Thread: 3 years later still having problems.

Originally Posted by mjsorkin

1. I agree with afdavis. Learn to touch up on a hone. At the very least you will be more self sufficient. You will save money and have more chances to shave.

2. I will go out on a limb and say it could be the strop. Maybe it's cupped, wrinkled, nicked? I recently got a great new paddle strop and then a new hanging strop, and my results improved.

3. Forget about 30 degree angle. Keep the razor very shallow. In some spots you will need to increase the angle and that seems to come naturally.

4. Most importantly you must try something different! Critically evaluate what you are doing and then CHANGE something. It doesn't matter what you do differently, just keep trying until you get the result you want. Only by experimenting will you learn.


If you keep trying and experimenting you are bound to get there.

Michael

+1 on the above. If your putting enough pressure on your face to take that much skin off, and possibly using the same pressure with stropping/honing, which I would estimate is probably too much.

Also instead of adding pressure when shaving, stretch your face, it makes for a much more pleasurable shave

Grad yourself a barbers hone that can be gotten for not a lot of money. I personally use CBN on felt in the place of a barbers hone but to each his own. I usually have to do a touch-up about every 4 or 5 shaves but it depends on how well I prep. If one does not prep the hairs are really tough and can degrade an edge very quickly as can excessive blade angle.

Concerning angle of the razor. The keener the edge is the more you can lay the blade down and do what a lot of guys call "riding the edge", it is the point where the actual edge is not touching the skin and is riding just above the skin. Kinda like you get with disposables. That is an ideal, but usually it is somewhere between the two. There are different kinds of pressure when using a razor. If the blade is lying almost flat on your skin the cutting edge is almost off the skin. A lot more pressure can be applied in that case because the majority of the pressure is on the bevel not the cutting edge. There is a really fine line there and is something one needs to work out. I can do a 4 pass shave with a very keen razor, put on an aftershave, and get almost no burn.


Hang in there,
Richardddd

Learning to use a straight requires the mastery of a variety of skills. They don't come automatically and they don't just come with time. if you don't learn the proper way you will only reinforce the bad. The way you struggle on your first shave you will still be struggling it 10 years from now.

You need to stop everything and reevaluate how you are doing every task from prep to stropping and the actual shave and honing too. Somewhere along the line you missed something. Break the cycle and stop struggling. AF is right so it's hard to give specifics. If you can get with another member in person that would really help.

Originally Posted by riooso

There is a really fine line there and is something one needs to work out. I can do a 4 pass shave with a very keen razor, put on an aftershave, and get almost no burn.

Can you please explain this?

Do you mean that you can have a shave with four passes? If so, that is incredible.

Or do you have four shaves with one razor before a touch up?

+1 to pressure and getting a norton 4/8

I must say to me it all sounds like a pressure issue. Stropped too hard, and using too much pressure while shaving. I read somewhere on here a while back where when you pull your strop hard with one hand, it is almost inevitable that you will use more force stropping than you intended. I would definately lighten your touch up to the point where you are only using the blades weight. It is easy to add pressure gently.

as for the norton 4/8, it is a great stone that will keep you shaving for years. Pressure will be a key on this as well. When you are only maintaining an edge, you should not use pressure on the stroke. If you do, your edge will suffer and so will you when you shave!

You could try using a bench strop till you get used to using a hanging strop. With a bench strop it is hard to round an edge unless you are using way to much pressure.

Originally Posted by strtman

Can you please explain this?

Do you mean that you can have a shave with four passes? If so, that is incredible.

Or do you have four shaves with one razor before a touch up?

The fine line is the ability to have exactly the correct angle.....a little steeper and you have the cutting edge on the skin....a little less steep an angle and the cutting edge is a fraction of a millimeter above the skin. The reference to the four passes is that one can do four passes and still have no irritation because the edge is not really on the skin....thus no irritation.


Later,
R

Stop. Don't buy anything. Don't try anything...Except this: Get with a member that knows what he's doing. That'll be up to you do figure out who that person is. I'm not recommending anyone specifically, because it's their time I'd be offering up. Anyways, use skype, and show that person everything you're doing. That person will troubleshoot you. Follow that persons advice. Don't post a question where you'll get fifty opinions/guesses. Just choose someone to teach you, ask them to teach you, in real time....and learn. Once again...Don't buy anything until a knowledgeable person has seen you in person, and can tell you what you're doing wrong.

Originally Posted by regularjoe

Stop. Don't buy anything. Don't try anything...Except this: Get with a member that knows what he's doing. That'll be up to you do figure out who that person is. I'm not recommending anyone specifically, because it's their time I'd be offering up. Anyways, use skype, and show that person everything you're doing. That person will troubleshoot you. Follow that persons advice. Don't post a question where you'll get fifty opinions/guesses. Just choose someone to teach you, ask them to teach you, in real time....and learn. Once again...Don't buy anything until a knowledgeable person has seen you in person, and can tell you what you're doing wrong.

I couldn't agree more.
I'm often on skype so call me and I'll see what I can see and try to help