Some Noob Questions

Orlando_The_Axe · Mar 21, 2016

So, according to the literature that came with my beginner kit a strop can be oiled with just about anything, some people in fact just rub it down with their oily skin? Is there a reason neatfoot oil is popular? More importantly is there any reason I shouldn't just use Mink Oil as I do my other leather products? Also after rinsing and stropping my razor I rubbed some coconut oil on the blade as I didn't have any Vaseline handy and the coconut was the only semi solid (at room temp) oil I had that I knew wouldn't make a stinky mess of things/ go bad. It seems to have worked just fine. The light coat is holding up and I see no signs of oxidation. I'm wondering how much these particular items matter in the long run, or even in the short run...

Also, any tips on holding the razor when shaving S-N, or any direction other than N-S? The grain on my neck grows S-N, and then posts out to follow my jawline out from my chin to my ears. This makes the simplest WTG pass more complicated than it ought to be and is the main reason I haven't ventured past my cheeks when shaving with the straight...

Thanks!

global_dev · Mar 21, 2016

you shouldn't need to oil often at all. i cant provide good info on oils though, except some mink oil has silicone in it or sometjimg like that.

the wiki has a straight section with the various holds. chexk it out

lishijia · Mar 22, 2016

Orlando_The_Axe said:
Also, any tips on holding the razor when shaving S-N, or any direction other than N-S? The grain on my neck grows S-N, and then posts out to follow my jawline out from my chin to my ears. This makes the simplest WTG pass more complicated than it ought to be and is the main reason I haven't ventured past my cheeks when shaving with the straight...

Thanks!

The Wiki has a good page on grips for straights, with pictures.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_hold_a_Straight_Razor

After experimenting some, for S-N, I use something very similar to the first "ATG" hold.
here: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Image:Straight_Razor_Grip_ATG_jpg
I keep the angle between the blade and the scales tighter than this (around 45 degrees), especially when doing the neck, otherwise the handle interferes with the razor as I sweep it up under my jawline. And that means, I don't have room between the spine of the razor and the scales for my bratwurst-like finger, so it stays outside, not tucked in between the two.

BobLH · Mar 22, 2016

Neats Foot Oil has been used for a very long time to help maintain horse tack, bridles, harnesses and saddles. It should say "pure" Neats Foot Oil if you are going to use any. A very small amount goes a long way on a strop when you rub it in. If you palm rub your strop before use you should rarely have to use Neats Foot Oil.

I guess depending on how humid an environment you live in would indicate whether you should oil your blade between uses or not. I do not keep my SRs in the bathroom and have average humidity in the house so I just thoroughly dry my razor after use, leave open for a while and then store it away. The only time I do oil them is when I go on holiday and then it is a light coat of mineral oil.

You just have to experiment to find a grip/grips that you are comfortable with when shaving with a SR. When going S-N on my neck the blade and handle are almost in line with just a slight bend at the pivot so I can do a back handed stroke. Sorry hard to describe. I keep the spine low and very close to my skin.

Bob

Lmarkow · Mar 22, 2016

I use neats foot oil once in a while. Just a drop or two on my hands, which I then rub together a bit, then right hand for one strop, left for another other. I would not put a food oil on my razors. Re: your grip, using a super light touch, trial and error (. . . and the razor) will let you know what works best.

Good luck!

Slash McCoy · Mar 22, 2016

I find motor oil works great on razors. It makes a very good film on steel. Mineral oil not so good. Vegetable based oils oxidize relatively quickly and so are not the best thing to use for protecting steel. For long term storage and for shipping, I use petroleum jelly.

Like they said on strops. If you think you have enough oil, you have about 10x too much. Literally, only a few drops are needed, no more than once a month if that. The only time you would ever want to use it liberally is bringing an old dry strop back to life. Neats foot oil is simply the best. For a cheap strop though, who cares? Any saddle shop will have it, or get it online. A very small bottle will last approximately forever. Some oldschool guys use lather. I guess it depends on what soap you use.

spoken36 · Mar 23, 2016

I think there are many levels of expertise that keep shaving with a straight interesting. Trying to master everything at once would be like hitting the candy store for everything that's in there, and even if you could do it, you would lose a lot of the experience that time plays out. So philosophically, pacing yourself is a good approach to straights, IMO.

