I just received my Ralf Aust 5/8 Straight Razor! I'm so happy that I R.A. b/c they truly are a beauty. Thanks to everyone who helped me on this forum.
---Though there is one problem, I can't shave my stubble facial hair.
I began shaving with a lather, (a bit too watery), and I would perform slow actions w/ a 30 degree angle and sometimes 50. I would easily hear the hair being shaved off w/ that loud noise of a full hollow ground, and then...... nothing when I was done. I shaved over my side burn area 3 times along with my chin and neck twice- But Nothing! I could tell that I a few were trimmed, (not shaved), but that's it.
My skin was burning during and after the shave. I used an Alum-Block and it stung like CRAZY everywhere I shaved on!
I will be attempting to shave again tomorrow, but I'm kind of worried. Not about cutting myself, (which I haven't so far, besides for bumping into a couple of my pimples) but rather about the burn that I experienced. I still feel a slight burn on my face, and I shaved 6 hours ago!
PS- This was purchased from Straight Razor Designs. I chose the package deal with their Latigo strop. I did not strop the blade before shaving due to the fact that it was already razor sharp and shave ready. It easily cut off my hair on my arm by just lightly touching them, and it also easily caught my skin on my thumb to test for sharpness.
PSS- This is my first time shaving manually at this, So basically, I've only used an electric all my life
ROUTINE: I prepped my face by soaking it with warm/hot water. I then soaked my Brush for 5min, (should have done 2min). I wiped off the oily lubricant on my blade from SRD. I performed a face lather. I then began shaving with my right hand on my right cheek at roughly a 30 degree angle with my left hand sometimes stretching my skin to provide for a smoother shave. I reapplied shaving cream 3 times, due to flakes falling. I washed my face with cold water and used the Alum-Block. Clean and dry Razor along with applying SRD oil on blade while keeping scales dry.
Edit: One more question, I found several black dots on the spine of my blade and on the face of it. Is this normal?
If not how do I treat it?
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