Getting the correct angle?!!! HELP!!!!

Thank you all in advance for the advice I am about to receive...Amen.

I am very new to str8 razor shaving (like 5 attempts now). My first and second were with a new TI that just wasn't "shave ready", so I sent it off to Lynn to be masterfully honed to shaving perfection (thank you Lynn, you do amazing work).

I am getting a LOT of razor burn, and believe that I have too steep of a shaving angle. I know that all the texts say that you should hold the blade 30degrees to your face. The problems are that I am pretty much blind as a bat without my glasses and have a hard enough time seeing myself in the mirror when my hand/wrists/arms AREN'T contorted into some mystical yoga pose. I just keep getting in my own way!!!

I am thinking that if the blade makes a scraping sound (like I can hear it actually scraping off the whiskers) that my blade angle is too steep. Should you be able to hear the blade as you shave? If so, what does is sound like?

Thanks to all who find the kindness within themselves to help a lowly newbie such as myself.

- Mike

Some blades are noisy, I've got one razor that sounds like rain on a tin roof when I shave. But most of them are pretty quiet. It just depends on how stiff the razor is.

So why don't you wear your glasses when you shave? I'm like you, I can't see a thing without them, so I just wear them during the shave.

You may also be using too much pressure. You can use a lot more pressure with cartridge razors than with straights.

I have a full hollow ground razor. I hear what you are talking about, each whisker being cut. It varies from a "scrape" to a "ting" depending on the blade angle.

Keep at it. I didn't get the shaves I was accustomed to at first. I just did what I could do, and used my Mach 3 for the rest. Now I can do my whole face, neck and chin. The results are generally better than what I could get with the Mach 3. It's a learning process. Don't be too hard on yourself.

I don't wear glasses, but you might consider wearing them while you shave everything but your sideburns. I have a hard time seeing my sideburns, and what I do is put the spine of the blade above where I want to start and gently "roll" the edge to my skin and slightly lift the spine. I start my stroke from there.

Hope that helps. This is alot of fun. The learning curve is pretty steep, but short. You'll always be improving your technique, but getting passable shaves isn't too hard.

Ray

I tried wearing my glasses while shaving, but they getting all fogged up by the running hot water just below me. Not to meniton how askew they get when I am attempting to stretch my shin taught. I am afraid that they would take a tumble, and but to 40 years of conditioning I would grab for them at all costs. With a straight razor in one hand...that could be VERY ugly!!!

My razor is a TI with a 5/8 "singing" blade.

"Singing" blades are very flexible and will produce the noise that you are hearing.

Ray

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mspeel63

I tried wearing my glasses while shaving, but they getting all fogged up by the running hot water just below me. Not to meniton how askew they get when I am attempting to stretch my shin taught. I am afraid that they would take a tumble, and but to 40 years of conditioning I would grab for them at all costs. With a straight razor in one hand...that could be VERY ugly!!!

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So don't run the water. I wipe my blade on a towel instead, which keeps things from fogging, keeps water out of the pivot, and reduces the chances of my nicking the blade.

As for the glasses, keep in mind that if you can't see what you're doing you're likely to slice off something with that blade. If your glasses won't stay in place then adjust them so they will.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mspeel63

My razor is a TI with a 5/8 "singing" blade.

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That noise you're hearing is the blade "singing".

The singing part, does that mean that the blade is deflecting? What are the advantages/disadvantages to that type of blade?

Thanks.

The blade is flexing to make that noise. Really stiff blades like wedges are eerily silent when shaving.

They tend to be light. And they sound cool. But if you've got a heavy beard they are tricky to control.

Not all blades that are advertised as "singing" really are, some people call any full hollow razor a "singing" blade. I've got a "singing" TI that is at best a half ground blade, the only way this thing would sing is if you stuck it into a soprano.

I'll give wearing the glasses another go...see what happens.

Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mparker762

I've got a "singing" TI that is at best a half ground blade, the only way this thing would sing is if you stuck it into a soprano.

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...Soprano sticking...I thought open season for that was in the spring...coinciides wiht trout season, doesn't it?

Mine is a fully ground TI, and it most definitley is light. I am glad that I don't have a wire beard, so I have a chance of learning to control it in a reasonable amount of time.

I had a lot of razor burn in the beginning, but it eased up after a few weeks at the most, returning only when I would mess up the edge with bad honing. I don't know if the improvement was 1) my face getting accustomed, or 2) my angle and technique improving, or 3) my stropping improving, or 4) magic shaving fairies, or 5) a combination of any of these.

For a while, I would give my face a day or two off from straight shaving and return to the Mach3 (with the grain only, for added healing). And go unshaven to church on weekends. :)

I keep my glasses off, because of the fogging and for easier face-stretching. I lean in a bit, and have finally been at it long enough that I can safely do a few hard-to-see spots by "braille."

I get the "noise" no matter what, but can also distinguish between a "bad angle" noise and a "good angle" noise (though the feeling on my face also contributes to discerning a bad angle).

I'd suggest taking a day off, and give your face a day to heal. Also, give your face a dose of aloe vera gel if you have any. And since you are still new, I would stick with a one pass shave for a week, possible longer. Give your face time to adjust as you learn the proper technique. At this point, certainly nothing wrong with doing one pass, followed by a pass with a DE or injector for cleanup.

RT

A woodworking tip that I learned to keep safety googles from fogging was to take a small squirt of liquid soap and rub both sides of goggles. Spread it around with your fingers and then wipe it off with some toilet paper. Works like a charm.


-kelly

While placing the razor upon your face to start the cut, it may help to rest your fingertip over the spine, near the heel. This will allow you to "set" a consistent angle around ~30 deg. Then simply complete the shaving stroke. Of course, you've got to remember to take light strokes, so as not to irriate the skin.

Good luck!