Thread: Am I going in the right direction?

Originally Posted by mattnat

Hey all, a few updates. I'm using a the plum; dophin street. razor to learn to hone and I managed to get it to treetop arm hair silently so I'm well pleased with that. HTT pass nicely as well. Using a much lighter touch on the stone and strop as well as some x strokes were the big changes that all continue to use. I'm using a layer of tape as well.
As far as shaving goes the low angles of attack are quite comfortable whereas 30 ish degrees seems to feel quite harsh. Hard to manage tightening skin as well as moving the blade at the same time. Trying to stop bleeding makes me think of how bad I thought the toilet paper looked on dad when I was a kid.
The razor has a smile and I'm going to work on getting the heel sharper. Also the horn skales are bent. If I take it apart is there a bearing or just pin and washers to replace?

Thanks all!
Matt

Don't worry about angles for shaving.
Most of the old instructions that came with razors say "almost flat on the face" so that's pretty low
https://sharprazorpalace.com/shaving...ng-basics.html

Horn is a natural material that can want to go back to its natural shape or can be heated to a new one. If the scales are bent but the razor closes true then it may have a warped spine or bent tang and the scales were shaped to the razor.
If the razor closes to one side then the scales have changed shape & can be heated to reshape them. There's a few threads if you search.
https://sharprazorpalace.com/worksho...rn-scales.html
https://shavelibrary.com/w/Fixing_warped_horn_scales

Originally Posted by outback

Funny, its almost always the same, too.

They come in with great expectations, then learn the hard truth. Some endure, others disappear. Its nice to be able to help those that stick it out, and become part of the community.

Us old folk ain't gonna be here forever, we need those, to carry the torch when were gone.

I agree Mike
you helped me when i first stated and thanks to your generosity and advice, Im still here
and still have your razors in my rotation

Hey all
Updates. I took the plum razor back to the home and used a sharpie to see how much pressure it took to flex a blade, and it seems that as light as possible gets the Apex nicely.
After hone and strops the HTT seems odd with specific hair at 90°, the hair doesn't cut but if I turn the blade off square slightly it cuts nicely. I'm running low on arm hair but on leg it mows silently off the skin.

On to the shave, a little bit of olive oil for pre shave and steaming hot towel over lather and the first round went best ever. The tape was still on and using very low angle of attack and slopeing strokes. Felt comfortable. no Knicks!
Second round across the grain with way better lather was not as comfortable and some nicks, and a different bleeding mole...
Should I use oil between passes? I also have vegetable glycerin around, would that help? And my partner has moisturizing cream that I've been using after. I wonder how to make the second pass better?

Thanks a bunch!
Matt

I read you left the tape on during the shave. Maybe I got it wrong. I hope you removed the tape then stropped then shaved. Also remember that tape wears out so replace it often during honing. If you got a decent shave on the first pass then that is great. Normally the second pass should go smoother as the worst of the whiskers are gone. You say you had better lather on the second pass? This makes me wonder what you consider a better lather. A better lather should give you more protection and slickness depending on the soap you are using.

As far as the oil, I only use oil when honing on oil stones. It never goes on my face. I'm sure most of us here on SRP tried pre-shave but gave it up after finding it didn't help at all. Now it's possible it helps a couple of guys but I don't know of one off the top of my head. So use the oil if you feel it helps. But a good lather from a great soap makes a world of difference.

Ok thanks.

Oh I just found out I've been using a extra hollow straight. Do you all use the same extra light touch for stroping these that works for honing?

Matt

Any time you strop you only need enough pressure to hold the razor securely on the strop. Pushing down on the leather can cause the edge to roll on your razor. Watch some vids. What your looking for is pushing the spine of the razor down so that the leather wraps around the spine some. Some people call this burying the spine. But when the edge goes across the leather the leather is flat coming off the edge. So leather is never wrapped or rolled across the edge.

More hollow razors are what I enjoy most of all. Some like the big heavy wedge razors. But keep in mind that the more hollow the thinner the steel. The thinner the steel the easier it is to flex the razor's edge. That is where time comes into play. Learning how much weight you can put on an edge before it flexes.

If you keep at this and honing don't sweat it. In two years you will have it figured out.

Doesn't matter what type of grind the razor is, the shaving edge is the same. The same care is necessary.

Well put Jerry. Many people put this way, "Strop the spine and the edge goes along for the ride." An extra hollow especially has a very thin edge that will roll easily. It all takes time. Fortunately for you Matt you seem very determined and analytical. That will work to your credit. Two years seems like a long time but if you think about it in the grand scheme of things it is pretty fleeting.

Originally Posted by outback

Doesn't matter what type of grind the razor is, the shaving edge is the same. The same care is necessary.

I agree with this, IMHO I find it easier to damage a big wedge than I do a dainty extra hollow. Like the weight of the wedge use to trick me into using more pressure, and just being overall more aggressive with the razor. Where as a hollow feels light and delicate, so for me, it's far easier and more intuitive to use light pressure and to be more delicate with it. I've found using the same pressure no matter the grind works best for me. YMMV.
-Laramie-

I didn't know stropping was so technical

for me

razor leather swish swish and repeat 40 on cotton then 40 on leather after my shave. 60 cotton and 100 leather before my shave.

1/4 inch from my stomach and if I get hair plinking I'm happy

I try not to overthink, just listen and if you hear a scraping noise you doing it wrong
I aim for pretty much silence on the strop