Thread: 5th shave not as good

I have a couple questions. But first...

I have a Double Arrow that I'm starting with that was honed by Ron. First shaves were amazing!

Before shaving yesterday, I stropped it about fifty times. The shave was an
experience in dragging all the way through, even with the grain.


I've had a couple thoughts.
First was that the lather was too thick, so I thinned it out. No help. Of course then I thought I screwed up the stropping.

I don't have a thick beard, but I think it is coarse. I've got really curly, coarse hair on top of the brain holder and the same for a beard. If I had red hair, I'd look like Bozo's son.

I thought I should get more than four shaves before a tune up with a barber's hone, but I don't know.

I spent well over an hour today lapping a Carborundum barber's hone with 220 g. wet/dry paper. Man, is that stone tuff.

So, question is, how many shaves do you senior guys get before you have to tune up an edge? I realize beard tuffness is part of the equation. I've read to shave with a razor until you feel the shave isn't as good as you feel it should be, then tune up. I just thought it would be more than four.

Maybe I'm off the mark here. Any advice is appreciated.

Also, If the razor was honed taped, should the touch up also be with tape? I'm thinking yes, for bevel integrity.

Thanks,
Kev

Yes your beard has tons to do with it, BUT how ever many shaves you get out of a razor when you first start, should at least double, if not triple within a short amount of time....
As you get better at all the other things having to do with the shave, from stropping to lather making....

I concur with Glen about the beard, etc. I also think that you are still in the learning curve for pressures and angles. Don't get frustrated over it. Patience. It will settle in time to a consistent (and better) shave. As with all new things you will have peaks and valleys for performance until it all comes together consistently. We've all been there.

I agree with above said and like to add couple things.
At first if blade has shave 4 times without problems then that blade was in shave ready condition.
Next is blades quality Sorry double A isn't such a great quality blade.
Now it could be something wrong with your stropping. Please strop it again without any pressure to the blade and see does that changes sharpness of the blade.
Next you can buy chro2 and bring that sharpness back.
hope this helps.

Great advice from everyone. Now from the peanut gallery! If you think you ganked up the edge by stropping, what results do you think you might get by hoaning? I would follow hi bud gl's advice and get som Chromium Oxide, read up on how to prepare a strop with it, and then give that a go to bring the edge back to life before I would move to a stone. Maybe after you are successful with the strop and past you could move to something a little more aggressive. Keep at it.

Just my two cents.

_________________
Ray

Originally Posted by rayman

Great advice from everyone. Now from the peanut gallery! If you think you ganked up the edge by stropping, what results do you think you might get by hoaning? I would follow hi bud gl's advice and get som Chromium Oxide, read up on how to prepare a strop with it, and then give that a go to bring the edge back to life before I would move to a stone. Maybe after you are successful with the strop and past you could move to something a little more aggressive. Keep at it.

Just my two cents.

_________________
Ray

Well, I'm not, and wasn't at the time I posted, sure if I ganked up the edge by stropping or if my beard may have degraded the edge enough in a few shaves to require a touch up. I've read where some folks will touch up a razor every time they pull it out, or every few shaves. I'm sure not everyone does, and as new as I am, I'm not sure if I'm a candidate for that or not.

Thanks for the response, Ray. This is exactly what I was looking for, different ideas. As I said above, though not clearly, I have one strop set-up, and that won't get pasted. I have, however, been reading about the balsa pasting, which may be an option.

Man, I've got to get the hang of multi-quoting.

Thanks, all, for your time and advice.
Kev

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

At first if blade has shave 4 times without problems then that blade was in shave ready condition."


There is no doubt the razor was shave ready. Ron (Utopian) did a great job on it. As i said in another thread, the shaves were amazing and with no pressure needed. I had a SEG on my face all day!



"Next is blades quality Sorry double A isn't such a great quality blade."

Understood. I was more willing to screw up this blade with a newb disaster than one of my better razors.


"Now it could be something wrong with your stropping. Please strop it again without any pressure to the blade and see does that changes sharpness of the blade.
Next you can buy chro2 and bring that sharpness back.
hope this helps."

Thank-you
Kevin

Originally Posted by dward

I concur with Glen about the beard, etc. I also think that you are still in the learning curve for pressures and angles. Don't get frustrated over it. Patience. It will settle in time to a consistent (and better) shave. As with all new things you will have peaks and valleys for performance until it all comes together consistently. We've all been there.

I was really concerned, and concentrated on angle. Really worked at keeping the blade at 30 d. or less. The razor shaved, it just pulled and was uncomfortable. I did have stubble in the cream residue. The blade (or me) just wasn't cutting as efficiently or closely.

thanks for the encouragement

Kev

Originally Posted by kevbell

Also, If the razor was honed taped, should the touch up also be with tape? I'm thinking yes, for bevel integrity.

Yes, if you want to make is easy, you don't have to, but if I were you, I would, if Ron taped the one he did, I know for sure I taped the others I did for you, so all your razors would be the same....

Also what Sham/hi-bud said about the DA steel is true, I am trying to remember the brands of razors I honed for you??? you might try one of them and see what they do....

You said you stropped 50 times. I assume that was leather. Do you have a canvas/linen/cotton strop? That might help.

Also, I'd guess the stropping is the issue. I'm not a huge fan of anything made in China, but even the DA razors hold an edge longer than that. I doubt your lathering changed so much for that to be the trouble.

Assuming the stropping is the problem. You might have stropped incorrectly and rolled the edge. This might be corrected, depending on degree, with say 100 laps done correctly. On the other hand, you may be stropping so lightly that you in effect are not benefiting the edge at all. You want to strop lightly, but you do have to use some pressure.

Hopefully, you can figure it out. Obviously you still have four razors at your disposal but I'm sure you want to figure this out before risking damage to them. If you can't resolve it, you can send the DA back to me and I can look at the edge under a scope to see if I can determine what caused the problem. I'd touch it up again and then you'd be good to go for another four shaves!

(There'd be no charge other than postage.)