Thread: a little advice

Okay, I bought a sanssoci on B/S/T (very sharp-thanks luke) and got it in yesterday. I have had two shaves now--here is my problem: When i go WTG, the shave is great--no nicks, razor burn, and everything is wonderful. However, each time I try to relather and go XTG I rip my face apart (as of now, I look like I got in a slap fight with Edward Sisscorhands). Any Ideas of what I am doing wrong? The razor seems to drag and it sounds like I am trying to shave sanpaper (feels that was as well). It has to be something with my techique becuase the razor is sharp. Thanks- Charlie

Charlie,
My second pass is usually across the grain instead of against the grain. After that I'm only a little touch up away from BBS. You might try that and see if it helps (it should).

There are a number of reasons your razor might be hanging up or sticking, which can result in a cut. Assuming that you have a sharp razor and good prep, I think you should try reducing your blade angle to the point where the spine is just off your face (about a spine width). With that starting point you can play around with the angle until you are getting the shave you want. Also, if your face is torn up, give it a day or so to rest up for the next shave. Good luck.

Ditto for what Bill said.

I used to have this problem when I finished my razors on diamond or CrO pastes. Since I've started using natural finishing hones, the problem is gone. It is somewhat agreed upon that natural stone leave a very sharp edge that can be pressed into the skin a little more, whereas pastes are just wickedly sharp and will cut you if used the same way.

So maybe he finished it with uber-fine pastes, I know my skin won't tolerate them the same way it does stones.

Poor stropping.

Thanks for all the help. My stropping may very well be sub-par. When I strop (before and after shaving) I bring the blade across the strop in slow even passes (in an x pattern) and I try to apply only enough pressure to keep the razor flat on the leather---what am I doing wrong? Thanks again- Charlie

Originally Posted by fatherof4

Thanks for all the help. My stropping may very well be sub-par. When I strop (before and after shaving) I bring the blade across the strop in slow even passes (in an x pattern) and I try to apply only enough pressure to keep the razor flat on the leather---what am I doing wrong? Thanks again- Charlie

If you can, compare what you're actually doing in practice to a video of a proper stropping.

I found out in personal practice that stropping slowly allowed me to make more errors because I was trying to do it just right. Quickening the pace automated the motion for me and I could make better adjustments. Incidentally, I have that shaving problem that you describe when I shave against the grain, though with the grain and across the grain are fine. Maybe my stropping still needs improvement.

As a side note, I still don't understand what difference a pasted strop or a natural stone polish makes on a blade if it is stropped properly afterwards. I thought the purpose of the strop is to smooth out any roughness, so the sharper the better as long as it's smooth. Maybe my nascent understanding hinders me

I can think of three possibilities, some already covered in this thread.
It might be a combination of things.

1. Too much pressure while shaving. It's tempting in the beginning to apply more pressure ATG, then WTG, certainly when the razor has lost a bit of sharpness. Don't use long upward strokes during your ATG pass, but short gentle strokes that overlap each other.

2. Alan 's probably right: your razor has dulled to some extent, due to poor stropping. You probably already know this, but it can't hurt to emphasize: always turn the razor over the spine. Turning over the edge can dull a razor in a split second. Keep the strop taut and use minimal pressure. If your razor really lost too much of its edge, no amount of stropping can correct this...

3. Wrong angle. Bill S already explained this better than I could.

Good luck,

Bart.

There was a stropping experiment at one time (may have gotten lost in "The Crash") that proved stropping slowly does almost nothing to improve your edge.

It also makes sense intuitively. Ever get a rug burn when you were a kid? It was because your skin moved too fast over an imperfect surface. Friction is proportional to speed and it's the friction that smooths your edge out on the strop, not the simple touching of steel to leather. (well, it's more of an energy transfer, but that's a little technical)

In fact I have come to disagree with the common notion that you should use as little pressure as possible, the effectiveness of stropping lies as much in the pressure as it does in the speed. Just don't put enough pressure to flex the edge and you should be fine.


p.s. there are a couple reasons proposed for why pastes sharpen differently than stones, but they are kinda long and involved, so if your interested, the honing forum is a good place to search and ask.

I am always careful to turn the blade on its spine. However speed may very well be an issue. I will try to strop a bit faster and see what that does. Also, pressure could just as well be my problem (although I try to use no more pressure XTG than I do WTG--which goes smooth). The blade will literally be stopped by my stubble XTG, or sometimes seem to skip across my face a bit. I guess I will let my face heal (that way my wife will stop laughing at me), strop faster, be careful with my pressure and just see what happens. Thanks for all of the advice, it is appreciated and will be followed. -Charlie

I used to have similar problems with the razor skipping, stopping etc. because of hair thickness/density and I found the solution is...

...experience. Plain and simple, for those of us with this problem, you have to use a strong yet smooth sideways force to keep the blade moving in combination with a delicately light down force to keep from butchering your face. A technique that only comes with time. (heavier blades help, if you have a chance to get one, I'd recommend it)