Straight feels like its pulling hair out :(

Giving the straight razors a 2nd go, ive been shaving with DE's primarily a Cobra Classic for 2- 2 1/2 years. Ive shaved with a feather artist club with good results but im on my second shave ready straight and it feels like its pulling the hair off my face. I have a restored razor i bought from a respected member here and a new theirs issard 6/8 from SRD shave ready. Stropped the TI before my last 2 shaves with it, my first wtg pass feels like im pulling the whiskers out instead of cutting them im trying to use 30 degree and and have played with the angle, but when i relather i do a 2nd wtg pass and its great razor passes through like butter. Im just a little stumped surely out of 2 different razors they should be sharp enough but im stumped?

Sorry but it Sounds like a common newb problem did you shave with it freshly honed before stropping if so did it shave the same.
I think nearly all of us have killed the edge with poor stropping technique when we start I know I had the same problem when I started, with harshness on the first pass then razor rashes by the time I finished I thought it was my angles etc but no I killed the edge.
Then I invested in a crown barbers hone and all came good again

No offense i am a newb :chapeau
Could be the first razor i bought i did not strop just shaved with it. This one i stropped real slow and methodically after watching Lynns DVD, i have a strop on a piece of wood and a hanging strop both 3 inch. But i wouldnt rule it out that i rolled the edge, i tried so hard not to!! My second pass is so smooth just like when i use a feather artist club, would that be the case even with a rolled edge?

P.S. i believe i posted this in the wrong section

It could be shave prep, especially if the second pass is way better as the remaining beard had more time to soften. Also, instead of the 30 degree angle, start with the blade flat on your face and slowly add angle, you should find the sweet-spot that way. And also it could be stropping as others have said, practice stropping with a butter knife or other razor shaped dull object to build some muscle memory

If you have been using a feather then I would bet it's stropping technique. Stropping is the necessary evil that has a learning curve also. You may be able to bring your edge back if it was a stropping thing. Try to lay it on a table and make sure it stays flat. That takes some of the variables out of it. ( if your using a hanging strop)

Could also be a pressure thing with the razor. A straight is a little different feel than a feather.

your in the right place :<0)

Thanks for the suggestions!! So i should send them off to get the rolled edges fixed or can that be stropped back straight? I do have a barbers hone but if i cant strop probably shouldnt be honing :aargh:

Would it be possible to tell if the edge is rolled from a picture?

I would suggest trying to strop first. If that doesn't work try the hone as if your sending them out anyway there is nothing to lose. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Triad

Stropped the TI before my last 2 shaves with it, my first wtg pass feels like im pulling the whiskers out instead of cutting them im trying to use 30 degree and and have played with the angle, but when i relather i do a 2nd wtg pass and its great razor passes through like butter. Im just a little stumped surely out of 2 different razors they should be sharp enough but im stumped?

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Ok wait a half second here because you just confused me


Just to clarify

Both razors fail on the 1st WTG pass
Both Razors shave on the 2nd WTG pass after a Re-lather
Both razors have been stropped


If that is true then your issue is your prep/lather

or

I am misreading your post and ignore me :)

Well I am very new also and have the same problem or having the same problem. I found that as I keep trying to keep the 30° I seem to get away from 30° then it polls when I get back to the proper angle it cuts like butter.

It's very easy to go above a 30 degree angle at first, try about a spine width above your face, that might be easier to picture/reproduce. For me 30 degrees is a bit on the high side except for a few problem areas.

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Originally Posted by k5MOW

Well I am very new also and have the same problem or having the same problem. I found that as I keep trying to keep the 30° I seem to get away from 30° then it polls when I get back to the proper angle it cuts like butter.

