Thread: i dont get it

ok i'm not getting a close shave wit my straight as i would with my safety razor. I use the same shaving soap, same badger brush, 3 passes. I even stretch my face the same way. my straight is tugging/ pulling especially around the chin/neck area and dat annoying irritation. and my face feels like i juss cut the top layer off even though i used light pressure. ok and i do about 20 passes on the canvas and like 40 - 60 on the leather........could the blade be dull? i had it professionally sharpened about a month ago.........

most likely culprits:
-too much angle
-too much pressure
-rolled edge due to improper honing

the solutions to the first 2 are easy, adjust your technique. light pressure and proper angle are a balance that takes time, i am definitely still learning in this area but practice and attention to detail is the best medicine.

you can tell if you rolled the edge by checking out the sharpness tests i believe are in the Wiki. how were the shaves when you first got the razor? how is your stropping? taught strop and and light pressure with sufficient speed and control, it takes time also. do you have any hones or pasted strops?

Is it tugging / pulling everywhere, or just the chin and neck? Did it just start or has it been tugging / pulling since you got it back from the hone meister? How's you blade angle, less than 30 degrees? When you strop, do you roll the blade on its spine? Is your lather drying out on your face? (This was a problem for me when I first started with a str8, even though I'd been shaving with a badger brush and shave soap for over 30 yrs.)

It might be technique or it might be a dulled blade.

First of all, i think that you should focus on getting comfortable shaves and not on the closeness of the shave. As your technique improves, so would the closeness. There is more to shaving than a sharp razor. You could be experiencing a variety of problems besides the sharpness of the blade. Was it ever close when you started shaving? Remember that even if the blade is ultra sharp, you still have to strop it properly, use the right angle and pressure, prep your beard and make a decent lather. These are all the areas that need to be looked into. In therms of stropping, are you flipping the razor correctly? You may find these useful:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ing-razor.html

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Theory of stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

In addition to the links that I included in my post in that thread, I will suggest checking out the stropping videos in the general section or watching Lynn's dvd. The wiki also has a section on stropping, here is one:

Third Shave Frustration

Try not set your expectations too high initially and pay attention to the angle and pressure you are using, it is very hard to change it a bit and change the entire shaving dynamics. Perhaps these links from the wiki would help:

Basic Shaving Passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki

The Multiple Pass Shaving Technique - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Advanced shaving techniques for the straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Shaving videos - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck and definitely let us know how it goes.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by dappa12

ok i'm not getting a close shave wit my straight as i would with my safety razor. I use the same shaving soap, same badger brush, 3 passes. I even stretch my face the same way. my straight is tugging/ pulling especially around the chin/neck area and dat annoying irritation. and my face feels like i juss cut the top layer off even though i used light pressure. ok and i do about 20 passes on the canvas and like 40 - 60 on the leather........could the blade be dull? i had it professionally sharpened about a month ago.........

Like Chee16 said earlier maybe too much angle and pressure. I doubt about that sharpness if you have a razor that is professionally sharpened but could be.
Why three passes? I shave my face every day but do not need more than two.
My passes are WTG and XTG or more close WTG and ATG, but not ATG every day this far.
I suggest that do not try to reach BBS so badly just be patient and let yourself to learn steadily.
If I lift a head it will stretch the neck area enough and no need to do stretching with hands. If you stretch too much that could cause irritation.

Alraz gave you some good stuff to go with as did the other guys. In many cases it is the Indian and not the arrow. If you are familiar with the thumb pad test try that. The edge should feel sticky. If it is dull the thumb pad will slide. Be careful with this test if you haven't used it before. You don't press the pad into the blade to cut the skin. I learned it practicing on a new DE blade thanks to Randydance's suggestion.

Another test after stropping is to suspend the blade over the hair on your forearm. Lightly brush the edge against the forearm hair without touching the skin. If it will pop the forearm hair easily it is a sharp razor.

If you had your razor sharpened a month ago and it was OK then the most likely culprit is the blade needs touched up. Your choice on how you want to do this.

bj

Patience my young Jedi! You don't say what your facial prep is. Who professionally sharpened it for you? If it was not one of our honemeisters or someone you know for absolute certainty knew what they were doing with a hone and straight razor then I would call into question the honing. If it was one of our honemeisters then I strongly suspect your technique hasn't been perfected.

How long have you been using straights? If you just started then I recommend you do just the area between your sideburn and jaw line, and with WTG only. Work on your angles and pressures. Not many of us were born with the skillset to get a BBS when we first start shaving with a straight razor. At least I wasn't. I am now getting my BBS, but only after a few months of developing my skills to arrive there. Once you are comfortable with maneuvering your blade slowly add new areas to your repertoire as well as XG and AGT. It won't take long, but these are skills that must be developed or you are doomed to frustration and disappointment.

Hey, there must be something to all this advice and the Wiki. We all managed to get through it. And I don't have the steadiest of hands. I have an inherited slight tremor. But I figured out what techniques work best for me. Even with that, the fundamentals of pressures and angles are the same for me as anyone else who uses a straight razor!

So take heart. They do get better...

Dward brought up beard preparation, and I'll chime in on that also.

I have a thick beard of hard, thick hairs. My face needs to stay wet and soapy (and preferably warm) for at least five full minutes before a shave. Longer is better. Usually I'll shower, then keep my face wet until I make a lather, then keep my face lathered while I strop the blade and get started on the shave.

And, as others have said, concentrate for now on comfort rather than closeness. Comfort will keep you straight shaving until your technique(s) start giving you closer shaves. Finish your shaves with a DE or even a Mach-3 or whatever while you're learning: it ain't no shame!

There's some great advice from the guys here, as always.

Learning to shave with a straight takes time. Focus on
technique: light touch, constant blade angle. Aim for a
comfortable shave, and you'll find in time that the close
-ness will come without you having to think about it.

- Scott