Thread: Discouraged

Hi all. This is going to be part rant part request for help.

I'm fairly new to straights. I came over from the world of DE. My first step into the straight was the Feather AC. Sharp sharp sharpity sharp. I was nervous using it but got the hang of it. I sliced myself a couple times but I'm decent with it now. I mostly get smooth shaves but once in a while I'll get some redness.

So I then moved to the straight. Got my first Hamburg Ring from this forum (thanks FireStart). I even went to his house for some first hand lessons. In addition I've since got eBay fever and am embarrassed to say I have acquired about 20 razors. Some in very good condition, some need restoring. That's fine, I have some interesting ideas for restorals.

I got my hands on Norton waterstones. Individual stones 200, 1k, 4k and 8k. I also have Tony's hanging strop. I also have some individual leather pieces that I plan on making into bench strops with 1, .5 and .25 micron paste.

On to the actual shaving though. It's less than great. I hone the razors to pop hairs, I strop on linen, then leather, then shave. I'm getting nothing but tug, pull, scrap. The razor(s) seems to be doing very little CUTTING. I do three passes, with, across, and against. It seems like I have to go over and over. It gets to the point where I stop because of discomfort. Sometimes I just skip and finish with a DE.

It's getting frustrating because 1) I'm really wanting to get this down 2) I"ve spent a LOT of money on razors and stones and stop.

I am probably pulling the complain trigger too soon as like I've said I'm new to this. My only prior yardstick is the Feather, and I realize that NO WAY will I get a hand honed razor that sharp. In fact I see that as a plus. But I need to know if it gets better than this. Otherwise I'll be having a fire sale.

My normal routine is shaving after the shower. I have all manner of soaps and creams, but I do like the creams more. I also use conditioner in the shower to soften up more.

So that's it. I'm discouraged by my progress and am hoping it gets better. I'm also thinking that the bench strops will help add some further sharpness to the blade.
Advice? Suggestions? Moral support?

Thanks for listening.

Dave,
If your blades are honed properly, then I see a couple of possibilities:
1) Shaving technique. It can have a BIG impact on the quality of your shave.
2) Having tough hair, you may have to go above and beyond Norton.

For starters, run the HR (it's a half-hollow so it should handle hair of any toughness) through another 3-4 1-5s finishing with a 1-8 (no pressure). Then make sure you stretch properly and focus on reduction, not elimination. If that doesn't work, bring the HR and one of your brushes over and we'll see your shaving technique. By that time the bathroom should be finished with a proper medicine cabinet (containing a large mirror too) lol.

Dave,

I'm still working on this straight razor thing too, but I think a lot of the pulling and such you're describing is due to technique. I'm noticing that as my technique improves--better angle, less pressure, more confidence in making strokes--the same strokes that used to give me fits are becoming easy.

I think technique is even more important than with a Feather because you have a narrower margin for error. The Feather is so sharp it'll cut almost no matter what, albeit with the potential for more irritation. A straight needs better technique to work well.

Don't give up, or if you need to, go back to the DE for a while and let your face heal. You've got first-rate equipment, but it's only as good as your techinique.

It might be a good idea to stick with a single razor and cream or soap for a while. Also, make sure you're not drying out your skin with a harsh soap in the shower. I did that for a while and it made my blade skip like crazy.

I've also found that mixing soap and cream, which is known as "superlather" over on Badger & Blade, gives me a great lather that lasts through my lengthy passes.

You may want to seek psychiatric help on the razor buying thing, though.

Keep sending those questions our way,
Josh

Well I'll lend some moral support, I had a similar problem I found out that I was over honing and getting little jags near the edge of the blade if they hit the light just right they sparkle like diamonds its over honed, Randydance helped me with that problem I had to back hone my razor which is you need to do the x pattern backwards with the spine leading till the little sparkles are removed and that fixed my blade. You may have a similar problem I'm not sure. But hopefully a Honemister will help you out. I'm still learning myself hang in there. I to get a rough shave on occasion and Im sure its due to my honing as well. If it's one thing I've learned is to practice on those old ebay razors, you get and start cleaning them and restoring them. Also a tip make sure you sterilize them before you start to work on them incase you cut yourself you don't want any diseases.

Another thing... Feather is ULTRA sharp, sharper than anything any honemeister can come up with and that changes the technique a bit. With a straight you do have to apply more pressure but don't overdo it either. If you apply the same amount as with the Feather, you won't cut much hair and if you apply too much, you'll irritate your skin.
Even though you have Feather/DE experience, to get a proper straight shave, when using a straight, proper technique is even more cruicial.

This is great. I'm just sitting back soaking up the advise.

Creams, I tend to use the 3 Ts. Also what I do is as a base I take a small dab and rub it into my face, like a pre-shave. Then apply the lather over top. Sometimes the Proraso Pre/Post.
I'll try some of those suggestions. For what it's worth I am starting to think that maybe my beard is tougher than I had previously though. Even though it's not thick or full.

Thanks guys.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but using a 30º cutting angle (tip leading, heel trailing) will reduce the pull. You may also be dulling the razor with stropping. Remember to go slow and be gentle on the strop. ... And go visit Ilija anyhow, he's good company.

X

Stay patient with the process. It really does take time to learn. I stuck with it for 3 years before I learned to hone, strop, and produce baby butt shaves with two passes, both downward. Now my skin is healed up AND I enjoy shaving much more. Was it worth the wait and effort? Well, the wait and effort was actually the fun part. Now, its kinda back to just shaving....LOL.

Most guys will pick it up much faster, and I'm not sure I envy them....

Alan's got it right on. I remember when I started shaving with a straight about 4 years ago. The first month or two was dreadful. It took about 3-4 months before I started getting reasonable shaves and almost a year before I got the ultimate shaves.

You have to just keep at it and not give up. I can guarantee that if you keep at it you will master it. Remember back 100 or so years ago everybody did it that way and if they all could so can you. Remember the more difficult it is to acquire something no matter what it is the more you will enjoy and appreciate it down the road. If its too easy it won't mean much to you.

Did you lap your norton? I keep harping on this, but I spent over a month with mine getting nothing but frustration and dull blades. Finally I lapped it and promptly produced a decent shaving edge.