It shaves but it pulls a little too much

Hi guys. I got into straight razors a couple of months ago and got my first straight razor from SRD last month.
I know I have a really hard beard and even during the first time I used the razor it was pulling a little bit, but now it is a little too much. I think the cause is that I stropped the razor with too much pressure the first times. Not crazy pressure, but I think I contributed to lose a nice edge.
I am much better now, but I can't get a comfortable edge for shaving. I tried the razor on my arm hair and doesn't cut any or just a couple even if I strop with CO compound before the regular stropping.
Any advice?

Send it out to a pro to get honed. You'll be impressed by the difference after a decent bit of use. Maybe get a second one so you can compare when you think one is getting a bit blunt, also so you can have one to shave with when one is out for honing.

Sounds like it is time to have it honed.

Bob

Advice? Yes, send your razor back in for your free honing. While the razor is away review in your mind all the moves you made with your razor from shaving to stropping and compare that to the recommended techniques you can read about here.

Everything needs to be correct from the condition of the edge to the angle of the razor blade on your skin. From your account of even your first shave I suspect your angle was wrong and you may have been using to much pressure.

Get a copy of Lynn's video and watch and rematch it while your razor is away for honing.
With the return of your razor take a calm calculated approach and do not rush anything.

Tough to say but I would start with making sure your beard prep is sufficient. Since you claimed a heavy or tough beard I would focus on that variable first as you may need extra effort to soften that beard of yours. I'm not sure what happened when you stropped the razor but as long as you didn't lift the spine during stropping a razor can handle a moderate amount of stropping pressure without damage as long as you don't go crazy. Check the edge with a magnifier or loupe and see if there is evidence of edge damage that might be attributed to bad stropping. if you think the edge looks alright then maybe try to strop on some Chromium Oxide again but use a bench or paddle strop for this if possible as I think it gives much better results wipe off the blade and give it a good stropping on leather and just be careful. After a thorough beard prep try and shave again if this fails then I would suggest either getting it re honed i believe SRD gives you a re hone on the house so take advantage. Hope this helps and good luck.

It sounds like you have rolled the edge with improper stropping. It happens to all of us in the beginning its part of the learning curve. IMO the only thing that will help is a touch up by someone experienced in honing. I would give up on the paste right now. you are probably doing more harm than good. If the razor came from SRD they used to offer a free honing with the price of the razor. I would send it back and let Lynn work his voodoo on it. Meanwhile I would try to find a mentor in my area who could help you work on technique. Don't worry over it,things get easier the more you do it.:beer1:

Aww man, Rochester?! Now I want a DiBella's Dagwood....

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Originally Posted by dinnermint

Aww man, Rochester?! Now I want a DiBella's Dagwood....

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You will not believe it, but never tried DiBella :)

Thanks guys.
Yes I have the free honing coupon. I was just thinking that maybe it was too soon.
I prep my beard with pre shaving oil, also wash it with hot water for long time, spend a lot of time on applying soap/cream, wait some minutes (in the while I strop the razor) and reapply the soap/cream. All things I did even when I was shaving with disposable razors for the simple reason that I also have a delicate skin. Really bad combination that I will never wish to anybody; rough beard/delicate skin.
I checked the blade with a magnifier and I don't see any damage, the edge looks perfect. I always stropped the razor rolling on the spine and properly and the only doubt I had about it was the pressure on the strop.
That's why I am asking, I can't really find anything wrong except the pressure in stropping.
I think I will send it soon, just to see the difference I would be surprised if it is just my beard.

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Originally Posted by Kloss

You will not believe it, but never tried DiBella :)

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I've driven back to Rochester "to visit friends," but in reality it was for DiBella's and the garbage plates. I have never found bread half as good as theirs in the midwest...

Back to razors, sending it in sounds like the best route. It's too bad that this connection wasn't made a few months ago, I was there for my old roommate's wedding...

It's not the beard my beard gets mowed down with the edge being right,mand I have a very tough beard, it's technique too. In the beginning learning to shave is tough to find what works, I know I felt that my edges were dull in the start, but as I got better the edges turned out to be fine, but it took sometime to actually improve an edge from stropping. So get it rehired, and spend some time to really learn to strop. Maybe look for a mentor to see your process. Tc

I think we all have tough beards and sensitive skin when we start shaving with a straight razor, then our blades get more efficient, our beard seems to get softer, and our skin less sensitive. It was the same way when I first started shaving. I can get more out of my edges between refreshing now, and quite honestly re-hone just for fun, experience, and maintaining the skill of it. Personally, I would use your free re-honing now or you'll wind up like me with 5 coupons in the drawer after you learn to hone your own. It sounds like you've eliminated beard prep as a variable, so why not continue to eliminate the edge as well by using the free re-honing, especially in the beginning.

