Thread: Straight razor not cutting hair at all

Hanging hair test works with some hair better than others....

Common knowledge around here is that it is a pretty trick, but worthless as a sharpness test.

You probably dulled the razor now, so send it in for sharpening.

Ah, well. I figured as much. Had the darned thing less than a week already I have to mail it back. Thank goodness it game with a "lifetime honing" certificate.

Dude . Sorry to sound harsh but you kinda did everything wrong that you possibly could have.
How many razors have you successfully tested with HHT to be able to say this one was not right ? How many razors have you stropped to a perfect shave readiness to say you are stropping correctly ? How many razors have you honed to shave readiness. Get my drift ? You can't ride a bike without a few initial falls. Straight shaving is similar
Best thing now is get it rehoned & try a shave without stropping. It will give you a base line to compare against.
Keep it nearly flat on the face, yes that's about 30º, even less is ok & just do your sideburns & cheek area . It is likely the razor was pulling on your mo because your angle was too high or lather too thin or both or also because your honing & stropping is sub par.
Have you read this post :
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...t=Lynn+apology

I did not want to come off here sounding like a know-it-all. I know I must have forked it up, I was just looking for some advice. I will keep at it, and hopefully will improve with practice.

If that hanging hair test is only a "pretty trick" then what would be an effective sharpness test that I can use to see if I'm stopping correctly?

The best test of all is the shave test..assuming that your technique is there. The HHT is definately not the be all end all and for the most part is a "pretty trick" as mentioned. Too many variables...for example I have very fine hair and on some of my razors my hair will pop and not on others...funny thing is I get just as good a shave and sometimes better off the ones that don't pass the "test". Send your razor out to get rehoned and for your first shave after don't strop or do anything...just really focus on your angle and technique and take it slow...you'll get there..patience is key

I appreciate all the feedback. I will work on it, and hopefully get to where I need to be

Thanks all.

If you got your razor from Straight Razor Designs, it's sharp, er, well...it was sharp until you tried to hone it.

Here's the scoop. Poor technique will mimick a poorly honed razor almost exactly. What you fell into was the beginner's trap of blaming the razor instead of the technique....lots of folks do it . It's time to do a couple things....first, have the razor touched up to bring it back where it was when you got it. Second, put the hone away and don't even think about it until you shave everyday for six months. This first six months, IMHO, isn't about honing, it's about learning how to shave, strop, and lather.

Don't give up, just don't dive in head first into the shallow end of the pool

Originally Posted by herbertfilby

If that hanging hair test is only a "pretty trick" then what would be an effective sharpness test that I can use to see if I'm stopping correctly?

It's not really a trick but there is a trick to doing it ie it needs to be calibrated. First find some hair that you can consistently do the HHT with using a DE blade. Once that's working take your Str8 & wipe all the oil off it. It won't happen while the blade or hair is oily. Try to duplicate your DE results with the str8 but the razor may still shave ok even if it fails
Just remember it is a test during the honing process & any test 'can' degrade an edge.
There is a heap of info here:
Hanging Hair Test, from trick to probing method - Straight Razor Place Wiki

The point being.... that the ultimate test of sharpness is shaving. And if you are new, you can't really tell if it is the razor or your technique. Receiving a "shave ready" razor especially from SRD is 99.999% sure it is sharp and ready to go.

Take it a bit at a time, keep a light touch, flat on the strop, and you will pick it up before you know it.

If it is hurting, then you are doing something wrong.

Enjoy.

The one mate I go into shaving in a more manly fashion, was adament that the vintage razor I bought him as a starting gift wasn't sharp enough.He was adament that it wasn't sharp enough for the couple of weeks it took me to get a chance to visit (was really annoying listening to him say that he was going to hone it up properly etc). I had to repeatedly tell him to just stop and don't do anything rash. I wanted to check it first (it was my money that paid for it afterall).
I went around to his place knowing full well that the razor would be plenty sharp, I did a shave test with it while he was watching, and he was surprised just how smoothly 3 days growth fell away (I was too as I hadn't shave tested this one, I had it sent straight to his place from a trusted Vendor). It was a great razor to shave with and I (needlessly) told him so.
I'm glad he wasn't a dick and held off on the honing until it could be proven one way or the other. I took my hones to do it for him just in case, but they weren't needed.


Mick