Thread: shave

5 shaves with the w&B since I had it honed and it seems to be getting worse. When I go to shave my neck it sticks to my skin. Is this an underhoned razor, or bad lather? Alsp the concaves in my neck have been causing me many problems and always leave me with stubble. Trying to do a pass ATG or XTG seems to just stick to my skin. I have been using conditioner as a pre shave in the shower but I am not sure it is helping at all. Also, I am trying to figure out the best way to tell if the razor really needs the hone or some paste

You might be beating the edge off with your stropping. It's a common mistake.
Hold your strop very taut and strop very gently.
You'll likely need top touch up that edge.
How many laps do you strop each time?

X

I have been doing about 30 linen and 30 leather

That seems a bit much on the linen to me and you could do more on the leather, but thats all MHO.
What about the tautness of the strop and a heavy hand, could these be responsible?

X

I have been trying to keep the strop taught and I have been careful with my hand, although, once I start stropping I tend to get going faster as I go and may have lifted the edge a time or two. I am trying to make a pass turn and lay the ege slow than make the other pass. I hold the shank between my thumb and index finger and lift up just slightly on the scale to keep the blade flat on the strop. What kind of stropping would you recommend? Tony suggests 20-25 on the linen and 25-30 on the leather in the instructions he sent. I have heard people doing many different combinations than that. The razor is a wedge. Should I need to touch it up what, kind of honing technique and regimen would you use??

Matt,
I think I 've experienced in the past the same "sticking" feeling you have described. I overcame it by doing a few different things:
-I rinse the blade with hot water frequently and leave it dripping wet when I start the next stroke. Water definitely helps, too.
-Reducing the angle (30o or less) helped.
-Refresh the lather with more water on the brush half way through the shave.
-pulling and stretching in the concave areas flattens out those places and so they shave better--at least on my ugly mug.
Have you tried any of these?

Originally Posted by matt

The razor is a wedge. Should I need to touch it up what, kind of honing technique and regimen would you use??

Well, this is a conundrum because I've had some of the same trouble with my wedges. I think it's easier to be heavier handed with the weight of a wedge.
Normally, I like to do about 12-15 passes on the linen and 50-60 on the leather.

X

I think the stickyness is a common trait of wedge type razors. Mine do the same thing.I don't know if there is a remedy for that other than use a light touch when shaving.

I usually give the razor about 20 laps on the linen and 60 on the leather. I would agree to examine your stropping technique. if you are sure its not lacking then you might need some more honing on your blade. Wedges can be a job to hone up properly. Not that they are difficult just time consuming.