Thread: Discouraged

Your post points to three possible factors:

1) Honing - did you under-hone, over-hone, or hone just enough? Any of those could result in a "sharp" razor that could cut arm hairs, but only the last will result in an edge that will shave comfortably. Did you check the honed edge on your thumb nail so that you could actually feel if the edge was honed-right? Or how did you determine when you'd honed enough?

2) Stropping - Assuming you honed correctly, how did the edge feel after you stropped? Was it keen and sticky? or did it feel slightly rough? Too smooth? The correct amount of stropping will bring a properly honed edge to the perfect level of keenness for shaving.

3) While shaving did you glide the razor or just push the edge through your beard? Even a perfectly honed and stropped razor will shave better with good technique. It's not just the angle of the razor away from the face, but also the the way (the angle) the edge cuts through the beard.

Lots of little details that all add up.

Let me give you a quick idea of what razor honing is...

Google Vids- gssixgun norton

take a look that video (or really any of them) to get an idea first, and watch the tests I do at each stage of the process

v/r Glen

couple things....

1) You need a strop with clean leather, not pasted
2) If you can send this out to get honed or find yourself a cheap(price, not quality) shave ready razor to shave with. THen you have something to use as a baseline for your honing and get rid of one variable.

have fun

Originally Posted by toabetterworld

Who are Lynn and Max? Are they people who hone razors or companies? There is a "The Art of Shaving" store kind of close by to me, and I think they hone razors there, or have them sent out. Any opinions on that place?

Thanks,

Michael (near Seattle)

Hello Michael, http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/lynn.html is Lynn, the founder of SRP. http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/maximilian.html is Maximilian. These are links to their profiles.

-Mark

Welcome,
Honing a razor is a different animal. I thought that I knew sharp also.
Learn razor honing after a pro has honed your first razor.
Slow down and enjoy the ride. JMO

I have been to an art of shaving store where I brought in a razor that was not sharp. The employees didn't have a clue on why I couldn't get a sharp edge with my crude stone (for sharpenong knives). I talked to the barber on staff and he too could give me no clear direction. I did buy a new Dovo razor from them that was shave ready. I sent my dull razor off to Lynn to be honed and was amazed at how my razor was transformed from useless to a sharp, great shaving razor. My advice is to get Lynn to hone your razor so you can experience what shaving with a straight razor is all about. You will never go back to your previous shaving razor. Cheers and enjoy>

That sounds like my first shave, but I described it as putting my face in a lawnmower!
I can tell you from experience your razor isn't sharp enough. I didn't produce a truly sharp razor until I finished with a 12k stone.
I was stopping at 4k and the experts here on the forum convinced me to up my last stone and it made a big difference.
Be sure not to strop with too much pressure, if you have a full hollow razor you could have rolled the edge and thid will tear
up your face also, and result in a horrible shave.

Originally Posted by toabetterworld

Hi All,

This is my first post to the forum. I just finished my first straight razor shave and I am discouraged and looking for some help and encouragement.

I bought a vintage H. Boker Razor on eBay in fine condition. I honed it myself. I am a violinmaker, so I think of myself as someone who knows from sharp, but I could be off the mark there. I took a few strokes on a 1200 waterstone to get down to some fresh metal, then cleaned up the 1200g scratches with a 4000g and finished with a lot of polishing on my 8000g until the bevel was mirror smooth. Then I stropped the edge, 25-30 strokes, on a strop that has been used with red rouge, though there wasn't very much compound left on the leather. It felt very sharp, the hairs on my arm leaped off from the mere whisper of it.

I took a hot shower to prep my face, then used some pre-shave oil. Then I used a fairly cheap badger hair brush and some shaving cream to make a thick lather. I worked it into my face with the brush, then put a thicker coat of lather on.

I tried to maintain a good angle, around 30 degrees, but that was really difficult to manage with holding the razor and dealing with my reverse image in the mirror.

I gave up about 70% percent of the way through because my face was throbbing and raw. I cut myself a couple of times but that wasn't the bad part, I feel like my face was belt sanded off, particularly my neck. I finished up with my regular safety razor.

I was really excited about shaving this way. I like old fashioned things, I have some sharpening know-how, I like being self sufficient, and I like the ritual of the cup and brush and cut-throat.

I have not given up yet, but this was the worst shave I have ever had. I have to believe it gets better than this.

Where did I go wrong? And what should I do now?

Thanks very much for your help.

Michael Doran

One thing I didn't see any one mention is to make sure your stretching your skin it is something that can be easily neglected but is uber important ! other than that I think most of the advise you have gotten here is spot on. Im a professional Chef so Im familiar with Sharpness and sharpening as well but straights are a different beast so I havent made the leap yet . I have had my razors honed by both Lynn and Max and they cut impeccably. Dontg give up, It will come . Best of luck sir.

You mentioned "shaving cream" in the OP. Describe that. If you are using something you had before, such as some stuff from a can or some from a tube, it might not have enough lubricity for straight shaving. It is possible that is your main problem! Be shure it blows arm hair off before leaving your 1200 stone, else the rest is for naught! Everything else sounded spot-on! Get a good, new strop! You will get it!

My shaving cream is from a $25 shaving kit I bought from the art of shaving. It is supposed to be for a traditional wet shave, but I bet it's not the best stuff out there. I wanted to dip my toe in the water and their kit comes with a badger brush, shaving oil, shaving cream, and after shave.

I figured if I liked the experiment I would invest in some nicer stuff, like a good brush and so on.

I watched the video sixgun posted about sharpening and tried to hone my razor again, but I am not confident it is good enough. I emailed Lynn about sharpening my razor for me. I think it's good to remove some of the variables at this point.

I did try to stretch my skin, but it wasn't easy- it is a lot to try and manage all at once. And especially to try and do it all backwards in the mirror!

Any recommendations on a shaving strop?

Thanks,

Michael