all the right angles

Hello,

I've had about 4 shaves thus far... no bloody messes (just a few nicks and cuts), but nothing even remotely resembling BBS. The choices seem to be either uncomfortable pulling or just not cutting much at all. My razor was sharpened by Lynn prior to use, and I'm pretty confident in my prep/lathering, so I'm guessing the pulling is due to technique.

I know the 30 degree angle is thrown out a lot... but watching the videos it seems like people have their blades fairly vertical, like 30 degrees off perpendicular. Intuitively I'd think you'd want the spine closer to the skin, in order to chop the hair off... what am I missing here?

30 degrees is just a jumping off point for rookies since its kind of in between. The fact is as you shave you are constantly adjusting the angle to suit the area of your face you are working on. I know for me I usually keep it at less than 30 degrees but there are areas like on the chin and coming around the chin where I use way more than 30 degrees. In general the steeper the angles the more aggressive meaning more chance for irritation.

I know in most motion pictures where there is a shave scene they use a 90 degree angle but that's a prop of course and they don't know any better.

hmm the angles most definitely shouldn't be 'right', if they are 'correct' :p
I just went to check a video and there's no right angle there:
Shaving Routine
may be you're just not looking at good video, some shaving videos are a good example of what not to do :)
then stropping is rather important, pay attention to it as much as you pay attention to the lather, skin stretching and angle.

What's your prep routine, and are you stretching the skin when you are shaving? In general, try to go as shallow as possible but still cut.

-Chief

Dumb question. You don't mention stropping. Are you? The edge degrades significantly so you must strop beween shaves (typically just prior to starting your shave.

As far as angles go, try to experiment. As already mentioned 30 degrees is a starting point. Find out what works for you. Hey, if 60 degrees works for you, then use it. Also remember that areas that are highly contoured (chin and Adam's apple) will require constant adjustments. There are few "laws" in straight razor shaving. It is mostly personal and developing the skills that work best for you.

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Originally Posted by zuckermania

Hello,

I've had about 4 shaves thus far... no bloody messes (just a few nicks and cuts), but nothing even remotely resembling BBS. The choices seem to be either uncomfortable pulling or just not cutting much at all. My razor was sharpened by Lynn prior to use, and I'm pretty confident in my prep/lathering, so I'm guessing the pulling is due to technique.

I know the 30 degree angle is thrown out a lot... but watching the videos it seems like people have their blades fairly vertical, like 30 degrees off perpendicular. Intuitively I'd think you'd want the spine closer to the skin, in order to chop the hair off... what am I missing here?

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This is on the Wiki:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...ing_angles.jpg

Notice the different angles. That ATG pass is almost flat to your face. As a newb myself. I start flat and lift as I make my pass. Whenever you are feeling like you have to exert ANY pressure, it is usually either the sharpness or your angle. After razor sharpness, that angle is the key to getting a BBS shave with no hemoglobin. I can't emphasize that enough.

And I will tell you this. Try and get used to switching razor hands ASAP. You will need to do that to adjust angles for all of the weird a$$ directions your beard grows and still be able to see what you are doing. It is not imposible to do it with one hand, many here do, but it is a hell of a lot easier.

David

I saw that wiki, and that's what I've been trying to emulate... with the spine of the razor 30 degrees off the skin. To answer some questions...

Skin stretching- probably not doing as good of a job there as I could. This morning I got a bit of a gash from letting the skin fold up (which stopped the razor and it slipped a little). This is probably my first area for improvement.

Switch Hitting- yep I'm trying to use my left hand as well as the right. Kind of tough, especially when going ATG. Seems like I'm getting some cuts from the razor slipping a little.

Stropping- usually I do 15-20 with the linen and 20-30 with the leather.


When you shave are listening for that 'buttering toast' sound to know you've got the angle right?

I've also noticed that I tend to take short choppy strokes (like when using a DE), but in the videos most people tend to take longer strokes. Any reason for the longer strokes? Pressure wise do you want to use absolutely none?

Thanks for the help.

Provided that your razor is properly honed and stropped and that you have prepared your skin properly, then I would try stretching the skin a little more. Sometimes I have to really stretch a customers skin in order to what I call "smooth out" the shave. Also, dont be afraid to stretch in different directions. If I can't smooth out the shave by stretching in one direction I will then try another direction and this will usually help.

++1 on the previous advice.

I have found two things that improved my shave considerably besides proper preparation of the face. These were: 1) stropping of the razor (50 fabric; 50 leather) and stretching the skin on my face and neck.

Good luck...