Help! Confused.

I'm on about my 6th shave. I know I shouldn't be expecting much but one shave will go good and hardly any irritation, the next won't, blade catching and not really gliding. I'm not even doing a 3 shave pass either. Just WTG pass twice and a little XTG. I don't think it's my soap because I'm using the same soap. Could it be my stropping? Or could it be one time I get the angle right and the next time I don't. I've tried using guillotine stroke a little too. I'm confused. The blade seems sharp using HHT. Is there a way to narrow down what I'm doing wrong? Bad stropping or angle? I try to pay attention to the angle I'm using.

On another note, I used to shave maybe every two or three days with a cartridge and now I'm shaving every day because I look forward to it even though the results aren't very satisfying.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It could be any of the things in question. Basically keep paying attention like you are, if it goes from one shave to the next then it may be a technique issue. Hang in there, it'll all come around, and glad you look forward to shaving :)

I got some Vintage Blades brand shaving cream. After the first use I threw it in the trash because it dried up really quickly and when I shaved it off there were little white flakes flying around everywhere. I had second thoughts and dug it out of the trash because maybe I didn't add enough water. Maybe I'll try it again and use it for several shaves to see if it helps. I've read the creams will help the blade glide better than the soaps.

What do you think? Or should I stick with the same soap and not enter another variable?

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Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

It could be any of the things in question. Basically keep paying attention like you are, if it goes from one shave to the next then it may be a technique issue. Hang in there, it'll all come around, and glad you look forward to shaving :)

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+1 It sounds like your technique.
Keep at it and it will get better...
I PROMISE! :gl:

If it could be my stropping technique should I maybe get a balsa strop and try a few passes with CrOx? To rule out the stropping and narrow it down to shaving technique?

And don't forget to hit the wiki here on SRP,
trust me I have been here since 2011 and I am still reading it, great stuff.

If you are getting a good shave with it every other time or so, I would "think" that you are stropping okay....
If the stropping was bad then you would always get a bad shave. Does that make sense?
IMO I would limit the things I change to MAKE SURE I don't compound and confuse myself with what could be wrong.

Strop SLOWLY and CAREFULLY there is no prize for finishing FAST.
Stropping is like shaving... LITTLE to NO pressure!
Pay attention to you angles and to your skin stretching.
Try to remember what you did when you have had a GOOD shave and see if you did anything differently with a "bad" shave.
I by NO MEANS am an expert, this has worked for me YMMV.

Yeah that makes sense. Maybe I'll let my face rest a day or two!

One of the biggest lessons i have learned is to take my Time for everything, prep, stropping, shave. It really helps. Well it helps me anyway.

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

I'm on about my 6th shave. I know I shouldn't be expecting much but one shave will go good and hardly any irritation, the next won't, blade catching and not really gliding. I'm not even doing a 3 shave pass either. Just WTG pass twice and a little XTG. I don't think it's my soap because I'm using the same soap. Could it be my stropping? Or could it be one time I get the angle right and the next time I don't. I've tried using guillotine stroke a little too. I'm confused. The blade seems sharp using HHT. Is there a way to narrow down what I'm doing wrong? Bad stropping or angle? I try to pay attention to the angle I'm using.

On another note, I used to shave maybe every two or three days with a cartridge and now I'm shaving every day because I look forward to it even though the results aren't very satisfying.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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My interpretation of your experience is that you're doing great. You have to work through that period of confusion, because the more you do it, the better results you will get.

You're asking the right questions. Generally, the best angle is 30 degrees. I'm going to attach an outstanding shaving video and an outstanding stropping video. The more you watch the shaving video you will notice little things like how well mixed his lather is (he uses Cella in case you're curious). If you can't perform these strokes at first you will eventually be able to do so. As you develop your shaving technique, you may find better ways for you than the way it is demonstrated.

straight razor stropping - YouTube

Chimensch's Shaving Video - YouTube

Read this online book (you can download and keep if you want it). It's an oldie but a goodie: Shaving made easy; what the man who shaves ought to know .. : 20th century correspondence school, New York. [from old catalog] : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

Let your face rest. If you have irritation and you shave on top of that it can make for a very painful experience. If you are shaving with a dry lather......that could be your irritation problem. If you see flaky stuff all over the place, add more water. Dry shave cream is like shaving with sandpaper on your face. I think it grabs the blade better than the hair does.

