Thread: Help Me!!

Im new to the straight razor and ive been having some problems and needing some help on how to fix what im doing wrong. Im not getting a really close shave and it feels like my razor is ripping the hair off of my face and it really hurts. Is this because my razor is not shart enought to smoothly cut the hairs? I dont have a hone but i have a strop. What do i need to do to get a closer shaving and a smoother shave without it feeling like im ripping all the hairs off of my face? Thanks



Warren

Your razor isn't quite sharp enough. You need a hone of some sort, either a stone or pasted strop. You can also send it out to one of several members on the forum that will sharpen it for you for a nominal fee.

1 - stop being in a rush and read the boards. so much information in these posts. at at the top left of this page is a section called "HELP FILES" go read thru all that also.

2- prep correctly. shower or hot towel yourself just before shaving. some poeple use conditioner on their beard or preshave oil to make it even more soft. there is a thread going about this on the "shaving" subsection of this board.

3 - Yes, your razor is probably dull. did you have someone hone it when you got it? where did u get it? don't u love when people scream help and don't put in enough information so others can actually HELP them!! send out your razor to get sharpened.. bill ellis, joe chandler, robert williams, lynn abrams oh theres a bunch on this board. send them a private message explaining whats going on and ask them if they would take the time to hone your razor.

4 - learn to strop. so many people dull their first blade stropping at the beginning. stropping is not hard, it just takes a few simple things to remember.... pull the strop TIGHT, go slowly as spead does not matter, lay the blade FLAT on the leather as you do your laps, spine leading laps always, when rolling the blade over to go the opposite direction roll the blade on the spine. it feels weird when you start but its a movement you learn and then just do naturally in a couple weeks. pull tight, go slow, lay blade flat

5 - your razor will become dull again in the future from use and stropping. so plan on it and plan a course of action to fix it. either plan to send it out again for a touch up or plan to touch it up yourself. if you are going to do it yourself, talk with Tony here about his strops, a pasted paddle strop will do you wonders.... or pick up a finishing hone. there is a discussion about finishing hones going on right now in the "honing" section of this board. go read it.

take it slow, DO LOTS OF READING.... then experiment with the rest. and yes, a dull blade makes this very uncomfortable and not a good experience. so get it sharpened.


~J

Originally Posted by jscott

4 - learn to strop. so many people dull their first blade stropping at the beginning. stropping is not hard, it just takes a few simple things to remember.... pull the strop TIGHT, go slowly as spead does not matter, lay the blade FLAT on the leather as you do your laps, spine leading laps always, when rolling the blade over to go the opposite direction roll the blade on the spine. it feels weird when you start but its a movement you learn and then just do naturally in a couple weeks. pull tight, go slow, lay blade flat

It doesn't help that anytime you see stropping in movies or on TV they tend to show the second best way to dull a blade with the strop. Slack strop, too much pressure, moving too fast, rolling on the edge instead of the spine. The only other thing they could get wrong is to do it edge leading, and they've probably done that too.

But never shown because they destroyed the strop in the process!
Ever watched actors shave w/ a str8? Blade perpendicular on skin!

Originally Posted by jscott

lay the blade FLAT on the leather as you do your laps,

~J

Is it possible to do damage by laying tooo flat? or is it a safety net staying too flat and gradually increasing the angle?

I intend to start too flat and increase the angle, but I'd like to make sure doing so won't cause some kind of other damage or error.

fyi, I splurged on a horse hide strop. It is an item personal to me. I don't want to mess it up learning.

The blade should lay flat on the strop, and the spine should *not* be lifted during stropping. At the end of the stroke you should roll the razor over on the spine and go back the other way. If you lift the spine you will almost certainly roll the edge, destroying it. Keep the strop pulled taut the entire time, it should not sag during stropping or you will roll the edge.

The same holds true on the hone btw, the spine stays on the stone throughout the stroke, and the razor is rolled over on the spine at the end of each direction.

The difference between the two is honing is done edge-first, and stropping is done spine-first.

Warren, since you already got good advice here, I wont repeat that. However, i would advice you to state your problem in the thread title, instead of writing "Help". The title of your thread should say what it's about. It will be easier for someone to really help you.

If you are not willing to make a leap of fate and start honing the razor yourself, you better send it to someone. And if you want to practice the moves of shaving with a straight razor, and it to be always sharp, I strongly suggest you get a shavette type, with the exchangeable DE blades.

Nenad

Originally Posted by icecow

Is it possible to do damage by laying tooo flat? or is it a safety net staying too flat and gradually increasing the angle?

I intend to start too flat and increase the angle, but I'd like to make sure doing so won't cause some kind of other damage or error.

fyi, I splurged on a horse hide strop. It is an item personal to me. I don't want to mess it up learning.

I get better results when I strop with the spine lifted 1-2 millimeters off the leather and applying minimal pressure and stropping slowly. Only a few laps and my razor passes the HHT with flying colours again! However most members of this forum disagree with this and keep the spine flat on the leather all the time.

I guess trial and error is the way forward.

Hello Kees,

What you are doing is creating a micro bevel on the edge. It is commonly used on tools used for wood working. In that hobby they have angle adjustable honing guides taht allow them to repeat the same angle time after time.
The reason it is not practiced for straight razors is that there is no such honing guide to allow for precise, repeatable angles. Because of this the long term result is a rounded edge that requires another session on the hones.

Just my two cents,

Originally Posted by Kees

I get better results when I strop with the spine lifted 1-2 millimeters off the leather and applying minimal pressure and stropping slowly. Only a few laps and my razor passes the HHT with flying colours again! However most members of this forum disagree with this and keep the spine flat on the leather all the time.

I guess trial and error is the way forward.