think I need some advice

Hi people,

I've been shaving with my straight razor for a little over a week. Tonight, it pulled even on the 2nd and 3rd passes. I'm pretty careful when I strop, but this makes me wonder if I happen to have hurt the edge while stropping. I gave it 20 passes on CrO on balsa and 20 on FeO on balsa, then 50 careful passes on leather. Will this fix my edge and make it more comfortable, or should I send it to someone to test and hone, if necessary? My shave tonight was not near as good as usual and I had to use a scything action to get a 'sorta' good shave.

Ed

Hello Ed... Worst case is that you may have rolled the edge of your blade while at the strop... If this is the case then in my limited experience only a light honing will fix that... But firstly do remember you have only been straight shaving for a little over a week... My first shave which was only eight months ago was amazing... My second also amazing... My third was average and my fourth also average with many cuts... My point is, that was my first weeks straight shaving and I couldn't believe how easy it was, I thought I was a natural... I was so wrong. The following three months after that week was where my learning curve started... Believe me, mine was a steep curve... Only now can I go into a shave with confidence... So my point...? Keep at it for at least another week... Check that angle and keep checking it... If in ten days to two weeks it is still pulling then you'll have a better idea of knowing your blade needs a re-hone... Of course if it is pulling that badly then ten days may feel like ten years... Ultimately the decision is yours... What type of main strop do you have...? If you have an 8 - 12inch strop try 100 strokes before a shave. If its a hanging strop that has 18 - 25inch of surface then 50 - 60 laps should be fine before a shave... I would also remind you that I'm no veteran, so wait for a few more replies... Others may have some more insight... But do give it time and don't judge your ability within your first week... Like I did... Good luck and let us all know how it goes...

Ahhh ok. Thanks. If it's just my lack of skill, I can live with that because I know I'll keep learning. This is where it would really benefit me to have another razor in reserve that I know is shave-ready. Think I'm gonna have to work on fixing that one-razor problem..........

Oh no, this is how RAD starts, isn't it?

Depending on the blade steel and how bad you have abused it (using steep angles), it may have needed a light touch up.

The thing is, 20 pases on Cro then 20 on Fe, was not a light touch up IMO. I notice myself, after a month of use, that I needed to refresh the blade. After 7 passes on the .5 micron diamond sprayed felt, it shaved better than my control blade ( the one professionally hone ).

I also was so afraid at rolling the edge, that I wasn't using enough pressure on the edge to get it properly strop. That was causing the edge to become dull like after 2-3 weeks of use.

It's all subjective. 100 passes with little or no pressure may achive what 40 passes with proper pressure, can do for the edge.

I'm no expert stropper, but I can say that my stropping is much better than before. Read here some where, imagine a bog at the tip of your edge, now put enough pressure by torque to hold the bug down without killing it. That's the pressure I use.

Try stropping like that and see if the edge improve, if not, send it out for re honing. That's what I would do, and had to do in the past.

Good luck Double O

That wasn't light? Larry from Whipped Dog sends directions with everything in the kit (he's great) and that's what they said to do, so that's what I did. I'll shave again tonight and see how successful I was. Guess we'll find out then, won't we. And if it hacks me up; I'll be the first to know! ;)

Ed

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foxhill

Ahhh ok. Thanks. If it's just my lack of skill, I can live with that because I know I'll keep learning. This is where it would really benefit me to have another razor in reserve that I know is shave-ready. Think I'm gonna have to work on fixing that one-razor problem..........

Oh no, this is how RAD starts, isn't it?

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Yes that's how it start! I bought two razors and thought I was set, then went to a gun and knife show and ended up with 4 more to try different styles of blade. They are been restore as we speak.

Also a second blade is almost necessary whe you're learning IMO. How else you going to learn that what you just try on the blade is helping the edge or not?

I inadvertently ruin the edge on both blades and had to send one out and the other I'm having a stab at honing (harder than it looks). The other blade I got within two weeks and I'm currently shaving with it. I may endup sending the other one out and wait till I have the others restore blades to try again. And that's how I justify RAD! Need more blades to learn honing!

LOL.... Double O

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foxhill

That wasn't light? Larry from Whipped Dog sends directions with everything in the kit (he's great) and that's what they said to do, so that's what I did. I'll shave again tonight and see how successful I was. Guess we'll find out then, won't we. And if it hacks me up; I'll be the first to know! ;)

Ed

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Larry has good reputation and if he send it with those instruction, it maybe so. I don't use balsa, I use felt with diamond spray and Cro in leather strop, so it could be different.

But it's always cautious to start with less than more in str8 razor world. Less pressure, less passes, less angle, etc.....

Double O

My suspicion is that the razor was not stropped enough on the leather. Just a guess. So much is (rightly) said on these forums about rolling (dulling) the edge during stropping, that I think it makes newbies too tentative. Just...

"Hold tight and strop light"!

If you think you might be allowing too much sag, lay your strop on the edge of a table which turns it into a paddle strop of sorts.

I think you are fine with the 20 passes on the CrO and FeO. But, don't short subsequent stropping on leather. And, if that doesn't work, if you still think you have dulled your edge, then PM or email me to discuss further.

Thank you, Larry, for responding to this thread. I stropped 50 strokes after the balsa last night, but I'll do another 50 or 60 tonight before I shave. Unless you think I should to more than that?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foxhill

Thank you, Larry, for responding to this thread. I stropped 50 strokes after the balsa last night, but I'll do another 50 or 60 tonight before I shave. Unless you think I should to more than that?

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That should be adequate.

I ended up shaving today rather than last night. It was a nice, comfortable shave. No nicks, no cuts, no burn... damn nice. A little extra stropping was just what my razor needed. Thanks Larry and everyone for the help.

It seems you've solved your problem but just for a point of reference regarding pressure, when I strop, as long as I'm getting a slight draw, whatever pressure I'm using's good. I try to avoid generating draw with pressure, I warm up the leather with hand rubbing.

regards Alex

Glad you got it sorted out and enjoyed your shave.

IMHO this is a very subjective topic, Outside of a rolled edge, everyone has their routines for stropping and maint and there is no ONE Magic routine, but with time and practice you will find what works for you

For "ME" it's
Pre-Shave
20 Passes Polyweb
60 Passes Leather

Then Post Shave
20 Poly
20 Leather.


When it starts to tug, 10 passes CrOx and FeOx fix it up, but when I do that I give it 100 passes Poly and 100 - 150 Passes leather before shaving again...

Again this is just what works for ME YMMV