Thread: Trying not to hurt myself, Please help!

I started straight razor shaving last week, after getting all of my supplies together. I have a AOS straight razor that I bought for a good price from a friend and I always shave right after I get out of the shower. My experience is very limited and I have followed all of the advice given on this great forum, but I am still cutting myself up like a butcher. I use Proraso shave cream, and I think I have the right angles, but just not getting the beard cut-off like I've seen in all the videos. I have a thick and heavy growth, which I try to shave everyday but Sunday. I had the blade sharpened at a local cutlery shop, but I don't think it is sharp enough. At the rate I'm going, I'll have to buy stock in a alum company.

Using the WTG pass, does not get the whiskers off, ATG does not do much else. I haven't tried the XTG yet. I try to shave the chin area and it looks like I haven't done anything. I hear the blade trying to cut the whiskers, but it is having no luck. Anyone have any suggestions? At this point I am very frustrated and willing to try anything for a good shave.

Anyone know any good honemeisters in Cali?

Very possible you have a factory edge on it. Your angle is the single most important thing IMO to your shave. I don't know anybody out there but I would hone your straight PIF for shipping. PM me if interested. I am in NY.

For starter I always cringe a little bit when I hear that somebody has taken their straight to a local cutlery shop to be sharpened. Unless they have a lot of experience honing straights, very doubtful in this day and age, the edge may not be what it should be. Honing a straight is "not" like honing a knife.

I would have it honed up by somebody that knows what they are doing. I would then shave with it without stropping it first as being new to this sport the is a chance you can dull an edge by improper stropping technique. Strop before the second shave and if the razor does not shave as well as the first time then you might have a problem with your stropping.

You are using Proraso which is a good shave cream but you must be able to make a good lather. If the lather is too dry your razor will not glide as well as it should and even stick. If the lather does not rinse off easily it maybe a sigh it is too dry. A good lather with the right combination of water and cream goes a long way to making a shave enjoyable.

Make sure of you angles, about 2 spine widths between face and spine for WTG and decreasing slightly for XTG. Darn near flat going ATG. You remove the whiskers in stages so don't expect them to all disappear with the first WTG pass. If you are trying to accomplish that you might be using too much pressure.

Sorry for the long ramble, I would just start from square one again with a properly honed shave ready razor. Keep the other points in mind if that does not help.

Bob

The notion of sharpening at a cutlery shop makes me cringe. If it cant take hair off the back of your hand when dry then it doesn't belong near your face. Just my opinion.

I would start over using a razor freshly honed by a pro razor honer. Even the finest new razor made will not shave until its edge has been made truely shave ready.

I hope that the knife guy has not damaged your razor. An experienced SR user with a lot of honing experience could possibly help out with your razor and technique.

Try Keeping the spine closer to your face. Raising the spine too much causes scraping, skin irritation and nicks. It also dulls the razor quickly.

Keep skin pressure very light (no pressure) and keep your skin stretched to raise hairs and prevent catching and digging.

HTH

Skin stretching is my friend. The edge and angle are very important. You should be taking the lather off as though not touching the skin. Like shaving a balloon

I see you're in the SJ Valley, as I am. Do you know anyone local that you use that does a good job?

The cutlery shop was referred by a friend, so I will definitely get it properly honed. As for the angles, I have tried all angles with no good results. I usually do not use much pressure when shaving. I have experience with a DE razor and use that as my back up, using the same Proraso cream. I think I need to start over with a properly honed blade.

Thanks, Bob.

I've only been using a straight for about a month, but I felt like my razor was pulling too much and not cutting properly. I concluded that I probably dulled it during the learning process. I bought a second razor from Straight Razor Designs (they come honed and shave ready) to try by comparison. My thought was that a second razor would be great to have if I can get the hang of this, and $80 was a fair price to determine whether the problem was me or the razor. I did a WTG and a XTG shave this morning with the new razor and I was very pleased with the results. It was my first pain free, respectable shave with a straight. The first razor is headed back to SRD on Monday for rehoning. You might want to try this approach, too. You can get a shave ready straight from Whipped Dog for about $40 if your budget doesn't like the idea of a new $80 Dovo. Good luck. I hope that you stick with it and have a break through soon.

Thanks to all for the good advice. I had my razor professionally honed and my first shave with it was excellent. All the practicing with the dull edge made me a better shaver. Thanks to MadAspen in Las Vegas for the excellent job on my razor. I am looking forward to every shave now, so that I can perfect my technique. I've been biten by the bug and have acquired two more straights to put in my rotation. I will definitely have both professionally sharpened before use.