As has been said, I doubt it's the stropping. If you're dulling the edge with poor stropping I think it's unlikely better stropping would bring the edge back, in my experience. I actually think it's maybe the quality of your prep, i.e. soap etc. I doubt it's anything to do with needing to rest your face so to speak; if amythign lettign your beard grow longer would allow you to feel MORE tugging, not less.

Could also be your technique. On the sixth shave I don't think you should be going for more than one pass, but that depends on your hair growth. I myself normally do one pass, sometimes do two, and have done three only once (today, in fact, with a DE, never with a straight). However, I have a very light growth...

You mentioned that a soap you were using was drying and flaking on your face. That should not happen and will ruin your shave for you. Here is a good vid on how to create a good lather Shaving Lather with Badger Brush - YouTube . A decent lather really contributes greatly to achieving a smooth comfortable shave.

The other point I would really watch is the angle of the blade. An angle of 30 degrees is hard to visualize so I try to keep the spine of the blade about 2 spine widths, give or take, from my face. The angle changes slightly through the different passes too. Near the bottom of this wiki section you will see what I mean Shaving passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki .

Go slow and get the WTG pass down pat, then add the XTG pass and get it down pat. Once you have those two passes going well then work on your ATG pass. Don't push things. you will know when you feel comfortable enough to move on to the next pass. Everyone learns at a different pace so there is no set time frame to get things done by.

Bob

Thanks CaliforniaCajun! Great links too! I've seen both videos and they make it look effortless. I did notice something when I watched the shaving video again though. He is very confident in his strokes. The best shave I did so far I remember not being nervous and being pretty confident in my strokes. Maybe the other shaves I was being a little too tentative and that's why the razor was grabbing. I just wasn't confident.

My only worry though is that when my razor does need refreshing with CrOx that I won't realize it and still think it's my technique. Everything I've read says the only true test is the shaving test to tell when it needs refreshing. Well, you see my dilemma. Razor grabs, technique or refresh? But like Chevhead said, if I'm getting a good one every 2nd or 3rd shave it's probably my lack of skill.

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement guys! I've gotten really good suggestions on this site. The most helpful so far is the alum block recommendation for this newb with razor burn. Great site! I'll keep at it.

Yeah, it was actually Vintage Blades brand cream in a tub that was drying out. Ironically, that was the least irritating shave. But I had to keep adding water and lathering constantly.

Stonebraker I know what you mean. It seems my face gets irritated as I'm lathering before the razor even hits hit, then I have to shave over it. It does this in the areas I had problems with the last time. But I also see what carl is saying about longer beard would equal more tugging. Maybe I need to just give the straight a rest for a day and use my cartridge but still use the brush and soap.

sounds like a great plan of attack for now.

I'm new to straight shaving too and i've found that if i havnt had a proper hot hot shower with steam aplenty, pre shave, then the blade dosnt want to glide so much .

Ok, I read the online book "Shaving Made Easy" provided in a link by CaliforniaCajun and there is some advice in the book that is contrary to all the preshave prep I've read on this site and others.

"The popular impression is that the soap is used for the purpose of softening the beard, in which condition it is supposed to be most easily cut. This is a mistake. The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect—namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor.
Now in this natural oily condition, it is very dif- ficult to cut the hair with a razor, and it becomes even more difficult if the beard be made still softer by the application of hot water. Many do this, and it is no wonder they find shaving difficult. When this is done, the hairs become soft and limp, and the razor will either slip over them entirely, or else cut partly into them, bend them back and sHce them lengthwise, all the while pulling and straining them at the roots, and making the process of shaving most painful.
For the sake of cleanliness, the face should, of course, be washed previous to shaving in order to remove any dirt or grit from the beard, which might dull the razor ; but before applying the lather, the face should be well dried with a towel."

So no hot water, and a dry face before lather. Then later on it says to apply a hot towel after the shave to open the pores and then apply the aftershave. Anyone try this? I know with a cartridge razor when I shaved without first taking a hot shower or applying a hot wash cloth the blade tugged and pulled.

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

Ok, I read the online book "Shaving Made Easy" provided in a link by CaliforniaCajun and there is some advice in the book that is contrary to all the preshave prep I've read on this site and others.

"The popular impression is that the soap is used for the purpose of softening the beard, in which condition it is supposed to be most easily cut. This is a mistake. The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect—namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor.
Now in this natural oily condition, it is very dif- ficult to cut the hair with a razor, and it becomes even more difficult if the beard be made still softer by the application of hot water. Many do this, and it is no wonder they find shaving difficult. When this is done, the hairs become soft and limp, and the razor will either slip over them entirely, or else cut partly into them, bend them back and sHce them lengthwise, all the while pulling and straining them at the roots, and making the process of shaving most painful.
For the sake of cleanliness, the face should, of course, be washed previous to shaving in order to remove any dirt or grit from the beard, which might dull the razor ; but before applying the lather, the face should be well dried with a towel."

