OT - Straight Razor Tips
My grandma died recently, and in a chest in her basement I found three new in box straight razors that would've been my great grandfather's. He died even before my dad was born.
Anyhow, I've always loved a good hot lather straight shave, to the point I'll pay way too much for one, so I thought I'd teach myself. Suggestions? Good places to get a strop?
If I die, you don't get my MGoPoints,
The tobacconist in the Arcade has some stuff. The usual advice is to figure out how to use a safety razor before you go all the way to a straight razor, but since you already have the straight razors and don't have to buy them, I guess there's no need for that. Anyway, you're supposed to practice on a balloon until you can shave it without popping it before you try shaving yourself.
I'll try that. I'm also planning on ALSO using my noral razor. One straight cut, then cleanup with the normal, so I can learn without over risking a cut.
They're supposed to come covered in shaving cream. I'm sorry you got ripped off, man.
Run the blade flat-wise on your skin, NOT long-edge-wise on your skin. I'll never make THAT mistake a sixth time...
Well, I can't imagine shaving your hindquarters and tail without opposable thumbs is easy.
End without them?
My suggestion is to watch the beginning of the movie "Eastern Promises", and then have a go at it...
My beard is patchier than our 2009 secondary.
sincere condolences on the loss of your grandma.
My grandpa (he passed away some 31 years ago) always used a straight razor. I remember watching him shave when visiting him on his farm or at his cabin and wondering how he didn't cut himself when using one of those. It's an art I never tried learning, though, so my only advice is to have lots of bandaids available while you teach yourself.
Get yourself a styptic pencil or powder.
let us know if you bleed Maize and Blue.
Don't use it. I knew a guy who cut himself badly on both sides of his mouth, leaving serious scars, and he ended up constantly asking people if they wanted to know how he got them, like some crazy man.
Using a strong grip, place that deadly mother in the bathtub area and have your wife test it on her legs first...
What's the worst that could happen?
....is a very good place to start. I would recommend that you start of with a Double Edge safety razor. Going from a can of goo and a 3-4-5 blade cartridge razor to a straight edge blade is asking for trouble- your skin will need to get used to an entirely different shaving technique. Also, you will need a strop and other items, and the overall hassle is much greater for a straight-edge vs a DE safety. You will need a decent shaving brush (badger!) and will want to consider shaving soaps or real shaving cream- throw out that can! Aside from the Arcade you can check out sites like westcoastshaving.com; There are also Art of Shaving stores but they are more like the gateway drug to this whole thing. I personally like Truefitt & Hill, but there are a lot of other good, if esoteric brands. Important point- go slowly and allow the weight of the blade to do the work. DO NOT press down like you would with a cartridge! Another resource is to do a search for "Mantic59" on YouTube, he has many videos on shaving technique, etc.
There WILL be a learning curve. Back in the day fathers taught sons proper technique, but if you are just starting out you may expect "a few" nicks and cuts. I strongly recommend you check out the Nick Stick. Proper shaving can be a real treat to yourself, take the time....
If one really wanted to, I'm convinced you could get started in the DE world for less than $100. Then yearly soaps and blades could be bought for less than $15/year.
But it's way too easy to turn it into an expensive hobby.
is actually a bit difficult. Think of it more in terms of taking a mundane daily function normally performed half-asleep into a ritual that is for your enjoyment, and a rare opportunity to really treat yourself to something special.
together w/possibly Gillete's first dual edge razor. Try to make this as brief as possible. I inherited a desk - Mission style they're called - and lent it to my sister after it had been in my home for years without never opening a drawer. She wanted it to furnish the lobby of one of her apartment buildings.