I suggest that concerning yourself with direction of hair growth, in detail, is putting the cart before the horse, with the horse being learning and getting comfortable with wielding the blade all over your whisker patch. I would concentrate on wedding the offhand stretching of the skin with strokes that get the cream off your face comfortably, and mostly ignore growth direction. If you do that, it won't be long and you will have developed the skills to do what you want all over your face and neck. Skills first, then follow with orchestrating those skills, in other words.

There are areas on my face where going slightly ATG first pass is much less irritating and feels significantly better to execute than WTG, so the WTG, XTG, ATG progression is only a rule to learn so that I can break it artfully, anyway.

Don't be afraid to grab the razor upside down for the neck, however it is comfy for you to hold. Just do it. If it's scary, fold some tape over the edge and wipe some cream off to give yourself the feel.

Everyone learns different things at different rates, so learning from others is great, but comparing is probably counterproductive. Some have a more analytical approach, while others go more intuitively; it just depends how you're wired.

Orlando_The_Axe · Mar 25, 2016

spoken36 said:
I think there are many levels of expertise that keep shaving with a straight interesting. Trying to master everything at once would be like hitting the candy store for everything that's in there, and even if you could do it, you would lose a lot of the experience that time plays out. So philosophically, pacing yourself is a good approach to straights, IMO.

I suggest that concerning yourself with direction of hair growth, in detail, is putting the cart before the horse, with the horse being learning and getting comfortable with wielding the blade all over your whisker patch. I would concentrate on wedding the offhand stretching of the skin with strokes that get the cream off your face comfortably, and mostly ignore growth direction. If you do that, it won't be long and you will have developed the skills to do what you want all over your face and neck. Skills first, then follow with orchestrating those skills, in other words.

There are areas on my face where going slightly ATG first pass is much less irritating and feels significantly better to execute than WTG, so the WTG, XTG, ATG progression is only a rule to learn so that I can break it artfully, anyway.

Don't be afraid to grab the razor upside down for the neck, however it is comfy for you to hold. Just do it. If it's scary, fold some tape over the edge and wipe some cream off to give yourself the feel.

Everyone learns different things at different rates, so learning from others is great, but comparing is probably counterproductive. Some have a more analytical approach, while others go more intuitively; it just depends how you're wired.

Thanks, that's all great advice. I guess I'm preoccupied with the direction of the growth because when I use a DE I switch directions all over my face depending on the growth. It makes sense to think about it that way, practicing the motions without worrying about removing much hair just to get passable (pun intended) with wielding the razor. As to the approach to my method... I'm the rare beast that analyzes to the extreme but to the end of flying by the seat of my pants. I need to know everything, more importantly I need to know the "why this and not that, and how the yes and the no relate" but at the end of the day I do everything by feeling. It makes perfect sense given my career path, applying the science of acoustics and electricity, and the psych of hearing to the art of making music, etc. sound its best.

Orlando_The_Axe · Mar 25, 2016

Another shave tonight and it went pretty well. Definitely getting closer, though there's still quite a journey to becoming proficient. I worried more about the razor and comfortable strokes/angles and less about the direction the hair was growing, as long as I wasn't going against the grain. After a few WTG passes to see how well I can do with the straight I switch to the DE, and my first DE pass is WTG to really see how well I did with the straight. This time there was actually nothing left to pick up WTG with the DE, except on/ under the chin. I was happy with those results!

spoken36 · Mar 26, 2016

Superb. That sounds great. Keep it up and enjoy those shaves. Let each be an artful masterpiece.

TriggerMan · Apr 1, 2016

Question: If I were to use the straight one day, then not use it again for a couple of days, would I need to oil it? I shaved this morning and dried my blade, but I didn't use any oil. Should I go oil it now?
Thanks in advance.

Slash McCoy · Apr 1, 2016

TriggerMan said:
Question: If I were to use the straight one day, then not use it again for a couple of days, would I need to oil it? I shaved this morning and dried my blade, but I didn't use any oil. Should I go oil it now?
Thanks in advance.