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Thanks a lot fellas i will try your suggestions, im definatly not giving up i want to figure this out

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Ok wait a half second here because you just confused me


Just to clarify

Both razors fail on the 1st WTG pass
Both Razors shave on the 2nd WTG pass after a Re-lather
Both razors have been stropped


If that is true then your issue is your prep/lather

or

I am misreading your post and ignore me :)

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No I read that too - but I don't have the same reaction the rest of you guys have on this!

I have had quite a few blades that were "close but not quite there" that pulled like the Dickens on the first pass, but "shaved" on the second pass. That doesn't read funny to me.

I can't explain it. Before I tried to understand it, I got more razors or learned to stop, and touch up before moving on to the second pass - or even finnishing the first. Though I admit it seems odd, but its happened to me so often that I wonder if we shouldn't explore it more. I can tell you bar none, its wasn't a prep issue in my case.

About every 2nd time a new shaver complains of dullness or pulling it's related to their experience with a shavette type razor because they allow steeper angles (according to Lynn in his beginner video, i don't know personally never shaved with one). We see this post over and over.

These threads generally go something like this:

"My new XYZ razor, honed by master honer seems dull/pulls/tugs, I have been using a shavette."

So if that feather you are referring to is a shavette-thing (fake straight), then really get that blade angle down. And work on getting your beard soft. Try lather, then strop, then shave (after bath). Or lather, fetch a fresh cup, check your email, then re-lather and shave. Get some damp in them whiskers.

I don't think you rolled the edge unless you were trying to strop like in the movies and you used big pressure. Nearly always in the SR game, less is more.

It really takes a while for everything to come together. Hang in there.

RE David's post directly above this one: I'm really of the "angle theory" here, despite "prep" being part of my reply. If i have a blade that pulls first pass, it goes back to the rocks-period, but then I gots my angles down. OR sometimes i have rushed prep and a dry whisker is tough indeed.

My prep is a hot shower, face lathering like i have for over 2 years with a good soap i really take my time lathering up as i enjoy the whole experience. Im a newb to the real str8 razors but one was bought from gssixgun and other from SRD. I really think the second pass goes better due to less stubble in the path of the razor. I believe its my angle or possibly a rolled edge, but it shaves the back of my hand with ease, it just seems like the first pass is rough and my stubble stops the razor in its path, im definatly using confident strokes and skin stretching.

When I get tugging, it usually is related to:-hairs are not well hydrated by using good prep or are starting to dry out. Even a sharp blade tugs on dry hair.-a dull or dulling blade.-a too steep blade angle. Keeping the spine close to the skin is important to avoid catching, tugging, irritation, and premature blade dulling, especially on sensative areas like the lips.Shaving can get easier after the first pass because there are fewer hairs left to cut and the first pass helps lather the hairs. I use WTG before trying ATG.Skin stretching and coming at the hard spots from multiple directions helps with closeness and catching.HTH

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Triad

My prep is a hot shower, face lathering like i have for over 2 years with a good soap i really take my time lathering up as i enjoy the whole experience. Im a newb to the real str8 razors but one was bought from gssixgun and other from SRD. I really think the second pass goes better due to less stubble in the path of the razor. I believe its my angle or possibly a rolled edge, but it shaves the back of my hand with ease, it just seems like the first pass is rough and my stubble stops the razor in its path, im definatly using confident strokes and skin stretching.

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Sounds like an angle issue to me??

For those who haven't seen this or would like a little refresher and specifically HERE because of shavette angles. FWD to 16:00 mark if you're in a rush (which is exactly where he's at in the "preview" shot below.)

This is what i'm referring to every time I try to encourage a shavette/SR transitioning folks to correct the angles.


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

One thing I tried when I first started was using conditioner on my face when using a hot towel, it really softened the beard. When my shaving ability got better I could drop the conditioner

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Triad

My prep is a hot shower, face lathering like i have for over 2 years with a good soap i really take my time lathering up as i enjoy the whole experience. Im a newb to the real str8 razors but one was bought from gssixgun and other from SRD. I really think the second pass goes better due to less stubble in the path of the razor. I believe its my angle or possibly a rolled edge, but it shaves the back of my hand with ease, it just seems like the first pass is rough and my stubble stops the razor in its path, im definatly using confident strokes and skin stretching.

