Sharpness or Blade Angle (or Both)?

Can I ask a dumb question? My stropping is going really well, and as far as I can tell my blade is sharp (when I pass it through my arm hair, it pops off some of the hairs. However, when I actually shave, it doesn't seem to be shaving clean on my chin and other areas where it's tough to get the blade angle correct (it's perfect on my cheeks). Am I just expecting too much of the chin strokes? Is it normal for the hair on the chin to need more than one pass to get a clean shave? Or is it possible that my blade is actually dull?

Also, when will my neck stop hurting? It's not really bleeding much, but it seems really irritated by the shave…

Hey neighbor, I'm too new at this to be much help but I can tell you I have the same issue with my neck. I hope with time an improvement in my technique will help my neck. Someone with experience should be along soon.

Good luck
Richard

Reading between the lines in your post I would guess Angle and Pressure.. It is counterintuitive from most types of shaving but with a SR you want less pressure to get a closer shave... Assuming the edge is there also



Take a look at this thread and vid it might give you some ideas about "Shave Ready"

http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...-test-vid.html

The fact that you're getting a good shave on your cheeks would lead me to believe the problem your experiencing is an angles issue. Try shortening your stroke in these area and keep a close eye on the angles. Areas like the chin require some wrist adjustments as you move the razor to maintain the right angles. It's really all a matter of practice.

There are many reasons to grow a goatee, but one of them is that this area is the most difficult to shave well, especially with a straight razor. I found success early on the cheeks, but the chin area took me months to get it right. This is where one truly experiences the learning curve. Give yourself some time, and it will come to you.

As for neck irritation, this is related to the angle of the blade and the pressure used. If you are getting good results on your chin, your blade is sharp, so use it more lightly on the neck area, and you should get less painful results. The ATG pass on the neck should get you great results, but you cannot expect that to happen quickly. Keep at it, lighten the pressure, and give yourself the time required to become proficient in these areas.

I would go along with what the other posters have said about angle and pressure being your main problems. If you are expecting to get a clean smooth shave in one pass with a straight I think you should forget that idea. It usually requires multiple passes to "gradually" reduce your stubble. Guaranteed trying to accomplish that one pass perfection you will be using too much pressure.

The hair on the chin and throat area is some of the toughest hair on the face so not as easily dealt with as the hair on the cheeks. That and the ever changing angles of the face in that area make it one of the most difficult to learn to get a good shave on.

Bob

When the question is of angles, I use several short strokes in the same spot and adjust the angle slightly with each stroke until I find what feels right.

Along with the other comments, my best routine on the neck has been going against/across the grain on the first pass to get my best results. However Pressure/technique was still a big ingredient. Keep at it...it'll come to you. Happy shaving!

Almost definately angle. Use the search to find threads in your problem areas and experiment till you find what works for you. Unfortunately the only way to learn it is to do it.

The hardest part about the chin is the "Round" part. If you break the chin up into 3 areas, you might have better luck. Light pressure is definitely key. Under the lip is one area that is pretty flat so it is easier to maintain an angle similar to your cheek as are the two sides of the chin which also take well to the what I call a flat stroke and it is easier there to maintain a more vertical angle of attack. The hard part about the "Round" is that it takes practice rolling the razor around that part of the chin and maintaining your cutting angle. Only practice will work in the long run.

The neck can be problematic because the hair for most of us grows in funny directions and the tendency is to use too much pressure and too many passes trying to shave there. Experiment with stretching the skin toward the sides of the neck and see if that helps with lighter pressure and only a couple passes.

Have fun.