How much pull should be felt ATG?

I have a straight I picked up off the forums "shave ready" and I've used it about four times now. Until today I've only tried to go WTG and XTG, and I've stuck to just the cheeks because the neck is a little daunting at the moment.

Today I tried to go ATG and I stopped because the razor just seemed to pull too much - it wasn't comfortable at all. I started with the blade angle close to 5 degrees as the guidelines suggest, and even tried different attempts with varying angles, but no dice.

I know it's hard to convey such a sensitive tactile sense in words, but roughly, how much pull should you experience ATG if you have a proper edge?

I have a paddle strop with leather on one side and Cr2O3-charged balsa on the other. I've only used the leather side to date - should I do some passes on the balsa side?

Thanks!

How long have you been straight shaving? Hows your beard and blade prep as well as your technique? Even the best blade in the hands of a novice will be uncomfortable.

In answer to your question there should be little to no pull.

Agreed. A lot depends upon the razor and your beard type. Beard prep and technique surely come into play, as does lather.
This is all assuming your blade, edge, and stropping are good. Let us know what you have and how you are using it. More details will be of help.
Pictures too! Good luck! :gl:

I keep the razor as close to flat on my face as possible for the ATG strokes and use no pressure at all - letting the blade do the work.
Sometimes a slight, heal forward angle works too

Yay, my response was eaten by the board. :shrug:

Here's round two.

I've new to straights but have been using DE for almost ten years.

The razor is a Torrey 5/8 with a barber's notch. Beard prep consists of a hot shower, followed by a thorough wetting of the beard and face, then a hot towel for about two minutes, then a little Proraso right on the skin instead of pre-shave oil, and house branded shaving soap from Classic Shaving. Lather takes me about two minutes to make, and is thick and fluffy.

I'll be happy to post pictures, but I'm not sure what you want them of. :)

That sounds good. What about the razor? Who honed it? How? Torreys are famous for hard steel. Sometimes a bear to hone. Great razors. Sometimes pics tell something. The blade, bevel pics! Frowns, uneven bevels, hone wear, etc. Gotta see. Stropping is MOST important, Strop? technique? I have found eliminating these factors gets things narrowed down.

It may seem if there are innumerable variables, and there are, but just the same they must be addressed and mastered. Torreys are made of the best razor steel ever IMO. Sometimes a little harder to hone but they have a great edge that will last. Yours sounds good.

Here is a link to some images. I'll apologize in advance - the wife is the photographer and she has no interest in helping me here, so they may not be very useful.

Torrey pictures by b-kendall - Photobucket

what kind of angle do you use on the ATG pass?

Ol razor has some spider stuff. No matter. Bevel looks pretty good. I suppose no frown. How about stropping? What are you doing? On what?

What exactly is "spider stuff"? :hmmm: Are you implying that it's an old piece of hardware showing its age?

Wife plans to get me the beginner kit from Lynn with the Dovo BQ between now and the end of the year. In the meantime I thought I'd pick up a functional beater, on the cheap, to try it out and make sure that this is something I'll like before she drops the money on the new kit.

Anyhow, the razor came with a homemade paddle strop. I've no idea what sort of leather it is. Here's a picture. http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...psdb0c211b.jpg

That would be the black veins of corrosion seemingly eminating from one spot. Usually seen on very old razors. On the top, no problem! Yours seems to favor a really "straight" edge on the tang half of the blade. That could mean a frown, or not!
Of course, I favor smiles! Smile, and the whole world smiles with you! ;)

I find that with ATG, stretching the skin well is even more important than WTG. Try to get those flat hairs to stand up. With the skin taut, the bite of the blade seems to go into the hair instead of being absorbed by hair and skin movement.

This is an interesting thread. When I do ATG I stretch my skin to the point it starts hurting. I put the spine of the razor only an atom away from the skin. So there is only a fraction of an angle. With my Lynn honed razor the stubble disappears like snow for the sun. Virtually no pull, except in some small sensitive spots.

With the right technique and decent equipment there should be practically no pull.

hmm good tips, thank you.

Thanks for the question bkendall! I too was wondering, lol.