Thread: Any Advice will be gratefully received

A Coticule is a specific type of hone referred to as a Belgian Coticule. They are quarried in Belgium and have been used since Roman times.
They leave a rather comfortable edge on the razor but take some practice to get the most out of them.
Be aware that all Coticules are not the same.

This should give you an idea what they look like ....

https://sharprazorpalace.com/hones/1...-coticule.html

A coticule edge is a shaving edge produced using a coticule razor hone. These hones are mined in Belgium and tend to produce smooth comfortable edges. I generally hone my straights on a coticule and then finish on a finer finishing stone, but the coticule edges I get are shave ready and only get better with the finisher.

It seems to me that you should spend more time on the preparation before shaving. A hot shower before shaving helps, but I find that the softening effect on my whiskers wears off by the time I dry myself and get ready to lather up. Soak a face cloth or small towel in hot water and apply it to your face. Let it sit for a few minutes and then repeat. It really does soften the whiskers and it feels really good ; ). Take your time and slow the process down.

Your lather looks a tad dry and you didn’t give it much time to work on your facial hair. I find that applying the initial coat of lather just provides a base for full lather development. Once I have that on my face, I dribble a tiny bit of hot water onto the brush and lather again. I might do this 4 or 5 or 6 times until I feel the lather is slick and rich. Takes only a couple of minutes, but it works a lot of moisture into the lather without making it thin and sloppy. It also hydrates your facial hair and it feels good.

I agree with the others about the angle of the blade to your face.

As for pressure, the best advice I was ever given is to shave the lather not the skin and use only the weight of the razor against your skin. If the blade is sharp enough and the facial prep thorough enough, you will feel and hear the edge cut through the whiskers and the blade will glide across your face.

A lot depends on how well your razor has been honed and stropped and the quality of the shaving soap you are using. You might also consider applying a pre-shave oil to your face before lathering. It will help the pre-shave prep until you are more confident about getting a good lather on your face.

Man, that was great.! Flashbacks for sure.!

Everybody has a +1 to their replies, from me.:

Angle was the biggest thing I saw wrong, especially ATG. I keep that pass flat on my face, for most parts. Maybe a bit longer working that lather, work more water into it, push its boundaries. It'll make it slicker.! Ya just don't want it running down yer neck.

Watching you fumble with the razor, figuring out what grip to use, brought back my best memories from ol'.
Its the curve we've been talking about. Just like life as an infant. You lay on your back till you can sit up. You rock before you crawl. Stand before walk, Now you can run.!

I have a feeling the three razors I sent you, might be a bit sharper than what your using. But if you keep the blade almost flat to your face, light pressure, you'll be fine.

They'll give you something to compare your razor to. See if its lost its edge..
The sample of MdC i sent along should help, with cushion and glide.

Thank you Mike.

First relax,

Strop your razor well on leather to remove any oxidation and to polish the bevel and edge. Check your edge by running a Qtip lightly along the edge, if it snags it needs a touch up. It is not uncommon for a new shaver to use too much pressure while stropping and roll the edge.

Second, add more water. One of the main purposes of shaving lather is to add water to your beard and face. You can splash water on your face, but it will just run down you neck. Soap makes lather that holds water on your face.

It is not uncommon for lather to dry out for new shavers. It is ok to re-lather if needed, adding more water and soap. Or make fresh lather.

Lather as you did in the first part of the video, then either dip your brush into hot water or flick the tip through hot running water, then work the water in the brush into the soap on your face. Keep adding water to make a rich lather.

Lather is just soap, water and air. Whipping the soap will add water and air to the soap and make lather that will cling to your face and moisten your beard. You can also use a beard prep, with Noxzema or a tube soap to add slickness. Just rub into a wet face while getting your gear together, then lather over the prep soap. I use Trader Joe’s Honey Mango shave cream about $6 a tube. I use a nickel size dollop, it is very slick.

Third, you are using too steep of an angle, too close to the skin. You must find the angle that works best for your skin and beard, but start out with the angle of the bevel, so that the bevel is riding flat on your skin.

How much is that angle? About 20 degrees. So, if the razor is perpendicular to your skin, it is 90 degrees, half of that is 45 degrees and half of that is 22 degrees, close enough about a finger width between the spine and skin.

Using light pressure start below the sideburn and make one continuous stroke from the side burn down to the jaw, one flat smooth, even light stroke. Then do another overlapping stroke, over lapping about a ¼ of the length of the razor. Smooth, even light pressure stroke. Use the heel to shave close to your goatee

Then starting below the Jaw, do a light stroke from below the turn of the jaw, do the flat part under the jaw and follow along the neck to the bottom of the neck. Leave a small strip, the peak of the jaw unshaved. After you have shaved the flats, cheek and below the jaw and neck, go back and make the curve. Start above the lather on the flat part of the cheek and slowly make the turn so that you maintain the same 20-degree angle with the bevel flat on your skin in a smooth even stroke around the curve of the jaw, or shave sideways from chin to ear. Take your time.

It is ok to shave the flats with a straight razor for a week or two and do the corner with a double edge or cartridge razor until you are comfortable with the straight razor and with making a thick, slick lather, then ease into shaving the tough spots and going Against the Grain.

Long smooth strokes are less likely to cut you. Re-lather and do the second pass all over again with the grain. Once you are comfortable shaving with the grain, then try an against the grain stroke, starting with the neck up to the jaw, then above the jaw leaving the point of the jaw for when you have more confidence.

Your against the grain stroke looks like to high of an angle, (too much gap between the spine and skin). Lower the spine more to the 20 degree. About a finger width from the spine to the skin.

I do two passes with the grain, and one against the grain, and a water clean-up pass. The clean up pass allows you to shave to your goatee, mustache and sideburns, without the lather obscuring the line. Here you can take short strokes to trim to the line.

Relax, use a good soap with slick lather, make sure your razor is Shave Ready, make a rich lather, don’t be afraid to re-lather, and use light pressure.

It just takes time, relax, no bleeding you did good.

Practice is all you need, it is a learning process.

As said before , it does look like your angle needs to open up a bit. The blade looked a bit flat against your face at times.

keep it up

You are doing good, nothing to add it's like learning to ride a Horse you will fall off just get back on, your razor angle looks good and a + for using both hands, practice makes perfect keep it up you will get there.

Hi all,

A quick question if you don't mind.

I have seen strops in the Buy/Sell section.

How do you use the strops that are just leather all the way to the end with no handle or ring?

Steve

Pinch them between you index finger and thumb.
Don't need a death grip when stropping. If you can pull it out of your fingers, your stropping with too much pressure.

A quick forum search shows several threads on the subject. Here is one..
https://sharprazorpalace.com/stroppi...bers-hold.html