Thread: Pulling like crazy

I've spent the last week reading all the advice posted here, thanks to all the great ideas.

So, my Dovo arrived today and was shave ready. I followed the stropping guidelines and the tips on how to break-in a new strop. I've preped my beard well and have followed the advice to only shave the cheeks on the first day.

Sadly, the Dovo pulled on my whiskers something terrible. I tried different angles with the same result. So, I stopped and finished with my double edge. I know it takes practice, but I could barely move the blade through my 2 days of stubble.

I have 2 nice nicks to let heal before I try again.

Was it shave ready, ie from a person who knew what they were doing when they sharpened it? If so, it's a technique problem. Reading is great. Doing (eventually) works. Keep learning (I still am), don't stop reading and good luck. Oh, and welcome to the forum.

Yeh, I bought it from Lynn who honed it for me, so I know it was shave ready.

Another possibility, it's pulling due to bad stropping technique. From what you said in your email, I gather you stropped before shaving? If you did there was no need because it came to you stropped.

Originally Posted by wchidester

Yeh, I bought it from Lynn who honed it for me, so I know it was shave ready.

Hmm. I would also be interested to know why your having a hard time shaving with a razor sharpened by Lynn. I messed mine up up by stropping it incorrectly by having it not be taut enough and accidently nicking the strop with the blade because the strop wasn't stationary enough and I didn't take my time. So I pre-ordered the new paddle strop from Straight Razor Designs. I really think that will solve my problem. If by some chance you're having the same problem I did, I would recommend trying the paddle strop and see if that works.

I just read keenedge response, that's exactly what happened to me. I opened up the razor and tried stropping it before I used it for the first time and messed up the edge. I now realize I didn't have to because it was just honed.

It could be a combination of technique, or the lack of it or..... stropping. An inexperienced hand can dull a shave ready edge PDQ if the spine is lifted while stropping 'rolling' the edge. I am sure Lynn would hone it for you again if necessary.

There is a barber manual excerpt in the SRP Wiki here with some really good suggestions for learning proper stropping. I particularly like the idea of learning to turn the razor between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the forefinger without making the stroke.

When you have that down in muscle memory begin to make your stroke without bending the wrist. By using the tip of the finger and thumb you'll get a better feel of lightness of pressure when stropping.

BTW, for the first couple of weeks I used a DE to finish my shaves. Here is a post by Lynn on the first straight razor shaves. If you want to avoid cuts and nicks read my sig line below and give it a try.

I bought a shave ready razor from Lynn that also "pulled on my whiskers something terrible" like you said wdChidester. I didn't strop before using the first time, and so this wasn't a factor. But, I got a great shave nonetheless.

Your problem might be a misconception of what the shave experience should be like. You will often hear SRPites suggest to think of straight razor shaving as "beard reduction" instead of as shaving. My analogy is to think of shaving like mowing tall grass. Mow it high. Mow it again a little lower. Finally, mow it again right above ground level. (If the grass isn't high, of course, just mow it to ground level with the first pass.)

Typically, my first WTG pass shaves off the top of my growth, and never reaches skin level. It reduced the stubble though. And, during this pass over the beard, definitely there is a "pulling" on the whiskers. If my beard is a bit longer, my next pass might also "pull" while I mow a little more of the beard away. But, whenever I get to skin level, be it one pass or several, the razor cuts cleanly and does not pull.

And, this was the experience with the unstropped "Lynn razor." If I had pushed hard, trying to cut my beard down to skin level with the first pass, I suspect I would have irritated my skin. Even with the shave ready razor.

I just had a conversation with one of the more frequent and experienced members of this forum about this aspect of shaving. And, even though I don't know how typical this "mowing down to skin" experience is, I don't think it is unique.

(BTW, I suspect that if a beard is longer, being several days old, the beard base is softer and the whole growth might be removed with one pass.)

My advice is to go slow, light on the touch, and don't worry how much it pulls while the blade is slicing off beard ABOVE the skin level. But, when you get down to the skin, it should not pull.

Try that, maybe.

Okay, day #2 was a little better, since I only had a 1 day growth there was not as much pulling. And after a longer stropping, the blade moved a little easier, I actually did both cheeks, and sides of the neck. I'll wait until my technique is better before I tackle the chin and adams apple.

Can anyone give me an idea of how many shaves I can expect to get before I'll need a honing?

btw- the bits of my face that I got to are so damn smooth...

Good going, wchidester!

As for the Adam's apple, that is the one location you HAVE to stretch the skin. Pull the skin on your Adam's apple to the side, off the larynx, and shave.

Originally Posted by wchidester

Okay, day #2 was a little better, since I only had a 1 day growth there was not as much pulling. And after a longer stropping, the blade moved a little easier, I actually did both cheeks, and sides of the neck. I'll wait until my technique is better before I tackle the chin and adams apple.

Can anyone give me an idea of how many shaves I can expect to get before I'll need a honing?

btw- the bits of my face that I got to are so damn smooth...

Congrats on the improving shave!

The frequency of razor honing really depends on how oft you shave with the same razor, stropping technique, and being accident free - ie not dropping or knocking the blade on something.

By far, the most important and, in my view, controllable factor is stropping technique because good stropping will be able to refresh the blade from regular use pretty effectively while bad stropping will dull your blade equally so.

So, it's hard to give you an exact calculation. If you grab yourself a barber hone, you'll be able to refresh the blade's shaving keenness when stropping no longer does the trick.

Just bear in mind, the razor should never get dull in the absolute sense - when the blade needs a touch up - you'll notice because the quality and comfort of your shaves will tell you. If you let the razor dull beyond that point, it would be time to send the razor out again.

In short, strop slowly, shave often and get a barber hone for when stropping no longer gives a good shave.

Cheers!