Thread: Let the stra8 sit in its box this morning and...

Dammit.... i shaved with my DE this morning because i was in a hurry.

....It was good. i did 3 passes in about 10 min and it was pretty close. Better than the shaves i was getting two weeks ago before i received my straight.

I am so confused and distraught now. Oh Str8 gods what am i doing wrong.

Now I am questioning my technique and razor itself


/side note. i have noticed that the razor seems a little loose now. can i just tighten the the pin the connects the razor to the scale?

You can use heavy spoons to bang on each pin to tighten the whole contraption.

Straight razors are funny. They are so perfectly designed to function that you can't see the brilliance and beauty they behold.

Most people just try too hard with them.

Go back to the beginning with honing, stropping, and shaving, with this in mind:

The razor's edge is, or should be, a razor's edge.

If its not, then fix it. If it is, then strop it and shave with it carefully to maintain it. Do so, so carefully, that you don't dork it up, because after all, its a razor's edge!

You'll know when a straight razor actually has a razor's edge or not, unless you've never actually seen or used a common razor. If it doesn't possess a correct edge, it ain't never going to work right (so you should stop beating your head in about it).

Thanks. I am so tempted to order a norton 4k/8k and another shave ready razor to compare.

/another question. Currently i have a leather only strop(Tony Miller practice strop), would buying a strop with a linen side help at all?

Some say linen acts a polisher. Some don't use it. Some rub chrom ox into it. Some paste it. Some stare at it bewildered.

I was always told that the linen "heats" the edge to prepare it for strapping.

In short, you sir have opened a can of worms.

I guess order one and see it you like it. EMMV and so may yours.

Originally Posted by singlewedge

S

In short, you sir have opened a can of worms.

Nothing to see here, move along,,,

Yes, linen could help. Assuming you have a very nearly shave ready razor (one that is shave-ready for another member and maybe you've stropped wrong, or shaved at too aggressive an angle, or whatever).

Even better is to simply determine whether its really, really sharp or not and go from there with something . . .

. . . newspaper, .5 CrO on balsa, a barber hone, a Norton 8K, car polish on the back of cardboard . . . whatever.

First though, I suppose I would recommend using a taut strop and stropping 200 passes. Then try a few of the above ideas (better yet, do some searching on the forum).

You can't just "buy linen".

i have been thinking about the whole linen vs no linen problem lately. i do use mine but i can't really say whether or not it is essential, because my technique has improved also, so really it could be either of the two variables that have made my shaves better. from what i have read, you can definitely get a great shave without one, its just that my strop came with one so why not use it.

i can only speak for myself, but i really did notice a difference when i started really getting my stropping technique down. stropping may be much simpler then honing but it is just as important.

also, i have a couple razors with loose scales and though they are a bit more inconvenient when carrying them it doesn't really effect the shave i get from them.

When I first started I didn't have a really shave ready razor. I did okay on the down passes until I got into the area of the chin and mustache and then the pulling started. I happened onto a video showing a guy shaving with a straight and he did a pass that just wiped the whiskers off smooth as silk and I knew I my razor wasn't up to snuff.

Getting a truly shave ready razor made a lot of difference but I still had to practice my shaving technique for some time before I began to be adept at getting a good smooth shave with a straight.

Honing and maintaining razors has been another learning experience that took time and practice and I am still learning and practicing. That is something that I find challenging and therefore enjoyable. There is a learning curve with all of this and it is discouraging at times. As my friend Randydance is fond of saying "with patience and persistence" it will come to you.

Thanks.. It was shave ready when i recieved it, but i'm wondering if my crappy stropping early on hurt it.

Using the pasted balsa strop has helped some. I'm thinking of doing 20 strokes on the balsa, then 200 on the leather strop and seeing how things go.

This is a very common problem: razors that stop performing well after only a few shaves. Of course, as you say, in most cases, it could be directly linked to stropping technique. This is a recent thread on stropping that has links to wonderful older threads. I hope that you find it useful.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...tml#post327276

Al raz.