1000 straight questions...

While most straight razor mentors recognize that poor stropping is the main cause of failure in beginners, the information out there is limited at best and contradictory quite frequently. This is the best source of information I've found https://shavelibrary.com/w/Razor_stropping. And videos are ... not the best.
Speaking of videos, every time a razor gets wet it is important to strop it at least to dry the edge and that way prevent deterioration. In this video you see how you can easily make a newspaper strop that will do what you need until you get your package from Larry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGVNbMvvOJI&t=94s Don't bother watching after minute 1:20

https://shavelibrary.com/w/Razor_stropping.

That's a great source of info...thanks lloydrm

Yesterday and today, I was able to do three passes on my right cheek and I did palm strop in between passes. You're right celestino...not a difficult thing to do, but it was intimidating the first few times.

I also did a WTG pass on the right side of my neck today. Thankfully, there were no cuts or nicks but i can definitely tell a difference in the sensitivity of the skin.

I tried using my left hand to do a WTG pass on the left cheek...that really feels weird. Is it common for straight razor users to switch hands? I remember seeing a YouTube video where the gentleman indicated it would be "uncomfortable" until you get used to it. But I was just wondering if the majority of SR shavers switch hands during the shave.

Congratulations.

Switching hands is not a must. Actually I was on the fence on str8 shaving until I saw a tutorial on how to do it with one hand (I think it went down, it was from a German vendor called NassRasur). Funny thing is I never completed a shave with one hand. Switching hands felt far more confortable than I anticipated and it simply worked.

Dovetailing with what what lloydrm said, here is a good video to show you how to strop on a flat surface until your hanging strops arrive. The first part of the video is promotional for his paddle strop. He isn't the pushy sales type, so I don't mind the promotional part. He gets down to business with the part you need at about 5 minutes. You could lay a piece of cardboard on top of a book and come very close to his positioning.

The video is by Lynn Abrams, who probably knows more about honing and blade sharpness maintenance than anyone on the planet. Lloyd, his videos are worth checking out if you haven't seen them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxIX8UWHYZo

I'm glad Lloyd brought up blade care. Most likely, your blade is carbon steel, which rusts very quickly. You are using it in a wet environment.

Here is what I I do:

If I set the razor down for more than a moment I use an eyeglasses cloth to wipe it off.
When finished, I gently wipe the blade, the tang and the tail with a moist wash cloth.
I do the same thing with the eyeglasses cloth.
VERY IMPORTANT. Wiping the blade down isn't enough. Look closely between the scales. If there is any moisture whatever, use a small piece of paper towel to dry it.
If I lived near salt water, I would put a thin coat of mineral oil on it.

Reason for the glasses cloth: I have new razors with gold electroplating. My hope is that the lenses cloth is easier on the artwork.
Reason for using paper towel: The consistency is just right to thread between the scales.

Now, about using both hands. I don't like rules. I don't like anyone telling what to do. There are many 'rules' around shaving that may not be necessary. While I don't think using both hands is compulsory, I do think it is a best practice. It does take a while to get used to. The advantage is that as you progress, it allows you to use the razor at different angles.

nachum,

What kind of razor or razors did you purchase?

I just scrolled through this thread and have a couple of comments.  In my view, the best reason to learn how to hone your own razors is if you think you will enjoy doing it.  Good equipment for honing is expensive and its a chore unless you enjoy that kind of thing.  The balsa wood strop solution I recommended from Whipped Dog will allow you to correct stropping mistakes and many other beginner issues.

There were several comments about Straight Razor Designs.  My experience with them has been very positive.  When I have called with questions they have been patient and provided good advice.  I've never had a customer service issue, so can't share experience with how they handle problems.   The big reason that I'm a fan of them is because they are so competent.  If Lynn Abrams does a video it has correct information, which is not true of all folks doing shave videos.  

Being in the straight razor business, I've studied the brands and quality a lot.  There will always be folks that are brand loyal, like the Ford/Chevy debates.  So, here is my take.  Dovo, Boker, Thiers Issard and Ralf Aust are the best qualiy new brands that are widely sold. Personally, I wouldn't buy a new razor, other than from craftsmen makers, that wasn't one of these brands. From a quality of shave perspective, none are better than the others IF you buy the razor from one of the specialized shops that sell the razor as shave ready where they check the razor and hone it if needed.  There are specialized shops who claim this, though it isn't true.

I would be very comfortable getting Dovo's from Superior Shave, getting anything from Straight Razor Designs or Maggards.   The reason I stress shave ready from someone like these three is because it increases the chance of getting a razor that doesn't have anything wrong with it. The only thing I can think of that wouldn't be caught by proper test before shipping is if the steel wasn't tempered correctly.

*****************************

After reading some negative comments about Straight Razor Designs, I went and did research on reviews and am changing what I said above. The comment from BadDad especially concerned me because he has always been so reasonable.

So:

1. There are enough negative comments such that I'm not comfortable that almost all razors ship out from SRD shave ready.
2. There is a real jerk on staff who is not being held accountable for being ugly to customers.

I still do believe:

1. Lynn Abrams is a most excellent honer, though the business he co-owns is sending razors that aren't shave ready.
2. Any video done by Lynn has great info.
3. They have some great, innovative products they have branded, such as strops. I would have much confidence in any of their products with good reviews. If I bought one that had a problem and connected with the jerk, I would disconnect and reach out to Lynn or Don directly.

I don't know what it was but this morning's shave on the left side was awesome! I used my left hand and, although it was still weird, it wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday. But what made it such a great shave (at least for me being a newbie) was the smoothness of the passes. I don't believe I had felt that on the right side the past few days. Maybe I was being overly cautious with the left hand and applying no pressure but the angle was good and the passes were so smooth...better than some of my DE's!

BTW, the strops are on their way...hopefully, I will have them on Monday but it should be no later than Tuesday. I know it's been less than a week of SR shaving, but this has been an amazing experience/journey so far

Pete123, thanks for posting about the Lyn Abrams videos. I've been watching several of them over the past couple days. It's really nice to have the recommendation/vote of confidence because I have found some other videos that were, well, less than helpful

If you want to learn to hone, I HIGHLY recommend caleb31 , whose YouTube channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/blistersteel/feed

Caleb is a genuinely nice guy, with a VERY well educated perspective on sharpening razors and all manner of steel. His attitude is to use what works best FOR YOU, rather than trying to boil honing down to a "must-do" process. Check him out. He basically taught me to hone razors without even knowing it!

Regarding Lyn Abrams and SRP/SRD, Lyn's videos can be very useful, especially to new honers, as he does tend to make the process easier to understand. Where others say something like "you have to learn to feel what the razor and stone are doing", Lyn attempts to drill it down to number of passes per stone, which can give new honers an easy step-by-step process to follow.

I won;t go into my past experiences with SRP/SRD, because it's just not necessary to dredge up the past. If his techniques work for you at the moment, I encourage you to sue them. I encourage everyone to use whatever means works best for them. There are MILLIONS of different ways to rub a razor on stone and make it shave. ALL of them are useful.

As you develop experience, feel, and technique, I further encourage you to experiment outside of "the norm", and find things that make honing easier and more entertaining for your own needs. There is no one way, no right or wrong answer, and virtually no limit to the variety of techniques and stones that can produce fantastic results.

If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, it's a good indication that their experience, and thus their advice, is limited and should be treated as suspect.

Just my humble opinion...

Note that I have yet to see anyone on this forum imply that there is only 1 method that works, so nobody in this forum should be treated as "suspect" with their input. All the input I see here is very respectable, in my opinion.