Thread: can't be sharp enough right?

Hi guys!

Very frustrated and not sure where to pay attention to right now.

I sent my ebay special off to be honed, got it back last week and tried my first shave after stropping it, didn't get very far as it felt more like it was pulling the hair out rather than cutting it so strokes were very very short as i was never sure if the pain was hair coming out or face being cut into, needless to say i gave up.

found some time to have another go today, stropped it somewhere between 40-60 passes, did feel a little better but not much.

where am i going wrong?

There's a few things that could be wrong here, but I think that the issue here is more likely to be your beard prep than the razor. I'm assuming you read the do-not-buy list in the wiki to ensure it was a good brand (what brand is it, by the way?), and sent it to a reputable member out of the SRP classifieds to be honed, so it should be fine in regards to sharpness. That said though, if you stropped it upon receiving it back from the honemeister, you may well have rolled the edge and blunted it - you shouldn't need to touch it before shaving after getting it honed, it should be possible to take it straight out of the box and shave with it without issue.More infor m

Prep-wise, what do you do pre-shave to soften and prepare your beard? What shave soap do you use? How heavy is your beard? All these things can easily affect the quality of your shave. Take a long hot shower to soften your beard, massage some hair conditioner into it pre-shave if you want to make sure it's soft enough (just don't forget to rinse it off pre-lather!). Make sure you're using a decent soap with a good cushion and slick, to help prevent pulling. Finally, being new, make sure your angles and pressure are good. Read the wiki for advice on areas to shave for your first shave and angles, and keep a light touch. If you follow these tips you should get a much better shave.

More info may be able to help us (soap brand, beard prep, razor brand etc). Don't give up just yet, keep at it, the shave is more than worth it. Good luck.

Cheers,
Tom

Usually when you send a blade out for honing it comes back shave ready, no need to strop. It's possible you may have rolled the edge stropping, dulling it a bit, if you don't have much experience stropping. I would communicate with whoever you had hone the blade and see if they stropped it. Describe your beard prep for us, that could also be a problem. It's also possible your angles are wrong and you aren't stretching the skin properly. If you haven't it would be good to read the First Straight Razor Shave.

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Don't get discouraged, there's a bit of a learning curve but you'll get lots of help here.

Other that beard prep and the reputation of whoever owned your blade, I'm not sure what else it could be. Who are you using to hone your ebay specials?

I received a few blades sold as shave ready, but none of them even came close to the work that Max did on a third razor I got.

thanks for the quick replies guys!

the razor is a 100 year old joseph allen & sons, sheffield steel, 6/8 inch hollow ground and i sent it to a guy from the forum recommended to me that is here in the UK.

for lather i'm using an edwin jagger cream.

i shave after showering, then use hot water on my face before applying lather.

so maybe i should look at my stropping technique? have hardly done much so probable that it could be this letting me down? i've watched vids and read up on it but that only goes so far, i keep the strop tight and only apply as much pressure as i need to keep the blade flat though.

To check if the blade is sharp enough, see if it will shave arm hair when held about 1/4 inch above the skin-- you should hear little "pinging" sounds and see the buggers fall down. If the blade does that, then it is probably your technique or prep. If not, it was either not honed very well or you rolled the edge when you stropped it.

Note on stropping, it is ok to use a little pressure, but you must keep the strop tight and *never* lift the spine... which is what rolls the edge.

If you send it to be rehoned, when you get it back don't strop on your first shave-- that way you'll know if it was you...

-Chief

Hmm... it sounds like you are doing everything right to me.

I guess we will have to turn to more experienced members to uncover the issue.

The blade doesn't sound like it was honed enough. Also, after honing on stone, sometimes the edge feels a bit rough shaving, although sharp enough to give a presentable shave. I recommend giving 10 passes on a pasted strop to smooth out any tiny sharp rough edges still hanging on the blade. My shaves after the 10 passes were smoother and better.

This along with the blade not being honed enough could be the situation you are facing.

Good Luck!

Pabster

Based on what you've just said, I would take a strong look at your technique. Have you read through the document I posted a link to? Next time you shave, really watch your angles. Take short strokes, using a light hand, and make sure you're stretching the skin properly. The document I cited has good information on all these techniques.

Originally Posted by razormonkey

thanks for the quick replies guys!

the razor is a 100 year old joseph allen & sons, sheffield steel, 6/8 inch hollow ground and i sent it to a guy from the forum recommended to me that is here in the UK.

for lather i'm using an edwin jagger cream.

i shave after showering, then use hot water on my face before applying lather.

so maybe i should look at my stropping technique? have hardly done much so probable that it could be this letting me down? i've watched vids and read up on it but that only goes so far, i keep the strop tight and only apply as much pressure as i need to keep the blade flat though.

Why don't you contact the person that honed it and ask him what he/she recommends.