Thread: My First Straight Razor Shave

Hello all! I just decided to get into the world of straight razor shaving and I must say this has been a tremendous resource! I ordered a used and pre-sharpened razor from the classified section of this site along with some of the other bare essentials from other various internet sources. My razor came in today and I almost immediately had to try it out. I thought I'd post to share my experiences and ask some questions.

The first thing I did after a nice hot shower was lather up my face. I used Bigelow soap from a tube because I heard it works and I didn't want to wait for my Trumper sandlewood to come in next week. While the lather sat on my face I started to strop and can only guess as to the effectiveness of my technique as I have only ever seen it online. The moment of truth came when I first held the blade to my right cheek. My first couple of stroke went great! I was so excited. In almost no time the whole right side of my face was bare... not that I was rushing, it was just very effective. Had I read Lynn's introduction I probably would've stopped there, but I decided to continue on the the right side of my neck. This is where I first ran into trouble. The grain of my neck changes directions in so many places I decided to go with the same strokes I've always done with my cartridge razor (which I will not miss!). I thankfully did not have any major accidents but I noticed the pull increase with my wacky grain. I tried to strop and I think this is where I ultimately caused my "fatal" error. I'm pretty sure I rolled the blade in my lack of experience as my shave quality immediately decreased. Once again I would have stopped if I had read Lynn's introduction but I continued on to shave my entire face, which was not a very pleasant experience. The shave quality on the right side is noticeably better than on the left.

In spite of my problems I am still super excited about the world of straight razor shaving. Even with my set-backs the whole experience was still an improvement over my Gillette. Unfortunately my razor seems to no longer be up to the challenge. When it arrived it passed the hanging hair test, which I mostly did for fun as I know it's not a 100% indicator. After what I did today it no longer passes that test, which I attribute to improper stropping. Is there anything I can do to bring back the edge relatively easily? I do not own any hones right now but I am open to purchasing them. I've worked at a machine tool shop for years and am very comfortable working with my hands, I just believe I need more practice in this particular endeavor. Any help is much appreciated.

- Brian

Congratulations and welcome. You have a lot to learn, just take time. One of the best things I was told was to have two honed razors. That way I would be able to tell if the one I was using really needed to be sharpened by comparing it to the way the second felt as I shaved for a comparison. Don't rush into honing, if you must, IMHO a Norton 8000 would be fine. Practice your stropping with a butter knife. I know that sounds silly but it has taken me months to perfect that simple chore. But most of all, have fun with this. You are to be commended for your great enthisiasm.

Welcome aboard! Don't get into honing just yet. That's another learning curve you don't want to deal with while you're getting your shaving skills in order. You may be able to correct the blade w/ proper stropping technique. The key w/ stropping is to pull the strop tight, don't provide anymore pressure than the weight of the blade (in other words, don't press down on it) and ALWAYS lead with the spine. BanjoTom's suggestion about practicing w/ a butter knife is an excellent one. That way you can build muscle memory without fear of damaging your straight or strop

If you stropped the razor prior to your shave, then your stropping might not be at fault. If the blade was just barely into the "shave ready" category, then your beard may have worn it to the point where it dropped out of shave readiness.

One thing you can try with your present equipment is to strop the blade, carefully and slowly, and put at least 100 laps on it, checking it with the HHT you have found to be an indicator of sharpness. If you are stropping properly and get to 200 laps, it may need to be honed.

Since you probably harmed the edge by improper stropping, I regret to inform you that the first step to trying to repair the edge is...

STROPPING!

Now, if PROPER stropping does not restore the edge, then you will need to get the razor touched up on hones.

Your first step probably should be to review some stropping videos. Go slowly and carefully to start out. The emphasis should be on "carefully" until you develop the muscle memory to easily do it correctly and effectively. Like riding a bike, it just takes practice.

Thanks so much for all the replies! I may have been pressing too hard while stropping. I have an Fromm Strop marker "Illinois Razor Strop" and I think I may find that I should have gone for higher quality. The middle of the razor does not touch when I use only the weight of the razor with my hand as a guide just to keep it flat. It seems that the strop may be slightly curved. Is there any way to remedy this situation?

Congrats on your 1st time. We all went through the trials and I have one recommendation: Take the advice of the senior members here. If you do, you will be rewarded with a wonderful having experience.

Enjoy!

Well welcome the the site and to your first shave. Hey no wounds consider it a success. Sounds like you learned a lot and that is what counts. Take what you learned, let your face rest a day and have at it again remembering what you learned. Once again welcome

I had the same problem with my strop being concave. Just gently bend it till it's slightly convex and let it sit under a heavy book a day or two. Mine's worked fine ever since. Again with the senior members and the mentors, they're very helpful and a great resource. Welcome and good luck!

Welcome to SRP. As Utopian and others have already pointed out it may be your stropping technique...this is very important...just ake your time and go slow and you'll be ok. There's quite a learning curve to all of this shaving stuff but thats part of the fun