Thread: First shave - worried about blade sharpness

Great to hear that you are shaving with a straight. I think that this section of the wiki may be useful to you:

Category:Straight Razor Shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Before anything else, it may be a good idea to establish if the razor is in real shave ready ready condition. Your results (shaving the arm) suggest that the razor has a bevel set. If the razor is shave ready, the problem is probably due to technique, which is not unusual. I would strop the razor next time (please check the wiki for details):

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

You would find that improving bear preparation goes a long way. Regarding your questions, yes, improper technique can lead to poor results. It may be the issue of pressure but usually it is the other way around, too much pressure, what is problematic at first. Longer whiskers are typically easier to shave than short ones. It is possible that you may have to adjust the angle for better results and definitely, different passes require different angles:

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

When you shave, try to use the razor as a guillotine, that is at a small angle. I am not talking about the angle between the the plane of the razor and your face, that you already know should be controlled. I am talking about not bringing the razor flat and parallel to the floor but rather leading at an angle. People often lead with the toe of the razor. This is in case that you are not already doing so.

Finally, when developing technique, aim for comfort rather than closeness, and as your technique improves, closeness will come.

Al raz.