When I got it back I decided to see what was inside and found this Gillete box with a dual edge razor inside. Although the writing was very clear, inside the box, together with the razor was directions printed in four different languaes, English, German, French and Spanish. Given the age of the desk that belonged to my deceased wife's grandfather who died in the mid 70s at age 95, I realized it must have been his mother's and the razor probably belonged to my wife's great- grandfather. which made sense given her grandfather's age and year of death. As neat as this find was I then opened this rather long thin box and found what would have been a foot soldier's straight edge during the civil war. The casing is wooden and still in pretty good shape. The blade was sharp as hell but it was the lettering that really stuck out. In clear, capital letters across the U.S. symbol are the words, THE UNION MUST AND SHALL SURVIVE. I imagine this was mandatory issue to all Northern soldiers during the civil war. Must say I just sat and marveled at this piece of history for quite some time. Thought it might be of interest to some of you history majors.
Did the Union survive, or not?
nfm*
That is pretty cool..
.
I don't know anything about it but I got a buddy...
love to see pics if you have any.
don't drink and use straight edge
I made the shift to the DE/Straight Edge world about 3 years ago. So all this is from experience.
1 - http://badgerandblade.com/ has a bunch of good information on there
2 - Buy a cheap strop and learn on that. You will likely knick and cut it, better to do it to a $20 strop than a $75+ one.
3 - Use a DE razor first. It's a totally different ballgame than the 8 blade Mach Jet Glide world. You want to use as little pressure as possible.
4 - When you move to a straight edge, start with a rounded tip. More user friendly for the beginner.
5 - I still only shave with the grain on my face, my beard isn't that heavy. With proper stretching I can get an excellent shave just going in one direction and cleaning up tougher areas (chin) with my DE. Don't chase the perfect 4-way shave if you don't need to.
6- Just get a finishing stone if you plan on sharpening your own blades. You likely will never have enough experience to buy all the stones necessary to rehab a very dull blade. I have all the stones, and only rarely use the finishing stone. Proper stropping will keep the blade plenty sharp for a long time.
7 - In terms of shave soaps/creams. I use Arko and Cella. Very cheap and makes good lather. You can spend $40 on soap, only to be frustrated in your lack of ability to make good foam. Start small.
8 - I'd recommend a brush that is on the stiffer side. My brush is a little floppy and I think that's my problem when struggling to make foam.
9 - Don't ever use a straight edge when you don't have 30 minutes to dedicate to it. Last thing you want to do is rush. Shaving after a shower is the best. I invested a lot of money in the whole game pre kids when I had more time and sleep wasn't at a premium. Now that I have kids I might use the straight edge once a week. A DE shave is much better than Mach 3 shave, and much simpler than a straight edge. Therefore, the DE is my go to.
Also, price the razors out. They may be better kept as a collectors item.
Paying for a shave? Come on...
I've been using a straight razor for about 10 years now (the multi-blade ones gave awful razor bumps). Some advice:
1. Unless you are REALLY familiar with knives and blades, I would start by having a professional sharpen it - I recommend these guys, as they are reasonably priced and do a fantastic job - http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/
2. They also sell a decent "starter kit," which would come with a strop, bowl, etc.
3. Learning curve is pretty steep. You'll probably slice yourself good the first two or three times, but it gets easier much faster. There's a pretty sincere motivation to learn quickly.
4. Only shave after a shower, since the facial hair will be significantly softer.
5. Practice by doing only your sideburns the first few times. It's a nice, flat area that you can't screw up too badly.
6. NEVER EVER EVER draw the blade parallel across your skin.
7. Stick with it, if for no other reason than other people's expressions when they find out that you basically scrape a scalpel across your throat every other day.
Good luck!
I just bought a package XL condoms. Its my first expereince with condoms. Does anyone know of some repository of information I can look to in order to understand how to use them? I have no idea where I might look for information. Are there books out there?
If I could only use this mgoblog machine for other purposes....Hmmm....
If you don't have any balloons on which to experiment with a straight razor, condoms will be a perfectly fine substitute.
Pro tip: experts recommend shaving the condom while wearing it—it helps with concentration.
I finally worked up a good lather, and afterward the condom is all lose.
Step 1 is always quit lying to yourself.