OMG... First shave and I couldn't finish it with a straight razor.

This is my first post and I was hoping it would have been a better one.
My name is Igor, I have been doing a lot of reading on the forum and watching videos before buying my first razor. I got a 5/8 J.R. Torrey Razor Co. razor.

Well, this the story.
Didn't shave for four days before trying the razor. Tried the razor on the back side of the hand, and it cleaned it up nice and smooth. Now on to the face:cry:. Not sure if my beard was too thick or I wasn't doing it right... it wouldn't cut it. Picked up the Mach3 and finished the job...

NO, I am not giving up... will try it again in a few days..
If the razor cut the hair on the back of the hand just fine, I am assuming it should do the same on the face??? Or am I wrong???
I am no stranger to tools and sharpening them... Had a cabinet shop for many years.
Before using the razor I honed it from 1000 - 4000 -8000 and then stoped it...
It feels very sharp to me.

Any advice? Thoughts? etc.

Thanks in advance.

Igor

Consider that it can take months to become proficient with a straight so there are many possibilities. Pretty much everything from bad angle, bad stroke, bad pressure, dull razor. You just have to examine everything you are doing. If the razor was proper it should be able to cut a 4 day growth but lacking experience I couldn't say which factors are giving you problems. Maybe all of them. You just have to keep at it and slowly the shaves should improve. If you want to know for sure about your razor send it out for a pro job. Honing a straight is very different from tools and knives and many an "expert" has found that out to their dismay.

Hi!
Welcome to SRP!
Sorry to hear that your first experience wasn't all that great.
But you know what? That happened to most of us! At least it happened to me.

The things required for a good shave with a straight, in addition to quite a bit of practice are:

Good prepping of the beard.
This means properly washed and moistened hair and face.
Good lather.
This provides glide and cushion as well as help raise and moisten the whiskers.
A properly honed razor.

I know you said that you knew your way around hones.
The thing is, honing a razor is quite different from knifes.
Your stones sound like the right grit and progression though.

If I may suggest something to you:
Send your razor out and get it properly sharpened by a pro!
That way you wil know what to strive for when you try to deal with honing yourself, and you will be certain that your blade is as good as can be:)

It's good to see you have the right attitude and stamina for learning this wonderful skill.
I'm sure you will get great shaves in no time!

Keep at it and good luck!

You made a common mistake. You assumed that you could properly hone a razor because you have successfully honed other sharp things. Now that you want to drag something across your face, you need to learn how to hone a razor, which is a different beast.

Your beard is not too thick. Most likely you honed it wrong AND used it wrong!
:)
Sorry, but that is the most likely truth. Shaving with a straight is a learned skill that involves more of the proper use of angles and slicing motions than you would be used to with any other means of shaving. The honing is different because you are dealing with a much more delicate (thin) edge.

The problem is similar to learning how to drive a car with a manual transmission when you were the one who rebuilt the clutch and transmission! When you have trouble driving it, is it you or the car?

You are not alone. MANY first time shavers describe the same problem even when they start with a properly honed razor and eventually they (some anyway) learn how to shave with it. The easiest solution is to have someone who knows what they are doing hone your razor for you. That way you eliminate one of the variables and can focus on your shaving technique. This also gives you a benchmark for sharpness for any other razor you may hone.

Good luck!

It looks like "The Perfect Edge" is about 20 min away from my house in Shrewsbury MA...
I will give them a call tomorrow morning and see what they can do for me...

Does anyone have any experience with "the perfect edge"?..
I was looking for a local place that i can walk into and get the razor honed, second choice would be to mail it out.
Or can some one recomend a local member in MA or a company that I can contact?

Thanks again.

That is Howard, a member here. I don't think he has been around SRP much in the past year or more, but in the past I read many good comments about his honing. If you can get some one on one time with him, that should be very helpful.

Just got off the phone with Howard.
Got a hands on sharpening lesson with him on friday morning.
Looking forward to it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IgorR

Just got off the phone with Howard.
Got a hands on sharpening lesson with him on friday morning.
Looking forward to it.

---

THAT is great news. You will make rapid progress after that.

IgorR it will make all the difference in the world. Unlike you I grunted through 7 shaves before getting my razors honed professionally. I had both my razors shaving the hair on the back of my hand easily but they were no where near what a professional honemiester acomplishes.