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Well there is no doubt that my door is always open to solve a mystery (Or in this case the Mailbox door) if you want to send the one I honed back up to the Northwoods I will check it under the microscope, and test shave it and see what there is to see..
Obviously if you send it up, my OCD won't allow for me to send it back without tweaking for ya anyway :p

PM me or better yet e-mail me over at the website and we can get together


ps; One thing that just caught my eye is the 30° mention, I honestly shy away from that, and call it 2 Spine Widths it is easier to relate to while shaving and also adjust for different razors as you use them.. Just a thought... but the offer still stands

Thank you for posting the video on here. I saw another video online from another guy who did a straight razor shave, but it is always nice to get another person and their experience and tips. Lynn also goes into more detail from the start to the finish and shows you with a few different size razors.

Hopefully my next shave this evening will be more successful. I feel like i was getting some areas where my hair was being pulled rather than cut, but i think it is because of the angle that i am using.

To the gentlemen out there with beards, do you have any special techniques and tips that you use when shaving? What about for styling, or do you do all of this with a trimmer prior to shaving?

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Well there is no doubt that my door is always open to solve a mystery (Or in this case the Mailbox door) if you want to send the one I honed back up to the Northwoods I will check it under the microscope, and test shave it and see what there is to see..
Obviously if you send it up, my OCD won't allow for me to send it back without tweaking for ya anyway :p

PM me or better yet e-mail me over at the website and we can get together


ps; One thing that just caught my eye is the 30° mention, I honestly shy away from that, and call it 2 Spine Widths it is easier to relate to while shaving and also adjust for different razors as you use them.. Just a thought... but the offer still stands

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Wow Glen very generous Thank you!!

I have two thoughts on all of this that no one has mentioned yet...

The first of which is how long is/was your facial hair when you tried the straights? I know if I go several days without shaving, especially with my coarse, wiry beard, I get what feels like a bit of tugging on the first pass, but the second is always like butter.

That kinda leads into my second thought... are you sure that what your experiencing isn't just the tactile feedback of the razor itself? Straight razors feel very different when shaving, and I know that what I initially thought was tugging actually turned out to be just the tactile feedback of the razor. I tend to feel it more if my beard has grown out a bit (as in four days to a week long growth). I always just make sure that if I have that long of growth I keep the pressure backed off and let the razor do it's thing.

With all that said, it sounds like you know what you're doing in the prep department, and I can tell you without a doubt Glen's honing is absolutely superb... that and he's just a stand up guy anyway. I know that if it's a rolled edge, he'll get you taken care of.

Don't lose heart... you'll get it figured out for sure. All it takes is a bit of patience and experimentation.

Hi Triad, and by the way, Welcome to SRP. You're in good hands here.

It sounds like you've got prep down pretty well; you've been wet-shaving a while. Here's what I experience when a blade is truly shave-ready and my angles are right: it takes no more force or pressure to remove the barbs than it does to scrape away the lather. If you aim for the lather, the barbs will follow it off as if by magic. If you aim for the barbs, you'll probably end up with a rash or worse. If this isn't your experience then maybe the edge is gone--I'd definitely take Glen up on his offer, so you can learn the most from this experience. When the blade comes back from him, just shave with it, don't strop it first.

Best wishes and happy shaving

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

ps; One thing that just caught my eye is the 30° mention, I honestly shy away from that, and call it 2 Spine Widths it is easier to relate to while shaving and also adjust for different razors as you use them.. Just a thought... but the offer still stands

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I absolutely agree with Glenn's comment, quoted above -- if you ask 5 people to show you a 30° angle, you'll get 5 answers and one of them may be close. Go with 2 spine widths, and sometimes less, and you'll find the "groove". Sometimes when I switch from 5/8 to 6/8 or back the other way, I start the first sideburn area with the spine against my face and move it away as I take the first few strokes until I'm getting it just right.

