Thread: First Shave..Semi-Successful

sounds to me like you may have been crossing grain boundaries
perhaps missing the wtg and jumping into a cross grain or atg too early

i'v found that i get a pulling feeling if i go atg before a wtg and across grain pas

Originally Posted by wyldr

sounds to me like you may have been crossing grain boundaries
perhaps missing the wtg and jumping into a cross grain or atg too early

i'v found that i get a pulling feeling if i go atg before a wtg and across grain pas

hmm its possible, I might have to inspect my growth patterns more carefully..

I'm sporting a partial beard as well and found some of the same. For me, it felt like the blade was sticking to my face. This usually happened on the fist couple of strokes and after that it smoothed out. At first I thought it was nerves, but at one point I was adjusting my angle and watching in the mirror and noticed getting a little lather on the back of the blade (between the blade and my cheek). This seemed to make it feel slicker and made me feel a lot less nervous. I was also experimenting with glycerin in the lather and maybe this was the solution, still not sure. Anyway, the second thing I noticed was on the top part of my cheek, I was using the heel of the blade much more than the center or toe.

Good shaving!

Originally Posted by canuckblade

Well its like 2 really really small..i thought it was just a speck of dirt on the edge, but when it wouldn't rub away, I took the magnifying glass to have a better look, and there's a couple of nicks/dings in the blade..

I never really inspected the razor under a magnifying glass when I got it, I bought it shave ready off the classifieds here and I trust the member who sold it to me, I just have no idea where they came from

Ill see if I can post some pics later.

Do you think If i get a barber hone it can take them out?

Those tiny nicks look like the ones I get all the time. It looks like a tiny square piece chipped off the edge. Even when I get a professionally hones razor back, there may be one or two still visable. They really don't seem to affect my shaves. After a while, a few more nicks form, so I will send it out for honing. As long as it still shaves well, there should be no problem. I guess that is why I get it honed every 4-6 months.

I wouldn't be too concerned about it. When it gets to the point

Originally Posted by vikingfan

Those tiny nicks look like the ones I get all the time. It looks like a tiny square piece chipped off the edge. Even when I get a professionally hones razor back, there may be one or two still visable. They really don't seem to affect my shaves. After a while, a few more nicks form, so I will send it out for honing. As long as it still shaves well, there should be no problem. I guess that is why I get it honed every 4-6 months.

I wouldn't be too concerned about it. When it gets to the point

Phew thanks!

Do you think a few swipes on a barber hone help it out ?

Originally Posted by canuckblade

Phew thanks!

Do you think a few swipes on a barber hone help it out ?

I don't know the grit of a barber hone. If it is a very high grit, it may take a very long time to get them out.

I just decided to try my hand at honing again (my first attempt a few months ago made my razor more dull) and I used a 3000 grit hone followed by a 8000 grit hone. The chips became smaller. I suppose if I did a few more passes on the 3000 grit hone, most of the chips will disappear.

If I was you, I would not hone it if the shaves are good. I think after 4 or 5 months of daily shaving, my razor probably had about 10 visable chips. It wasn't until I read your post that I decided to look at my razor's edge and try honing. So, if it still shaves well, leave it alone.

Originally Posted by vikingfan

I don't know the grit of a barber hone. If it is a very high grit, it may take a very long time to get them out.

I just decided to try my hand at honing again (my first attempt a few months ago made my razor more dull) and I used a 3000 grit hone followed by a 8000 grit hone. The chips became smaller. I suppose if I did a few more passes on the 3000 grit hone, most of the chips will disappear.

If I was you, I would not hone it if the shaves are good. I think after 4 or 5 months of daily shaving, my razor probably had about 10 visable chips. It wasn't until I read your post that I decided to look at my razor's edge and try honing. So, if it still shaves well, leave it alone.

Had my second shave today, and it was a little better than my first one. I still probably don't know what a truly amazing shave feels like, I'm still learning. But the shaves are relatively good for my skill level.

I probably have about 3 tiny microchips on the edge now, but it just seems counter-intuitive, like the chips would dig in and scratch my face.

But let me tell you, it's a huge sigh of relief when a more experienced member tells me they have the same thing

Thanks!

Originally Posted by canuckblade

Had my second shave today, and it was a little better than my first one. I still probably don't know what a truly amazing shave feels like, I'm still learning. But the shaves are relatively good for my skill level.

I probably have about 3 tiny microchips on the edge now, but it just seems counter-intuitive, like the chips would dig in and scratch my face.

But let me tell you, it's a huge sigh of relief when a more experienced member tells me they have the same thing

Thanks!

I would think the chips would not dig in, since the space is above the skin. The chips in your photo seem normal to me. When you get too many chips, you might have to hone it.

I just finished my first shave as well, and also experinced a LOT of pulling! Hopefully it is just our technique and will get smoother with time...

Originally Posted by joben

I just finished my first shave as well, and also experinced a LOT of pulling! Hopefully it is just our technique and will get smoother with time...

Assuming your razor is shave-ready, pay attention to the blade angle. Keep it to about 20 to 30 degrees and keep the area you are shaving taught.