Another "can't get it sharp enough" thread

First of all I apologize for yet another thread focused on a blade not being sharp enough. When I first got my straight razor I read everything I could of the forum and learned that patience and developing stropping and shaving technique will make huge differences so everything will get better over time. I went through the same first steps as everybody else: it hurt to shave, it constantly tugged at the hairs instead of cutting them, I couldn't seem to get a consistently good shave (either hair was left on the face or skin was taken off leaving me bright red for days), etc. Over time I got better at maintaining consistent blade angle while shaving and using a light-pressure stropping technique with the strop laid flat on a hard surface. I stopped having that feeling that I had removed half my skin, but the tugging and catching kept happening and the shave was just never as good as my safety razor. It still hurt but I learned to just ignore the pain. I took the blade to a straight razor guy in my area to have it professionally sharpened and honed but it seemed to make no difference.

Flash forward, it has been over a year now and honestly I don't think I've made any more progress in a year than I made in the first month. During my shave today I got so frustrated that I decided "screw it, I've had it professionally honed and sharpened and spent untold hours stropping this thing, I might as well ruin the edge and start over just to see the difference." So I did the unthinkable and went back to the strop with a high-angle approach and plenty of pressure, knowing it would absolutely destroy the edge. I then tried to shave with it again to see the difference and was shocked that it was exactly the same! Aaaarghh! What was the point of all those hours of carefully and patiently stropping just the way I've read and seen demonstrated if it had no effect whatsoever?

After a year of nearly no progress I am about to give up. What in the world am I doing so wrong that I could do such a horrible thing to my straight razor and see no difference in the quality of the shave??? If you can't tell, I'm kind of hating myself for doing that with the blade, but I'm honestly glad I did because it affirmed that something is going incredibly wrong in the process.

What razor you have? When did you purchased this razor from? Which are you live in?

Sounds like you might have used to much pressure when stropping. I know when I first started I used a razor that I use to test hones to strop and try to get the hang of it. I noticed even though I was using no pressure I was resting my thumb in such a spot that it was actually angling the razor slightly and rolling the edge. Remember you want a firm grip on the razor when stropping, but not so firm that you are applying more pressure than you are intending. I would get the razor rehoned and practice with a butter knife or if you have one a practice razor while you are waiting to get it back. You want the spine of the razor to deflect the strop and in sense flattening it out for the edge to ride smoothly along. Take a look here and pay attention to the illustrations. Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki I know I had problems stropping when I first started. In fact I still consider myself a poor stropper, but my edges seem to last longer and are alot more comfortable than they used to be. Just keep at it and eventually you will get the hang of it, but remember practice, practice, and more practice can't hurt.

You said that you had the blade honed locally but it made no difference to the tugging and catching during the shaving. Did you strop the razor before you used your freshly honed razor? If you did you may have dulled the razor first go on the strop. I would shave with a freshly honed razor without stropping it first. If it shaves well without stropping and on the second shave it is duller after stropping you have your answer.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

You said that you had the blade honed locally but it made no difference to the tugging and catching during the shaving. Did you strop the razor before you used your freshly honed razor? If you did you may have dulled the razor first go on the strop. I would shave with a freshly honed razor without stropping it first. If it shaves well without stropping and on the second shave it is duller after stropping you have your answer.

Bob

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I actually had the same thought, so my first shave after getting it back was with no stropping. It didn't seem much different from when I then stropped and shaved the following day.

proximus26, the razor is a Thiers Issard that I picked up from the Art of Shaving while I was in Vegas last year. It seems like a decent entry point for getting into straight razor shaving. I live in the DFW area in TX.

You need to find a mentor who can see you shave and strop, and figure out what you're doing wrong. Post a video, use skype with a mentor, etc. You should get one on one instruction at this point.

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Originally Posted by jsbeesl

I actually had the same thought, so my first shave after getting it back was with no stropping. It didn't seem much different from when I then stropped and shaved the following day.

proximus26, the razor is a Thiers Issard that I picked up from the Art of Shaving while I was in Vegas last year. It seems like a decent entry point for getting into straight razor shaving. I live in the DFW area in TX.