So no hot water, and a dry face before lather. Then later on it says to apply a hot towel after the shave to open the pores and then apply the aftershave. Anyone try this? I know with a cartridge razor when I shaved without first taking a hot shower or applying a hot wash cloth the blade tugged and pulled.

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How about that? I am a converted cold water shaver. That idea sounded nutty to me and I, too, used a cartridge razor for a lot of years before my shower. When someone occasionally posted that he was a cold water shaver I thought he was crazy. I wanted you to read it for yourself because I couldn't entertain the idea before I saw it documented in this book. Then I tried it and...to my surprise...it worked.

Let me hasten to say that most people can get a good shave either way (which probably means barbers hot towel shave to please customers), but for a new straight shaver starting out, the odds are in your favor if you adopt the method in that book. Instead of a hot towel after the shave, I take a shower and wash my face in warm water.

I started shaving with multiblade razors after I got fed up with my dad's recommended electric. I really think that if you use a razor with 3 or 5 blades that each stroke is like 3 or 5 strokes, based on how it felt. My face was so irritated all of those years that I didn't shave on weekends and holidays if I could possibly avoid it. I didn't try a DE razor until I was 54 and I couldn't believe how much closer and comfortable one blade was as opposed to several. Later I moved to straights because I wanted to.

I'm glad you found out on your own about not using hot water, because you wouldn't have believed me if I told you. Try it, and that will help you get on speaking terms with your face again.

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Originally Posted by stonebraker

Let your face rest. If you have irritation and you shave on top of that it can make for a very painful experience. If you are shaving with a dry lather......that could be your irritation problem. If you see flaky stuff all over the place, add more water. Dry shave cream is like shaving with sandpaper on your face. I think it grabs the blade better than the hair does.

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I think canned foam is basically dry, at least it felt that way to me. It gave me absolutely no protection. (I wonder if the Gillette Foamy and comparable products were cheapened over the years.)

When I used canned gel like Edge it would gunk up between the blades of my multiblade razor and I couldn't rinse that area off. So I pressed harder and cut through the intended protection it was supposed to give.

I turned to DE and straight razors out of necessity. As time went on I paid more and more for irritation and mediocre results. Unlike some people, I never could achieve consistently good and reasonably comfortable results in 40 years of trying. I'm so glad I'm off that merry go round.

I think I will try the cold water shave and drying the face before applying the lather! I think I had my face too wet and the lather was disappearing too soon. Thanks again for that link!

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect—namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor.

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Man, I tell you what, everybody has hair that is different. We can say the said effect will be this or is supposed to be this but everybody has different hair. My hair is stiff enough what I need is to soften it as much as possible. Really, when I grow a beard the first few weeks is like I have barbed wire sprouting from my face. People can write such and such, you should do this but the bottom line is find out what works for you. Cold splash shaving has never worked for me. Yes, I can do it but I would prefer not to. Prep is king, weather it be a splash of water, Proraso, oil or some voodoo ritual. Do what makes the shave a memorable experience.

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

...My only worry though is that when my razor does need refreshing with CrOx that I won't realize it and still think it's my technique. Everything I've read says the only true test is the shaving test to tell when it needs refreshing. Well, you see my dilemma. Razor grabs, technique or refresh? But like Chevhead said, if I'm getting a good one every 2nd or 3rd shave it's probably my lack of skill...

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Everybody's hair is different, so it's hard to say, but I'd advise that you shouldn't even be thinking about refreshing the edge yet, not unless you've dulled the edge a little by poor stropping. You should be able to go for a month to six weeks before the first honing. I myself would recommend a nice Shapton 16k rather than CrOx. Ten laps on the Shapton will bring the edge right back, and it's hard to mess up while doing only 10 laps on a nice flat hard hone. Bearing in mind that I've never actually used CrOx, I feel it may be easier to dull the edge more using CrOx (esp if not using a paddle strop) than with a nice hard flat hone.

What you probably need, is another truly shave ready razor. I know that sounds like I'm an enabler of RAD, but you can't go past a comparison blade. If you have only one razor, you'll be standing there in the bathroom scratching your head and thinking "Now, is it just ME or did this thing used to be sharper than this???"