I got s similar problem. Sorry ment to say I picked up my new razor today but doesn't work as well as my small disposable straight edge I got. It feels more comfortable to shave with but do not shave as close enough. What am I doing wrong. Thanks

It might not be sharp enough or you might have an angle problem, try lowering the angle a little

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Originally Posted by Ryan81

I got s similar problem. Sorry ment to say I picked up my new razor today but doesn't work as well as my small disposable straight edge I got. It feels more comfortable to shave with but do not shave as close enough. What am I doing wrong. Thanks

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When I first started (a few months ago) I had the same issues. The biggest problem I had was not pulling my skin tight enough. This really caused my razor to to tug and pull.

If there is somebody experienced close to you, the best is to get together with them and you'll probably figure out the issue quickly.
Take a look at the list of mentors, and the local help page.

Thanks gugi just had a look at the list and unfortunately no one in South Africa.

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Originally Posted by Swanny

When I first started (a few months ago) I had the same issues. The biggest problem I had was not pulling my skin tight enough. This really caused my razor to to tug and pull.

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Over-stretching the skin can be problematic too. Also note the grain of the beard, this makes a big difference in how much whisker angle changing will happen when pulled taught.

Once again, I say that since this topic comes up quite regularly from guys who "started" by using a disposable-insert "straight" or "shavette" type razor that indeed most of the time it will be an angle issue as pointed out by Lynn Abrams in his beginner video i pasted further up this very topic. (#17)

The sharper the razor the less critical angle/pressure/stretching all becomes. One can "shave/scrape" his beard away with a slightly not sharp blade, but it takes work, too much pressure, too much x and atg, too much irritation.

So yes, knowing what's sharp enough from what seems sharp takes some experience and time (and cannot be conclusively derived from any sort of test but the one with lather and whiskers and a face involved).

It all comes down to feel. Bottom line if the shave felt awful it was awful. Who knows they might not be 'shave ready'. Shaving on your cheeks is relatively easy and even a newb can do it. So if it was feeling uncomfortable there it might lead you to the conclusion that something was wrong with the edge. Though not good for the edge, I have shave tested razors in the past with a simple cheek shave without lathering up. I was surprised how well it did. Again not so good for the edge. I am glad you posted instead of suffering in silence. I wonder how many folks just suffer through it thinking it will get better...magically. Then again, yeah, it could be something else.

Gentlemen first i want to thank you all for the great suggestion and help youve offered, this is a great place to be i look forward to getting more involved. So ive been stropping the heck out of a butterknife got a nice feel for it so i pulled out the razor i bought from Glenn and stropped it on the linen side then hit it on the leather (i rather enjoy stropping). So i lathered up let it set for a bit, i definatly had a lot better shave this time, i adjusted my angle closer to a spine or two from face and amazingly no tugging. Im not saying ive arrived but a nice dfs with only a few small weepers and a little razor burn in spots. I definatly feel im on the right track. What good is a thread without a picture!!
[IMG]http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/...745a8a7d3e.jpg[/IMG]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryan81

I got s similar problem. Sorry ment to say I picked up my new razor today but doesn't work as well as my small disposable straight edge I got. It feels more comfortable to shave with but do not shave as close enough. What am I doing wrong. Thanks

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Ok so to add on to my previous post I have a small straight edge that use disposable blades that shaves much close but really uncomfortable to shave with and my new straight edge feels easy to shave with it glides over my skin removing hair as it goes but not a very close shave is it.
Is this once again down to technique?

Attachment 161647 a pics of my razor

Hi everyone just a quick update I redid the blades bevel and honed it all over again and wow what a difference it made it is now super sharp and and does a very clean and comfortable shave. Thanks Robert for the guidance.