Thread: Pulling and tugging what am I doing wrong?

Hello all,

I am a complete newbie to not only this forum but straight razor shaving. Okay so my lovely girlfriend gifted me a Dovo straight from TheSuperiorShave website. Now that site says all razors will be professionally honed before shipping them. So I open my new razor gitty and all, watch Lynn Abrams DVD beginning to end which I picked up from the web, and decide to strop my razor on the small (maybe an inch wide?) paddle strop which I have. I did maybe 20 passes on the strop. Then I took a hot shower, washed my face, used Proraso preshave cream, then hot towel to the face, began shaving for the first time....overall the shave went better than expected. The blade seemed sharp and able to cut with ease. My biggest issues were my chin line, and the chin not to mention I did not even try my upper lip. Did 3 passes. Shave was great. Cleaned, dryed and let the razor sit out over night. Next day I stored the razor in the little "Silicone-Treated Cotton Razor Sleeve" purchased from TheSuperiorShave.

I then let my beard grow out for about 7-9 days before reshaving. Yesterday I was excited again as I decided to shave again, did the same exact prep on face as well as stropping 20-25 times only this time the razor did not seem like it could shave at all....it would pull and tug on my skin and whiskers and barley get any hairs. Multiple passes had to be done and still the shave was not close. I had to give up this go around and go back to a disposable. Razor out of the box passed "hanging hair test" after this second shave it could not pass the test.

Okay did I somehow within 35-40 stropping motions between two sessions on the strop "de-hone" this blade? May I have switched the angle from my first (and better) shave? (I find this unlikely as I tested all sorts of angles this second go around and the razor just seemed to pull and tug instead of cut/shave)

My biggest concern when getting a straight was not learning to use the razor but the care of the blade. (stropping, drying, honing) Also I have noticed two faint discolored marks right on or near the heel (possible oxidation?) These photos probably wont help but either way if it is oxidation what can I do? Is wiping the blade and scales with toilet paper until dry and letting it air dry plus storing it in a "treated sock" not enough post clean-up/care?

Okay I am sure I have bored everyone to death......I am just another beginner attempting to learn, please spare me.

Thanks a ton in advance for any and all response.
-ElSonador

Your post shave regimen of wiping off, drying and storing your razor sounds fine. I'd say it's distinctly possible you ruined your edge when stropping. It's also possible that your shaving technique is off (blade angle, pressure, etc). With benefit of hindsight, you might have been better off not stropping the razor and shaving with it 2-3 times to get the feel of it before stropping. Given that water is under the bridge, I'd say wait a day or so and then try again to see if you can reproduce the results of your first shave.

Good luck!

Several possibilities. Maybe the stropping dulled the edge, maybe waiting 7-9 days presented too much beard for your shaving abilities,maybe you were more inconsistent with technique the second time.

Too many folks think they shave once or twice and they have straight shaving licked. That is folly. Most of us will tell you that.

As far as rust goes, just dry it as good as possible {I use a stropping motion on some soft terry cloths} and let it air dry. If need be you can coat it with oil on a daily basis. Just make sure the razor is removed from any humid environment.

I suggest not letting your beard grow too thick, I noticed a big difference in picking up shaving when I only waited two days max in between each shave. The stropping is likely the cause, watch videos of proper technique and practice with a butter knife. Remember, no pressure and keep the spine in contact. If it still is too hard try a 3" strop to make things easier. Another possibility is your lather was too dry. Keep at it, you will get it. If you come to the conclusion your stropping dulled the blade you may be able to revive it with stropping, possibly using a pasted strop. The poor mans strop kit from whippeddog.com is good value.

The piece I would add is that it takes more attention to properly prepare A 7day beard than a 1 or 2 day beard.
Your razor could be just fine, just shave more often until you get your prep down pat!

I ALWAYS strop after a shave, 40-50x & oil the blade...even stainless blades. This finishes drying off the edge and removes any micro-crud off the edge, which would be full of moisture and easily corrode the edge.

The length of your facial hairs should not effect your shave.

In closing it's one or a combination of three things:
Damaged edge from corrosion
Stropping "oops" that rolled the edge
Your skill level isn't quite there, give it 30 shaves & your skill level will have grown exponentially.

Where are you from anyways...we put a general location on our member information so that folks can see where you are from and especially for newbs we can offer assistance. You may have to drive a few miles, but a FTF meeting can teach you much more than just video's show. If you are anywhere near me, PM me and we can get you thru this learning curve...

Wow! Thanks for all the responses. I live in the Chicago area. What oils do you guys use for post shave cleaning of the razor? I was some what let down because I would hope a straight can take on a 7 day beard with no issues. I will try again tomorrow and see what happens. I have to order a 3 inch strop to help my stropping. Practice practice practice. Hopefully a few bad strops did not dull the blade.

Thanks again everybody. Can a perfectly honed blade still tug and pull with a bad angel/technique? I think I had the angle...I feel like the blade wouldn't cut much of anything right now :/

Thanks,
ElSonador

One more odd question...when I close the razor the blade nicks one of the scales unless I kind of line it up/move the blade (slightly) to the side as I am closing it. Is this common?

Originally Posted by ElSonador

One more odd question...when I close the razor the blade nicks one of the scales unless I kind of line it up/move the blade (slightly) to the side as I am closing it. Is this common?

Take a soup spoon and tap the pins to even it out it sounds likes its alittle off but it's ok

Originally Posted by ElSonador

Can a perfectly honed blade still tug and pull with a bad angel/technique? I think I had the angle...I feel like the blade wouldn't cut much of anything right now :/

Thanks,
ElSonador

Yes, bad angle can directly effect the comfort of the shave and can damage the edge of your razor as well. Think of it as scraping off whiskers versus cutting...