Thread: Help please?!?!?!?

Just gone for the third shave and somethings going horribly wrong. As shave 2 went so well I followed all the same procedures but dropped the strop to 45 laps as suggested. Set the razor as I did before but yeeeeeeeeeeooooooow......

Pull...drag....blood!!! I bailed after 5 mins and reached for the DE.

I don't know what I have done but it seems all the hard work Lynn did to get the thing sharp seems to have been undone with just three shaves?

Does anyone have any suggestions about how this could happen? I have not abused the blade in any way and when I tried to shave the hair on my arms afterwards it was a huge failure. I could ride bare arsed to London on it?!!?

Sounds like you rolled the edge by improper stropping. maybe you did not keep the blade flat on the strop or when you flipped the razor over you did not roll on the spine but instead rolled on the edge.

Just guessing,

I rolled over the spine and didn't hear anything untowards on the strop.

• Is it possible to bash the edge from overzealous rolling over the spine? Does it need re-honing?
• Would I be able to resurrect it by getting a pasted strop from Tony?
• Do I stop being a wuss and get a Norton and learn fast?

Sorry for all the questions in one go but I neeeeeeeed my straight back in the game! The DE is not fun anymore!

I would try to figure out what's going on with your stropping before trying to figure out how to hone the razor. One problem at a time Otherwise, you may end up using the hone as a crutch for poor stropping technique.

Are you crying??? There's no crying in straight shaving!!

No expert, me, but I can say that I messed my blade up when learning because of poor stropping. It's not uncommon I think. Is it possible for you to describe your stropping method? I agree it sounds like the edge got messed up on the strop somehow.

How much pressure did you put on the blade while stropping?
Was there a lot of sagging of the strop itself?

I can't tell you how to fix the blade unfortunately. I think you might want to send it back to Lynn to have it fixed and focus on stropping technique because if that's the problem, you'll always have it unless you learn better technique on the strop.

jimmyray's right.

Your stropping should be done gently taking care not to rough up the edge at all. A slow easy X motion is best. Sometimes a bad stropping session can yield a bad shave without having ruined the edge. You might want to have another go and see what happens. Use a very light touch in the shave too. If you're getting some pulling and/or other bad sensations just quit and get it to a hone. I'm not sure a pasted strop would do the job, but there's no harm in giving it a try.

To answer your questions.
- Only if you overshoot the flat blade position and yes even by a little could send the edge out of alignment. It may need rehoning.
- That might work, but since stropping appears to be an issue for you right now, you'll likely need to learn to use the tool better before you get good results from it.
- Why not. Someone once said that straight razor shavers should be forced to learn to hone before they're allowed to shave so they have an appreciation for how fine and delicate the edge really is.

X

There were very nearly tears last night at the skin destruction I can tell you!!!!

Anyway I'll try explain the technique.

The strop is on the back of the bathroom door and I pulled it taught as I could to myself, my end higher so the angle was about 35 degrees.

Starting at the door end put the spine against the strop with the point overhanging the strop by about a half inch.

Rolled the blade towards the door and drew back to me diagonally until about 2 inches from the end of the strop.

Rolled onto the spine re-positioned the spine to overhang at the point again and rolled the blade into contact, edge to me, and followed a diagonal path to the starting position 2 inches from the end of the strop.

I repeated this 45 times.

Just done a test pass and the weight isn't excessive but I noticed my thumb falls to edge side of the shaft so may not be balanced would that do it? Should it be bang in the middle?

Will give the blade a set of 40 later?!?!?

I think it's a stropping issue as well.

The technique you describe sounds ok. Are you using a linen? I'd give the blade about 30 RT's on the linen with moderate pressure. Then another 20-30 RT's on the leather, the first 10-15 with moderate pressure, the remaining with light pressure.

Focus most of the pressure on the back (spine) of your razor allowing the razor edge to trail behind. That will help prevent putting too much pressure on the edge. Keep the entire blade flat on the strop.

As long as your thumb is able to control the downward pressure on the razor it shouldn't matter where it is. I find thumb slightly toward the trailing edge (cutting edge side) of the shank allows good pressure control, and is a good position for turning the blade.

How is your strop attached to the bathroom door? Is it solidly attached by something that won't stretch? Or is it attached by a cord of some type? The more firm and solid the attachment, the better.


Scott

It's fixed to the door handle and I strop whilst the door is closed so I can lean out and keep it taught.

I do use the linen but not as many as 30RT's

Thanks for all the advice folks!

I took the razor back to the strop last night as X suggested, followed all your advice to the letter and went very, very slowly. I went for 40 linen and 60 leather and when done I could take the hair off the inside of my arm but only if the blade contacted the skin.

I guess I need to ask is this back to necessary sharpness (no beard last night as I'd DE'd the face for work )or do I still need the able help of a honemeister ?!?!?

I think the problem may have been that I was not doing the x straight? I was curving the blade back towards the centre of the strop at the end of the stoke? Would this do it?!?!?