Thread: Newbie Problems

Little water when building lather kills the face. It dries out on the skin and isn't as pleasant a shave. You can always add moer water to the lather on your face!.

Never had to sand a strop. Bought one from SRD that can have the leather replaced for $25-35 and bought the replacement leather too cause I knew I would screw the first one up, which I immedaitely did.

This a a fun journey not a speed race. To sharp of a object to be in a hurry.

The wife thought me a lesson by walking into the bathroom and started a conversation.
Now I have an inch and a quarter long scar that's a 1/8" deep. I took a chunk out at the jaw line.

You should not have stropped it first , that was in the instructions that came from L A. And the hanging hair test doesn't mean it wasn't right. Also as you learn to shave you will find the edges might have been good, technique has a lot to do with your shave quality,m but chances are the strop wasn't very smooth and you rolled your edge , all new guys do , your not the first, but now just learn to shave after you get your edge right,my hen shave with it before you strop. Good luck and see if you can find a mentor to work with you. Tc

Just checked my instructions. Great advice on the paper, but it didn't specifically say not to strop before the first shave. Of course I am not calling out the honemaster. It was probably done perfectly. I just want to give all the background info.

Just and FYI, Lynn started this site if I remember right.

Plus i bought two brand new razors after my first one killed my face. Neither new one told me what to do about stropping or honing. But, it was on their website that I read after staring to use their product.

As tcrideshd said, don't worry at all about the hanging hair test. It doesn't mean much of anything unless you have calibrated it and spent some time figuring out how *your* hair behaves. Mine, for example, simply does not work with the hht. So I don't pay any attention to it. What matters is the shave itself.

As has also been mentioned, you're trying to figure out what went sideways amongst a number of variables. That can be tricky!

Rolling an edge while stropping is very easy to do, particularly for people who are starting out. Most of us have done it, so it's not at all unusual. That having been said, it does sound like you are very careful when stropping, so that might not be your issue.

As for the strop itself... well, not having had it in-hand, I'd just be guessing. I guess it depends on what you mean by a 'slight rough' feeling. My hunch (and it is just that) is that it probably isn't the issue here.

I'm thinking more along the lines of prep. You mentioned that you didn't have a great lather. That could be part of the problem. In addition to the hot shower, try soaking a face cloth/towel in hot water and holding that to your beard prior to lathering. There are arguments as to whether this softens the hair to make them easier to cut or stiffens them to make them easier to cut, but who cares? It makes them easier to cut.

So my main suggestions would be to:

1) see if there's a mentor close to you who can meet in person to give some advice - that can make a HUGE difference
2) continue paying close attention to stropping
3) pay more attention to your prep and lather
4) watch your blade angles
5) relax, enjoy the process, and keep at it. Soon it should click and be much better.
6) if all else fails, send the blade back to be re-honed and *don't* strop it prior to your first use.

Thanks! That's a heck of a lesson. I might have to institute a no girlfriend policy in the bathroom during shaves.

Originally Posted by EasyE

Thanks! That's a heck of a lesson. I might have to institute a no girlfriend policy in the bathroom during shaves.

Another tip: if you have a large dog, keep him/her out of the bathroom too during shaves. My sister's BIG half-wolf dog was lying at my feet under the sink when someone rang the doorbell. Having a large beast go from 0-60 at your feet while you have a very sharp hunk of steel near your face is not a very comfortable situation.

Should have not stropped before shaving. That topic is well covered here so I take full responsibility for that gaffe.

So, do I just keep stropping/shaving with the blade as-is for a while and focus on prep and technique? Anyone think sandpaper is worth taking to the strop, or that the "slight rough" feeling on the up pass (like a couple tiny grains of sand) will screw up the blade?

I think spending $25 for a honing would serve you better.

Even though I am very careful stropping, never caught an edge as far as I know, and only shaved once?

Or are you saying there is no way to tell if I really need it until I shave with it shave-ready and see if there is a difference?