Thread: Straight razor shaving

Originally Posted by Geezer

Here is a site that makes my life easier by having a map of the different grain directions of my face. Makes stretching and razor directing a lot quicker.
When you open the site, go to "HELP" and that will give good directions for the map set up and use.
http://www.pbjsite.com/shave/whiskarmap/

I've not noticed anyone posting this site for quite a while. Have fun!
~Richard
PS, If you are a perfectionist, It will take a while to get used to using the map site. It is worth the time spent if you can improve your shaving ease.

Url not working for me

Originally Posted by Rami

Url not working for me

I get there from even clicking on the quote above.
If all else fails, Google ""shave face map""
~Richard

Originally Posted by Geezer

I get there from even clicking on the quote above.
If all else fails, Google ""shave face map""
~Richard

Could be cause I am accessing via Mobile

a few observations in my past 2-3 weeks of living with a straight razor

posting it here because these are fairly general observations, and I need to post them somewhere before the finer details escapes me.

1. Honing:

During bevel setting or creating a new edge, it is alright to apply slightly more pressure than normal on a lower grit stone. It is not optional but it is mandatory. Atleast on my carborandum lower grit stone it is, even after applying some oil, there is some amount of pressure to be applied evenly on the blade to get positive results. One can immidiately know if results are positive when even on a #1k hone the edge starts to bite into hair during treetop.

2. Drawbacks of an ultra sharp edge

An ultra sharp edge though highly desirable comes with significant drawbacks. Like when you hone a sharp edge, the edge starts to bite into the stone, similarly a sharp edge may create some downward force and bite again into the face when you lessen pressure on the razor or suffer from loss of concentration.

It's like a small misstep, but occurs frequently when the razor is ultra sharp and one's mind is not fully there. The funny thing about a nick with such a sharp razor is that blood does not ooze out immidiately, a sharp razor severs capillaries so fine that either blood clots before oozing out and the cut is also so fine that blood congeals before one knows that there is a cut. It is not a good situation to be in, because one unaware of the cut until only long after the shave is finished.

3. resting a used razor.

So I was reading a thread on this site, of resting a used razor and if a re-stropped razor too would pass HHT. Today I got the answer. After finishing up with my shave I stropped the razor. And immidiately tried a HHT, and it would not bite into the root end of the hair strand.

I let the razor rest for an hour or two, went about errands and came back and tried HHT, again this time on the root facing outwards and, it was working beautifully. The razor did the HHT without any fuss and without making even a pop. So yes, there seems to be some substance to the argument of resting the razor, but unlike 24 hours, 1 hour seems more than enough. It seems the edge is ever so slightly curved after a shave, since the shave is on the face and the face is basically leather on bone. There is some amount of wear that is caused on the razor due to the hard surface of the bone, and it compensates itself after sitting idle for a while.

Originally Posted by almond

An ultra sharp edge though highly desirable comes with significant drawbacks. Like when you hone a sharp edge, the edge starts to bite into the stone,

Geometry says that will not happen.

Originally Posted by almond

similarly a sharp edge may create some downward force and bite again into the face when you lessen pressure on the razor or suffer from loss of concentration.

Again, I just don't see it. A sharp edge is not going to suddenly change direction unless the edge has a floppy burr and that should have been removed with stropping. Regarding pressure, reducing it does cause cuts. If anything, reducing pressure lowers their likelihood.

Hot towels are used to soften the beard though I rather think it's done more because it feels good and became part of the barbering experience.

Skin Pores do not change size no matter what you do.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Again, I just don't see it. A sharp edge is not going to suddenly change direction unless the edge has a floppy burr and that should have been removed with stropping. Regarding pressure, reducing it does cause cuts. If anything, reducing pressure lowers their likelihood.

No No No !

Not edge changing direction. Edge is going in same direction, my concentration and muscle training flags a bit and when going ATG the sharp razor lifts slightly maybe due to lack of pressure or maybe due to loss of concentration and instead of lifting cleanly catches hold of some surface feature and bites into skin again. More like tripping into skin. Now if the razor is not super sharp, this does not happen and even if razor slightly nicks the skin in such a manner with a lesser sharp razor I can immdiately change the landing angle and minimize skin contact but not so when razor is super sharp. Those just bite into skin to create a micro nick.

Shaving in one direction --> loss of concentration/muscle memory --> misstep --> edge lifts slightly --> falls forward into skin for a micro nick.

If one is not cautious then the fall towards skin can also cause a major nick or scar.