your bowl or face...you'll get it right in no time.

Too little soap...its a bit dry and not lathering well
Too much and its very airy...

Check out the tutorials Luc pointed you to and you'll be set!

When you do...you'll be glad you did...soaps are amazing and last forever! :thumbup1:
 
Thank you for the the tutorial, it was exactly what I was looking for. I wasn't sure if you where post to get the soap in the mug or not, I was saying to my self "I am doing some thing very wrong here" and started trying what was in the tutorial not knowing it I was doing it right or wrong. But now I get the picture or pictures lol
 
Certain soaps react poorly with hard water...but I'm a diehard soap guy and we dont have the softest water at home.

Soak your brush
Squeeze it out
Add a ton of product to it (many swirls on the puck...)
Lather it in your face or the bowl...if its a bit dry, run the tips of the brush really quickly through the water and then back to your bowl or face...you'll get it right in no time.

Too little soap...its a bit dry and not lathering well
Too much and its very airy...

Check out the tutorials Luc pointed you to and you'll be set!

When you do...you'll be glad you did...soaps are amazing and last forever! :thumbup1:
Thanks, yeah I am expecting to see a rock or two fly out of my faucet. Being in Florida use to having some what good water but can smell they like adding a lot of chlorine in the water. As I'm typing here going to try heating up some bottle water, I don't really trust the tap water any more.
 
Thanks, yeah I am expecting to see a rock or two fly out of my faucet. Being in Florida use to having some what good water but can smell they like adding a lot of chlorine in the water. As I'm typing here going to try heating up some bottle water, I don't really trust the tap water any more.

Best of luck....I was stationed there a few years so I get your drift :smile:
 
An image that I'm sure will stick in my mind for some time....
Maybe try a drop or two of glycerin in your lather. Also, maybe vary the amount of water used to see if you can find a sweet spot.

Good luck.
Sorry I have a very bad habit of putting odd images in people's heads. Lol
 
What to thank every one on there tips and website @Luc gave, helped a lot. :thumbup: Seeing that starting out on straight razor shaving is mostly trial and error, until that person is comfortable with there setup. @Ru4scuba?, It went very well with the soap lathering. Heated up some bottle water to tap water temp, played around with the amount of water on the soap and mixing. I notice a big deference on how the lather acted on my face.

Now just waiting for the whet stone to come in, picked out the Norton 4000/8000
Also working on my stropping & shaving techniques. :001_cool:
 
What to thank every one on there tips and website @Luc gave, helped a lot. :thumbup: Seeing that starting out on straight razor shaving is mostly trial and error, until that person is comfortable with there setup. @Ru4scuba?, It went very well with the soap lathering. Heated up some bottle water to tap water temp, played around with the amount of water on the soap and mixing. I notice a big deference on how the lather acted on my face.

Now just waiting for the whet stone to come in, picked out the Norton 4000/8000
Also working on my stropping & shaving techniques. :001_cool:

Glad to hear you're already improving...well on your way my friend! Best of luck and post more Qs if you have them...
 
Welcome to B&B! You are a lot braver than I am taking on straight razor shaving straight on from canned goop and MBMs. You seem to have solved your hard water issue and created some nice lather. Next thing you might want to think about is skin stretching. It has done wonders for me, watch Chimensch's video on youtube to see how it is done and pay attention to how he uses his alum block: a neat trick to improve skin stretching on a slippery face. Good luck!
 
Welcome to B&B! You are a lot braver than I am taking on straight razor shaving straight on from canned goop and MBMs. You seem to have solved your hard water issue and created some nice lather. Next thing you might want to think about is skin stretching. It has done wonders for me, watch Chimensch's video on youtube to see how it is done and pay attention to how he uses his alum block: a neat trick to improve skin stretching on a slippery face. Good luck!
Thank you, yeah that is one thing I do need to work on is skin stretching. I been watching Mantic59 videos on youtube but there mostly safety razors, sep lathering up and stretching can use. One comment he added that he is trying out a straight but the video is a year off. I don't blame him, I'd be glad to watch the video on that been looking for more information. Kinda bad that I am reading and watching videos mostly at work.
Thanks
 
Thank you, yeah that is one thing I do need to work on is skin stretching. I been watching Mantic59 videos on youtube but there mostly safety razors, sep lathering up and stretching can use. One comment he added that he is trying out a straight but the video is a year off. I don't blame him, I'd be glad to watch the video on that been looking for more information. Kinda bad that I am reading and watching videos mostly at work.
Thanks

Well, I have to admit that does happen to me sometimes too. No harm in taking a break now and then.
 
Not sure how I missed your post, but I thought I'd duck in for a word of encouragement. I've been DE shaving for a bit, but only have 16 or so straight shaves to my name. Especially early on when the results are not what you have been expecting, it can be difficult. Just keep at it, and with the help of the amazing people here at B&B in no time you will be a straight shaving (and lathering) virtuoso.

The fellas posting in this thread were a big inspiration to me when I was in my first few shaves, when things were looking their darkest. :thumbup: Keep up the great work, and keep posting. We'll get ya through this!
 
...... when things were looking their darkest......

You know...thats a good way to put it. Those first few shaves suck so bad, and pull and hurt etc that it can really get you down WRT straight shaving.

But, as a good buddy of mine used to say...."its always darkest before the dawn!"

Keep at it Recto...
 
I sure will, I don't give up easily. My mother can vouch for that ha! Reading on how to lap a hone, and using the hone. So far I have stropping down, the skin stretching I've been experimenting on what works for me and watching youtube videos on people shaving with a straight.
 
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