I've read the thing about soap having the purpose of stiffening the hairs and I disagree with that. They also used to say putting a razor away for a few days allowed the edge to rest. They also used to sell heroin for common headaches. I feel cream or soap DOES soften the hair. Also, remember that a major use of cream or soap is to provide both GLIDE and CUSHION regardless of what it actually does to the hair strands. GLIDE and CUSHION are in my opinion of equal importance to each other esp for straight shaving. One may wish more glide than cushion for DE shaving.

Have you tried a pre-shave cream? Proraso pre-shave is REALLY good for beginners, I used to use it ALL the time. It really provides a very slick amount of glide; you lather straight over it. I'd very highly recommend that beginners use this pre-shave cream with a good cream (Musgo Real and Body Shop Macca Root for instance). In all seriousness, if one used Proraso Pre-shave cream, and Musgo Real cream or Body Shop Macca Root cream (there are many other easy to lather good creams, but these two are common and cheap), then in my opinion and experience you really have the prep part pegged. You really can't go wrong with that combo as far as prep is concerned. Added to that, shower before the shave, maybe apply hair conditioner to the beard whilst in the shower (and leave it in while showering; wash it off at the end of the shower), apply hot water to face, apply the Proraso pre-shave, make the lather, apply it over the pre-shave cream, strop and then shave I think you'll have a really nice prep sorted...


Carl

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Everybody's hair is different, so it's hard to say, but I'd advise that you shouldn't even be thinking about references the edge yet, not unless you've dulled the edge a little by poor stropping. You should be able to go for a month to six weeks before the first honing. I myself would recommend a nice Shapton 16k rather than CrOx. ten laps on the Shapton will bring the edge right back, and it's hard to mess up while doing only 10 laps on a nice flat hard hone. Bearing in mind that I've never actually used CrOx, I feel it may be easier to dull the edge more using CrOx (esp if not using a paddle strop) than with a nice hard flat hone.

What you probably need, is another truly shave ready razor. I know that sounds like I'm an enabler of RAD, but you can't go past a comparison blade. If you have only one razor, you'll be standing there in the bathroom scratching your head and thinking "Now, is it just ME or did this thing used to be sharper than this???"

I've read the thing about soap having the purpose of stiffening the hairs and I disagree with that. They also used to say putting a razor away for a few days allowed the edge to rest. They also used to sell heroin for common headaches. I feel cream or soap DOES soften the hair. Also, remember that a major use of cream or soap is to provide both GLIDE and CUSHION regardless of what it actually does to the hair strands. GLIDE and CUSHION are in my opinion of equal importance to each other.

have you tried a pre-shave cream? Proraso pre-shave is REALLY good for beginners, I used to use it ALL the time. It really provides a very slick amount of glide; you lather straight over it. I'd very highly recommend that beginners use this pre-shave cream with a good cream (Musgo Real and Body Shop Macca Root for instance). In all seriousness, if one used Proraso Pre-shave cream, and Musgo real cream or Body Shop Macca Root cream, then in my opinion and experience you really have the prep part pegged. You really can't go wrong with that combo as far as prep is concerned. Added to that, shower before the shave, maybe apply hair conditioner to the beard whilst in the shower (and leave it in while showering; wash it off at the end of the shower), apply hot water to face, apply the Proraso pre-shave, make the lather, apply it over the pre-shave cream, strop and then shave I think you'll have a really nice prep sorted...


Carl

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+1 on the comparison blade. I got an inexpensive shave ready blade from the Classifieds section as my second razor, basically to convince myself that my other one was shave ready.

Honestly I get about the same results either at cold (ambient) or hot water temperature. I think the book's recommendation means that for people with certain types of hair and/or skin the results with cold water are significantly better. I stick with it because my "hot" tap water was lukewarm at best so I had an electric kettle and it was a pain to wait for it to heat up.

Another thing to note is that some soaps don't lather well in cold water. When I switched I had to grate the puck I was using in a cheese grater and that solved the problem.

But I am enthusiastic about cold water shaving and if someone is having trouble with either poor shaves or irritation I don't hesitate to recommend it.

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Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

+1 on the comparison blade. I got an inexpensive shave ready blade from the Classifieds section as my second razor, basically to convince myself that my other one was shave ready.

Honestly I get about the same results either at cold (ambient) or hot water temperature. I think the book's recommendation means that for people with certain types of hair and/or skin the results with cold water are significantly better. I stick with it because my "hot" tap water was lukewarm at best so I had an electric kettle and it was a pain to wait for it to heat up.

