Thread: 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. 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.

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.