Thread: Making progress - I think

Well, tonight I shaved both sideburns and both cheeks, and I even switched hands to do it. Yea. I'm gonna stick with the easy spots for awhile.

Anyway, no cuts or nicks -- very smooth, and I didn't feel any pulling this time, but I didn't really get that close a shave. I'm holding the blade at about 30 degrees, but not using much pressure. Do you think it's the angle, or should I use a little more pressure?

Also, when I was rinsing the blade off I accidently touched it to the faucet. I think I can see a little something there, but it doesn't look bad. Just shave with it and see what happens? That's my first inclination.

I also haven't stropped the blade yet, which I plan on doing tomorrow before shaving. I know, tight strop and very light on the stropping.

DO NOT ADD MORE PRESSURE!!! Read that again & again. All you will do is cut yourself or cause razor burn.

It takes multiple passes to get a BBS (baby smooth) shave, usually using different angles: With the grain (WTG), across the grain (XTG), against the grain (ATG), & so on. Try across the grain next. Baby steps...

On the blade vs faucet...you may try to strop it & see what happens, but it may take a honing to get it out. If you have a pasted strop, try it first, then use your regular strop. If you can still see a spot on the blade, it will likely pull at that location when you try to shave. If it does...it'll need a touchup on the stones.

Keep it up, you are on the right track!!!

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, going light is probably why I haven't cut myself yet, so I guess I should keep that up.

The back of the strop has some paste on it -- like that when I got it new -- so I'll give that a try tomorrow. Haven't stropped it yet, but I have to start sometime.

Take your time on the stropping. Keep the strop pulled tight to ensure you don't roll the edge. Check out some stropping information on the WIKI before you start, could save you some time & $$.

If theres a ding in the blade from knicking the faucet, the ding will have to be honed out. It should take no pressure to shave, if it does then something is wrong. Beard reduction thru multiple passes is the key. WTG, XTG, ATG.

+1 on all said. Before stropping you might want to read the stropping section of the Barbering Textbook. There's an exercise you can practice.

File:Help Files Permanent Archive Barbering Textbooks 1961 Barbering Text - Honing.pdf - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Good luck.

Thanks for all the advice. I've seen that book on stropping, and I've also seen a lot of videos. Been practicing with a second, dull razor and I think I have it down, although slowly.

I'm going to strop it tonight and see how it feels compared to before I maybe dinged it. If it feels the same, or better, I'm just going to keep going without worrying about it.

Okay. I stropped the razor for the first time tonight. Actually easier to do than with my practice razor as that one if very heavy.

Not much of a difference noted -- only my third partial shave -- but I doubt I did any harm as the razor feels as good as it did when new. Strop tight razor light, making sure to cover the entire blade and not lifting the spine.

Funny observation, however. I'm using a Bic Advantage to finish off, and I'm now getting more nics and cuts with it -- fifth day of use. Not one cut or nick with the straight. It's easy to see how, once you get the hang of it, the straight blade will save you lots of money over the long haul.

So far multiple passes in the same direction, WTG, are giving me a slightly closer shave. If I can shave the rest of my face this close it will be good enough for public viewing, but not as close as I'd like. Also, not increasing the pressure and still changing hands from right to left.

Thanks again for all the help.

Nice to see you have the patience to stay with just the cheeks till you feel like moving on, that attitude will serve you well.

As far as the blade on the faucet, I did the same thing less than a week in. it was such a light tap I wasn't even sure I actually hit the faucet. Ran it up and down the strop and it scraped my strop. Not so bad that my strop was ruined but enough that I was glad I didn't try to use it on my face first.

just something to think about.

Originally Posted by TheBaron

As far as the blade on the faucet, I did the same thing less than a week in. it was such a light tap I wasn't even sure I actually hit the faucet. Ran it up and down the strop and it scraped my strop. Not so bad that my strop was ruined but enough that I was glad I didn't try to use it on my face first.

just something to think about.

Thanks. I did think think about that. No marks on the strop so I went for the face. No marks on the face either. I'm assuming the "nick" was so minute I may have stropped it out. I also checked with a jewelers loupe and can't find anything definitive, especially after I stropped it. Before stropping I could swear there was something there when magnified.