Go with your gut, if you think it's the stropping, then it probably is, so do less and work up from there. In woodworking, you can also cut more wood off, but you can't put it back on very well. You can always strop lighter, with a more taught strop and for less laps. If that doesn't get your edge better than it was after honing or keep it the same between shaves, then start adding more laps on the strop. If you get to a ridiculous number then start messing with your strop tension then pressure.

When I look back at how I stropped in the beginning, I thought I was doing it right. Then I went to a meet and Glenn told me I wasn't using enough pressure. After using more pressure, I was able to maintain my edges longer between refreshes. Then somewhere in there, I started to add too much pressure on the spine and the edge and was having to refresh more often. Now, I find that I add a light to medium pressure on the strop with the spine, and I use enough tension that the strop deflects just enough to hit the edge, but I just let the edge follow the spine and kiss the strop (so light pressure on the edge). That's what seems to work for me.

Hope this helps!

Hi, here are a couple of thoughts:
Are you stretching your skin effectively? If you haven't already watch some shave videos and you will see the shaver pulling the skin in the area to be shaved tight, you will also see lots of other useful hints and techniques.
Is your lather quite moist, a straight razor seems to need a wetter lather than a disposable or safety razor, if your lather is dry the razor will catch and tug.

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

Hi, here are a couple of thoughts:
Are you stretching your skin effectively? If you haven't already watch some shave videos and you will see the shaver pulling the skin in the area to be shaved tight, you will also see lots of other useful hints and techniques.
Is your lather quite moist, a straight razor seems to need a wetter lather than a disposable or safety razor, if your lather is dry the razor will catch and tug.

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Yep for both. Pretty sure something wrong with stropping and I will figure it out :)
I will keep you updated :)

Razor sent for honing...

Any updates?

Got the razor a couple of weeks ago and honestly there is no difference. Tried different angles, but either it pulls, or doesn't shave well for my standard.

How long have you been shaving with a straight? Tc

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

How long have you been shaving with a straight? Tc

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5 months now. Tried also two other razors, same thing.

Well, you got a razor from SRD who have a reputation of supplying shave ready razors and have had it rehoned by SRD but still have the same problem. If the other two razors you have were supplied shave ready and you had the same problem with them, I think it might be something you are doing then.

That puts it back to possibly wrong angle on the blade, poor stropping or something else. When you got your razor back from rehoning did you strop it before first use? It is suggested that you shave with a shave ready razor without stropping it first use to see/feel what the original edge was like. Then strop it before the second use and if it then feels duller you know your stropping is faulty.

There is a list of mentors and where they live on the forum. Look it up and see if one is in your area. If there is one in your area contact them by PM to see if they can help you in person. That is probably your best option at this point.

Bob

One thing that helped me was that I would often vary my angle as I was shaving different areas of my face. Now I did not vary the angle mid-stroke mind you. But if you watch a lot of SR shaving videos, you'll see the person go back over a section that was previously shaved while they shave a new section. That is when I varied my angle. That allowed me to find the best angle. And on my 5/8" razor, that turned out to be absolutely no more than 1 spine width off the skin.

Which leads me to this. How many spine widths off the face is your angle? I know 2 is the most for a WTG pass but on a 5/8, that does not leave much wiggle room before you get too steep.

Whatever you do, keep in mind YOU WILL GET THIS. :) If you seem to be hitting a wall, stop, put the razor away, and do not touch it for a few weeks. Then when you are ready, go back to it. I suspect you will do better that way.

I had some issues with stropping where I dulled, but thankfully did not roll the edge due to improper stropping techniques. By the time I got my stropping downpat, the edge still was not good. I took a 15x loupe to examine the edge as well as doing the pin test to determine my edge was not rolled. The pin test is where you take a straight pin or a very fine sewing needle, gently draw it at a 90 degree angle from the spine to the edge. If the edge is rolled, the pin will hang. But I set my razor aside for 3 weeks. Now I did take a chance with CrOX paste since my edge was not rolled. After watching Lynn's Refreshing a Straight Razor video which demonstrated CrOX, I did it and voila! A wonderfully shaving razor was in my possession.

So again, keep at it! Take a break if need be. But it will come to you. Those that have learned how to drive a manual transmission surely did not get it overnight.

Ya you need some one on one help , cause it's you my friend, technique is seething comes with time and experience, but some just can't get it, so get some face time with an experienced shaver, at one time I thought that the straight just wouldn't cut my beard, but it does now, Tc

No stropping. Just used the razor how it came. So probably nothing wrong with my stropping.
I talked about it with my father just this morning and he said he had the same problem and he stated that it is our beard and there is nothing wrong with the razor. Also he told me that even the barbers when he was younger told him the same thing. Bad beard on sensitive and delicate skin.
Just matter to get the habit probably.