Another thing to note is that some soaps don't lather well in cold water. When I switched I had to grate the puck I was using in a cheese grater and that solved the problem.

But I am enthusiastic about cold water shaving and if someone is having trouble with either poor shaves or irritation I don't hesitate to recommend it.

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Yeah, agreed. I think I just LIKE hot water for a shave, esp in Winter. I have used icy cold water from the fridge on really hot mornings in Summer and it's great, esp with Proraso soap! I always recommend creams for beginners, just because for me they are easier to create a nice lather. Maybe it's just that I'm bad at creating lathers from soaps! Shaving is so individual, isn't it? Giving advice on shaving is like giving advice to someone about what to look at in an art gallery. How many times have you heard someone say "That's not ART!!"...

Been using cold water for shaving going on 4 months now and start with a wet face as I face lather. Works as well as hot water shaving did and eliminates the need for and waste of hot water. So i would say at the very least you loose nothing by trying it.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

Ok, I read the online book "Shaving Made Easy" provided in a link by CaliforniaCajun and there is some advice in the book that is contrary to all the preshave prep I've read on this site and others.

"The popular impression is that the soap is used for the purpose of softening the beard, in which condition it is supposed to be most easily cut. This is a mistake. The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect—namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor.
Now in this natural oily condition, it is very dif- ficult to cut the hair with a razor, and it becomes even more difficult if the beard be made still softer by the application of hot water. Many do this, and it is no wonder they find shaving difficult. When this is done, the hairs become soft and limp, and the razor will either slip over them entirely, or else cut partly into them, bend them back and sHce them lengthwise, all the while pulling and straining them at the roots, and making the process of shaving most painful.
For the sake of cleanliness, the face should, of course, be washed previous to shaving in order to remove any dirt or grit from the beard, which might dull the razor ; but before applying the lather, the face should be well dried with a towel."

So no hot water, and a dry face before lather. Then later on it says to apply a hot towel after the shave to open the pores and then apply the aftershave. Anyone try this? I know with a cartridge razor when I shaved without first taking a hot shower or applying a hot wash cloth the blade tugged and pulled.

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I've been DE shaving for years and one of the best tips i received was to make sure your face is wet, hence the phrase "wet shave" . I suppose different strokes for different folks :)

All valid arguments. I mean barbers having been using hot towels for how long? As far as drying the face first, I'll find out. My face technically will still be wet with the lather. I just found on the last shave that when I applied the really hot water right before applying the lather it made the spots that got irritated las time get irritated before I even started shaving, then I have to shave over them. I'll try anything once.

Carl, I have been looking at the Proraso sensitive skin pre-shave and the creme as well. And, I've been thinking about buying a second blade for this very reason. And the fact that if I decide to send it out to get honed I will have one to use. I'm still debating this. You said a month to six weeks before first honing. I was thinking times between honing would be longer and that you could just refresh a little using CrOx. I wouldn't be using it on a strop. Probably some Poplar that I have laying around.

Cold water it is! Less irritation. I didn't shower before and after I washed my face I dried it off before applying the lather. I could tell the lather was thicker this way. Followed with cold water rinse.

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

...Carl, I have been looking at the Proraso sensitive skin pre-shave and the creme as well. And, I've been thinking about buying a second blade for this very reason. And the fact that if I decide to send it out to get honed I will have one to use. I'm still debating this. You said a month to six weeks before first honing. I was thinking times between honing would be longer and that you could just refresh a little using CrOx. I wouldn't be using it on a strop. Probably some Poplar that I have laying around.

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When I say 'honing' I'm literally talking 10 laps on the Shapton 16k (20 for my Swedish razors with the harder steel). I keep a honing journal and in reality i refresh the edges quite a bit less than that. Initially your stropping may not be 100%, so the first time you need to refresh the edge may come around quicker than in the future. It would also depend a lot on your hair (i.e. heavy growth and actual thickness of the actual hair strand).

I guess you're going to make sure the Poplar is really flat? Why not buy some leather and glue it to the Poplar? One day I'll need to try CrOx, but I've never really felt the need, then again, maybe I don't know what I'm missing! :o

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

When I say 'honing' I'm literally talking 10 laps on the Shapton 16k (20 for my Swedish razors with the harder steel). I keep a honing journal and in reality i refresh the edges quite a bit less than that. Initially your stropping may not be 100%, so the first time you need to refresh the edge may come around quicker than in the future. It would also depend a lot on your hair (i.e. heavy growth and actual thickness of the actual hair strand).