It is a very good idea to oil it after every use, but many if not most guys don't. YMMV. Depends a lot on your humidity and stuff. If you keep your razors in a dry room with good climate control you can maybe get away with never oiling. If you keep your razors in the bathroom then you are begging for rust to appear. BTW you dont need any fancy oil. In fact my favorite razor oil is motor oil. It is formulated to leave a clingy film on steel. And it is cheap. When you do an oil change on your car or truck there is enough oil left in the empty containers to keep your favorite razor well oiled for a year or more, I am guessing. Or buy a quart and keep it just for razors. Whatevah.

For long term storage I recommend petroleum jelly.

TriggerMan · Apr 1, 2016

Slash McCoy said:
It is a very good idea to oil it after every use, but many if not most guys don't. YMMV. Depends a lot on your humidity and stuff. If you keep your razors in a dry room with good climate control you can maybe get away with never oiling. If you keep your razors in the bathroom then you are begging for rust to appear. BTW you dont need any fancy oil. In fact my favorite razor oil is motor oil. It is formulated to leave a clingy film on steel. And it is cheap. When you do an oil change on your car or truck there is enough oil left in the empty containers to keep your favorite razor well oiled for a year or more, I am guessing. Or buy a quart and keep it just for razors. Whatevah.

For long term storage I recommend petroleum jelly.

Ok, so I get me some motor oil. How do I apply it, wipe on carefully with a paper towel? When I am ready to use the razor again, does the oil rinse off easily?

Slash McCoy · Apr 1, 2016

TriggerMan said:
Ok, so I get me some motor oil. How do I apply it, wipe on carefully with a paper towel? When I am ready to use the razor again, does the oil rinse off easily?

Just dab your fingertip in it, pinch it onto your thumb, and pinch the razor between thumb and forefinger. Paper towel optional. No, the oil will not rinse off at all. Pinch it between some TP and wipe it right off. You dont want oil to get on your strop.

spoken36 · Apr 2, 2016

I have to try the motor oil. Sounds industrial.

Something that has worked pretty well so far is a glass spice jar (tall and skinny) that I fill with pure ethanol, and add just a little bit of mineral oil. When I'm done shaving and am about to do the post shave strop, I give the jar a vigorous shake that breaks up the separated oil into tiny globules that stay suspended while I strop, and the bigger ones settle out. When finished stropping, I slide the spine of the blade down the far side of the spice jar until it bottoms and slide it back out (keeping the edge safe from contact by ensuring spine contact). I place the razor in a mug partially folded, which lets a little liquid flow to the pivot to dry it out, and the oil disperses evenly as the alcohol dries.

Much easier to do than to type.

Kentos · Apr 2, 2016

I recently bought some Japanese Camelia oil for my knives for kicks and giggles(since my Japanese knives are basically samurai swords right?!)

Those things rust seemingly faster than any of my razors.

Slash McCoy · Apr 2, 2016

Kentos said:
I recently bought some Japanese Camelia oil for my knives for kicks and giggles(since my Japanese knives are basically samurai swords right?!)

Those things rust seemingly faster than any of my razors.

Yeah I notice my kami rusts quickly and spontaneously.

lonnie · Apr 2, 2016

TriggerMan said:
Question: If I were to use the straight one day, then not use it again for a couple of days, would I need to oil it? I shaved this morning and dried my blade, but I didn't use any oil. Should I go oil it now?
Thanks in advance.

Ive only had a straight for a couple months now. I havent oiled it yet. I have been storing it in my safe that has a humity / or dry rod in it. No rust so far and I live 2 blocks from the beach. If rust starts to form, Im sure you would catch it early on. Mothers polish would probably take it right out. I could be wrong though. Just throwing an idea out there

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Some Noob Questions

Orlando_The_Axe

global_dev

lishijia

BobLH

Lmarkow

Slash McCoy

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spoken36

Orlando_The_Axe

Orlando_The_Axe

spoken36

TriggerMan

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets

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spoken36

Kentos

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Slash McCoy

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