Thread: Results.........

Originally Posted by SRNewb

You mention you have a "real badger" brush. What grade? Black? Pure? Best? Finest? Silvertip?
If you are using a Black Badger or Pure Badger grade, and you face lather, the irritation could very well be coming from a scritchy badger brush, not the razor. MHO.

Probably low end badger since the brush was only about $13 and no real investment. The brush feels fine but I have never used a $200 brush to really say to be honest....

Sounds like a Pure Badger. I've got a $13 Pure Badger myself, and like it just fine. But Pure Badger can be a bit prickly or scritchy. If I face lathered 3 passes with a Pure Badger brush every day, I know that my face would be highly irritated after just a short few days, regardless of the razor used. If you are bowl lathering and then painting the lather on your face, then I would tend to dismiss irritation from the brush. But if you are using a lot of swirling motions, and pressing fairly hard into your face, I think you might even get some irritation even if you bowl lather, depending on the amount of time you spent scrubbing the brush into your face. MHO.

When it's possible, pick up a nice $35 brush. You'd be surprised how much difference it can make, and there are a lot of options under $75. Watch the brush threads to see opinions. Loft and knot size can make a difference in feel at the same approximate price point

Originally Posted by Michael70

Probably low end badger since the brush was only about $13 and no real investment. The brush feels fine but I have never used a $200 brush to really say to be honest....

An extreme cutting angle I would assume means a faulty bevel edge or a bevel that is incorrect????

I think it just means you're scraping, rather than shaving. If you haven't heard it before, shave the lather, not the skin. With the blade angle of only 1-2 spine widths from your skin, and good lather (wet) a wet blade should shave...more angle, you're not really shaving.

Originally Posted by Michael70

An extreme cutting angle I would assume means a faulty bevel edge or a bevel that is incorrect????

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I think it just means you're scraping, rather than shaving. If you haven't heard it before, shave the lather, not the skin. With the blade angle of only 1-2 spine widths from your skin, and good lather (wet) a wet blade should shave...more angle, you're not really shaving.

Harold I would agree 100% but here is what I noticed this morning trying to do a 1 day old face shave. When I took the advice of just shaving the lather there was constant tug and release by the razor and when the lather was gone......the hair was still there with hardly any removed. So I thought why is my razor doing this because I stropped it the day before to be ready. Then I thought and wondered if I got the bevel off that quick from when it was sent to me pre-honed shave ready from stropping wrong.

I read a post with a diagram that stated doing too much paste stropping would lead to a convex bevel. Well, I do just that daily after shaving. I put the razor to Dovo black paste embedded leather to get the final touches to it. This of course after a few strokes on the linen only strop to set it up.

The reason for the bevel comment is that when I finished what I thought to be a shave ready razor with at least two spine widths angle on my soft underside of forearm the hair would not cut. As I increased the angle of the razor to at least 70 degrees it cut......strange like you stated it should be scraping easily at that point. That is why I wonder if my stropping technique is wrong and ruined the bevel that needs to be reset.

When I do strop I don't hold the strop stiff but a slight lazy hold (resembling a stiff hammock profile with a slight bow) and try not to use any if much pressure when stropping or making laps. But I can tell you the spine does not contact the leather to get the razors edge to contact the leather. I have to lift the spine off the leather to get that sound of what it should sound like.......all the while on a paste embedded strop.

So I may be way off on this maintenance/sharpening from what I thought was correct. Should I when the razor is truly set up right only need to use paste embedded leather when it tugs hard and usually on a day to day basis use a plain non-paste embedded strop for setup?

Sorry to type so much but really trying to get this to working order because right now I know it is not and shaving is like pulling hairs out by the root. But I know being a newbie this is how we learn.

Any help is very welcomed.

Use a very light pressure and make sure the angle is correct. If you still get a sore face, the blade needs a little work JMO

The way I will really know is when I attend a meet locally and have one of the guys give it the run over. It may very well be my stop technique that is less than acceptable.

Can you remind me...
I can't remember if you ever said where you got the razor and what it was.

Originally Posted by Michael70

The way I will really know is when I attend a meet locally and have one of the guys give it the run over. It may very well be my stop technique that is less than acceptable.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

Can you remind me...
I can't remember if you ever said where you got the razor and what it was.

The Superior Shave and it is a Dovo Gentleman full hollow grind 5/8.