One on one honing lessons are truly the best way to learn if possible. Use the member map feature also, it's a great tool.

as a beginner myself, one thing i recommend to others getting into straight razors is to buy a cheap shavette before using a straight razor with a strop and maybe sharpening stones. when using a shavette, you know that each new blade will be sharp enough and you can solely work on technique and the feel of straight shaving before even getting into sharpening and trying to tell if the blade is sharp enough. i found this transition was very easy into the straight razor world and i feel it is the way to go for everyone before blowing their money and potentially their face.

Glad you got that honing meeting set up. That's an awesome opportunity. With a new Torrey razor I wouldn't have expected you to need to go down to 1K, depending on where you got it from it should at least have had a good bevel on it, and could have even been shave ready out of the box.

I've had the same experiences with razors that will "shave" arm hair, but not facial hair. For me, a razor that catches and cuts suspended arm hair is what's needed for a good shave...but that's my face and my arm hair. Could be different for you.

Be sure to update us all on your meet with Howard on Friday. Let us know how it goes, what you learn, and how the shaving progresses from there!

Peace,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IgorR

This is my first post and
....snip...
Tried the razor on the back side of the hand, and it cleaned it up nice and smooth.
Now on to the face:cry:. Not sure if my beard was too thick or I wasn't doing it right... it
wouldn't cut it. Picked up the Mach3 and finished the job...
....snip...

If the razor cut the hair on the back of the hand just fine, I am assuming it should do the same on the face??? Or am I wrong???
...snip....
Any advice? Thoughts? etc.

Thanks in advance.

Igor

---

First post -- WELCOME.

Finishing with a tossable works, especially so for beginners.
As you learn to shave, strop and hone there will be days when
your straight is not ideal. Honing stropping... it does not
matter what the problem. Shave the easy bits as a test... when
you get to an uncomfortable condition switch to the
tossable.

The hair on the back of the hand is not equal
to whiskers for most of us. That you can shave
the back of your hand is a clue that your are
getting an edge on the blade. It may not be
ideal but progress is progress. My guess is
that the angle of the blade on your whiskers needs
to change a bit. Always pay attention to "lathering".

Moving forward... hone with a lighter touch.
Slow smooth hone strokes...
then strop with slow smooth light strokes.
Lather up, let the lather soak and
Shave test... if necessary finish with a tossable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IgorR

Just got off the phone with Howard.
Got a hands on sharpening lesson with him on friday morning.
Looking forward to it.

---

Igor,

You will really enjoy meeting Howard; you are fortunate to live so close to the "PerfectEdger." He may even have a stone you may have to have. :tu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rodb

One on one honing lessons are truly the best way to learn if possible. Use the member map feature also, it's a great tool.

---

What is a member map?

Click on the My location link right belowt Avatar.(marked GoogleMap:) It will take you right there.
And while you are there, add you own info.
The more people who do that, the more useful that feature becomes:)

Just entered my info, but after going back to the map, could see my pin...
What did I do wrong?

This morning I met up with Howard.
He showed me arround his shop, and then we got down to business.
After looking at the J.R. Torrey the I have sharpened myself he told me that I did a pretty good job overall. (but not as good as he did with it)
When he started doing his magic on the Shapton system he has set up, I was full of questions ... He took the time to explain everything he was doing and why.
He said the edge was in good shape, so we started out with 1000 grid. after several passes on both sides (about 20 on each side) we got a nice even edge.
Then it was on to 4000. (BTW, he flattens the stone after each use) He showed me how he moves the blade over the stone and I got some hands on practice under his suprvision.
One of the things I he showed me right at the start is a simple but very usefull tool, it's a maginfying glass with a light that you can look at the edge with. And Howard used it every time before moving onto the next grit.
When we got through the 4000, it was onto 8000 with more of the same .... and checking the edge under magnification...
The process was the same all the way through untill we finished with 30000... yes it's Thirty Thousand....
Needless to say, the edge is as sharp as it will ever will be.
Had a shave with it this evening (not all of my face, still need to get the experience in using the straight edge). The areas that I did shave were very smooth....

Hoping that over time I will be able to get the skill in shaving with these great tools.
BTW. the blade we sharpened today was bought at an antique shop a few weeks ago for the sum of $8.00. It's an early "The Torrey Razor Co." dated at the late 1800's
The other blade that I brought with me is an "Army" addition of J.R. Torrey Razor Co. What's intersting about that razor is the fact that it had the original instructions from the company on how to use the razor and it's Warranty. Howard was very intrested in that little piece of paper.

I had a great time meeting Howard and learning the art in proper use of the stones and getting my razors "razor sharp".

Igor

Awesome! Glad to hear you had such a great experience, and learned a lot too!