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Well that eliminates stropping as a potential cause for now anyway. Were you shaving with the TI from AOS with just the factory edge? The only brand new razor I have was sort of shavable with the factory edge but really improved with a honing. I find any screw ups with making a good lather can contribute to a rough shave as well as using too much pressure on the blade. A dull blade or poor lather or a combination of both tends to make me use more pressure on the blade than I should. Sorry can't be of more help being a beginner myself.

Bob

I think you have to start with a sharp razor or you're doomed. I can take a sharp razor, skip prep altogether and shave with just water on my face and get a decent shave. I don't choose to shave that way, but I've found that it tells you whether your blade is truly sharp.

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Originally Posted by ace

I think you have to start with a sharp razor or you're doomed. I can take a sharp razor, skip prep altogether and shave with just water on my face and get a decent shave. I don't choose to shave that way, but I've found that it tells you whether you're blade is truly sharp.

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+1

I shave a small patch on my neck to test a razor after honing. I don't even use water. I wouldn't shave my whole face this way, but it gives me the best feedback with fewest variables. Even with no prep, no lather, no nothing, I don't have any discomfort. The blade shouldn't be pulling at all if it's properly honed.

You said you had it honed locally, and I don't mean to bash whoever did the work for you, but I would try another person. Maybe the person who honed it for you didn't really put a good edge on it to begin with, and you have been struggling with a poor edge all this time unknowingly.

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Originally Posted by robellison01

+1

I shave a small patch on my neck to test a razor after honing. I don't even use water. I wouldn't shave my whole face this way, but it gives me the best feedback with fewest variables. Even with no prep, no lather, no nothing, I don't have any discomfort. The blade shouldn't be pulling at all if it's properly honed.

You said you had it honed locally, and I don't mean to bash whoever did the work for you, but I would try another person. Maybe the person who honed it for you didn't really put a good edge on it to begin with, and you have been struggling with a poor edge all this time unknowingly.

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Hmm, you make a good point.

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Originally Posted by robellison01

+1

I shave a small patch on my neck to test a razor after honing. I don't even use water. I wouldn't shave my whole face this way, but it gives me the best feedback with fewest variables. Even with no prep, no lather, no nothing, I don't have any discomfort. The blade shouldn't be pulling at all if it's properly honed.

You said you had it honed locally, and I don't mean to bash whoever did the work for you, but I would try another person. Maybe the person who honed it for you didn't really put a good edge on it to begin with, and you have been struggling with a poor edge all this time unknowingly.

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+1 i have to agree with this. You have to know if the person knows what they are doing. No offence to the person who honed the razor. Good luck.

Lynn honed my first razor, almost immediately I destroyed the edge. I don't know how I did it, but being a newb it could have been a hundred different things. Anyway. My three weeks were awful, and I was thinking my inexperience was the problem. It was btw. But my edge was destroyed as well. My shaves improved exponentially when I followed advice from earcutter and mapped my beard, and secondly by trying a different razor. Now I have two good razors in rotation and a reference razor that I use once a month.

OP: Send your razor to me. I won't keep it. I've got more than I can count. I'll tell you if it's sharp enough. I'll hone it. Then, if you want, I'll call you on skype and we'll have a real time conversation about shaving. I will watch you hold a razor to your face. I will watch you strop. I will correct what I see as deficiencies. Then, after you've gotten a decent shave for once in your life, you can think about skipping the lather. If you're not comfortable with old regularjoe, find somebody with one of those blue mentor badges. IMHO, for a person who has never experienced a comfortable shave to attempt any test of razor sharpness is pointless. Might work for somebody who knows what he's doing. But it ain't gonna tell you anything. Anyhow, PM me if you're interested. If not, as I said, there are a lot of honers and mentors on the site who can help you in person. But that's what you need.

That's a great offer from regularjoe. I'm sure anyone who shaves with a straight day after day can analyse it for you. And the skype idea is a good one too. You're very lucky.