I guess you're going to make sure the Poplar is really flat? Why not buy some leather and glue it to the Poplar? One day I'll need to try CrOx, but I've never really felt the need, then again, maybe I don't know what I'm missing! :o

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Yeah, I drew some zigzag pencil marks all across the face and put a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface and sanded until all the pencil marks were removed. I then applied the CrOx and wiped off the excess with a paper towel. There was hardly any CrOx left. I may get a piece of leather and try gluing it on.

I also do woodworking and have Japanese water stones and a Chinese 12K natural stone that I maintain wood planes and chisels with. I also have a DMT stone I use to lap the stones. I get a mirror finish on my chisels and plane blades and you can shave hairs with them. I guess I could use the 12K. I just figured you only used the hones only twice a year and the CrOx for touchups in between.

OK, so the cold water helped the irritation a little but it seems my shaves have been getting progressively worse. I was beginning to think it might even be the Col Conk soap. Last shave it seemed the blade just wasn't cutting and I think the reason the irritation is so bad is because I would have to go over one spot several times to get it cleaned up. I had tried the CrOx on the poplar but I don't think that did anything. The wood was just too smooth. So I put the CrOx on the inside part of the linen and tried 5 passes on that, then stropped normally on clean linen and leather, shaved and it was still a terrible shave. After two passes I noticed under my chin hardly looked like I had shaved it. So I decided what the heck, I'm going to put it the the 12K natural stone. Wow, not quite as easy as it seemed. I couldn't do it with one hand, had to use two. At one point while trying one handed I must have tilted the blade a little on the edge of the stone because I noticed I messed up the bevel on one spot. So I took several more passes using two hands making sure I was pushing the water on the stone evenly. Then I tried to shave some hairs on my arm midway up the hairs if that makes sense. Uh oh, nothing, no hair popping.:banghead: Well I might as well try and strop it. So I took about 20 passes on the linen with CrOx, 30 passes on clean linen, and 60 strokes on clean leather. Now it pops the hairs a lot more than it was before! Whew! I then went back and cleaned up my under my chin. It seemed to work fine. I'm going to let my face rest a day and then try it again.

Is it possible that I could have dulled my razor that much in just 3 weeks? Am I the worst stropper and shaver ever? I will still probably get another shave ready razor to keep just for comparison and then use it when the other one needs honing. I will probably use this first razor to learn to hone on and then compare my results to the 2nd shave ready razor. Just not in the budget yet.

Yea, honing ain't rocket science but it is not all that easy either to do it right. It takes time and practice to get decent at honing and stropping both of which look deceptively simple and easy. Yea, you could have dulled your razor that much in just 3 weeks. No you are not the worst stropper and shaver ever. Most people, me included, dulled razors much faster when starting out than later on. Poor shaving and stropping technique will do that as hard to believe as that is. It all takes time and patience.

Bob

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Originally Posted by Jetmech

...I couldn't do it with one hand, had to use two. At one point while trying one handed I must have tilted the blade a little on the edge of the stone because I noticed I messed up the bevel on one spot. So I took several more passes using two hands making sure I was pushing the water on the stone evenly. Then I tried to shave some hairs on my arm midway up the hairs if that makes sense. Uh oh, nothing, no hair popping.:banghead: Well I might as well try and strop it. So I took about 20 passes on the linen with CrOx, 30 passes on clean linen, and 60 strokes on clean leather. Now it pops the hairs a lot more than it was before! Whew! I then went back and cleaned up my under my chin. It seemed to work fine. I'm going to let my face rest a day and then try it again.

Is it possible that I could have dulled my razor that much in just 3 weeks? Am I the worst stropper and shaver ever? I will still probably get another shave ready razor to keep just for comparison and then use it when the other one needs honing. I will probably use this first razor to learn to hone on and then compare my results to the 2nd shave ready razor. Just not in the budget yet.

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I myself always use two hands honing, I find I tilt the blade like you did with one hand. I DO make sure I don't push down, though (unless I'm setting a bevel). I'm a beginner at honing, having honed only maybe eight razors, but have kept them shave ready for two years, so maybe that counts for something.

It's great your razor was improved; well done! From here, I would recommend sets of maybe 10 on the 12k, judging the edge after each 10 laps. I'd not use CrOx again until you are happy with the edge off the 12k and stropping.

It IS possible you've dulled the edge, but I think it's quite able to be repaired easily.