Thread: How much is enough?

I am new to SR shaving and have never done it yet. I had a straight razor (Henry Sears, Germany, 1865, extra ground) that I found at an antique store honed and sharpened by a local barber. I only stropped it a few times because the barber said that it was ready to use.

The problem is that when I try to start shaving, the blade seems to drag and scrape, not glide. My question is how much pressure is appropriate? How much drag is right? The blade seems to get stuck on my face and I'm afraid to apply pressure in fear of cutting myself? How much pressure is enough?

Howdy JB,

The conventional wisdon is to use no pressure. Just a light touch like you were trying to brush a baby's cheek with a feather.

If your razor is getting stuck it simply isn't sharp enough. Your lather may not be optimal but dollars to Dubl Ducks says you need a sharper razor.

Don't despair. There are plenty of folks here who can provide honing service for about $20.

Don't give up but don't do your face damage either.

Semper circa,

Library Guy Roy

Hello Jbtusa,
Go to the Wiki section on this site and then go to the honing section and select the articles on Sharpness Testing. If your razor doesn't pass most of these tests it needs to be honed. You can either look for someone on this site who is local to you who does honing or send it to someone who does. You can also take the plunge and buy your own honing equipment and do it your self ??

Mark

the less pressure the better, but you also have to overcome the resistance from the whiskers being cut.
it may not be a bad idea to check with the barber who sharpened your razor. perhaps he can give you a shave, or some pointers.
and there's always the option of sending the razor to one of the guys who offer honing services. quite a few of them have a lot of experience and can get the razor as sharp as the steel allows it to be, and in any case you'll have one more reference point.

After another try this morning, it must be that the razor is not sharp enough. I had stropped it 30 x's more and the razor did cut better. But, something is still not right because it feels like I have to force the blade to cut. I will strop it some more and if that doesn't work, I will send it out for honing. Thanks for all the input!

We often pronounce the honing of the blade, but in reality, beard prep and technique are as critical for a good shave, just as much as a sharp blade IMO. I'd try one more time paying attention to those things.

Please tell us about your pre-shave prep,and the products that you use.