Thread: Its not you its me.....

First shave with a straight razor Sunday night. I did everything that I have seen on line, but razor pulled like a bear. I think the guy that sharpened it probably didnt know what he was doing, and neither did I. I will keep trying though. I am sure that it will get better with practice. The big Geneva blade seemed sharp, but maybe I should have someone from the site hone it for me.

Its easier to blame the honer than to accept that I am just not good at this point.

might have dulled it if you stropped it yourself. I would not keep practicing with that razor if it was pulling a bunch, the edge is probably not shave ready

It might be a bit of both. I had similar issues at the start and I know my razor was shave ready because as I got to learn the technique it gave me good shaves without having it honed again.

For me the main issue was pressure. I was trying to force it through and I was putting too much pressure on. You really don't have to give it any pressure at all. It took me a while, but slowly I found the less pressure I used the closer and more comfortable my shaves became.

Having said all of that, when the razor starts to tug, that's when I know the edge needs touching up. When I was new to this I really couldn't tell a good edge from a bad one, but now I can really feel the difference.

Good luck and do keep at it and let us know how you get on.

Yes, it could easily be a bit of both. Yes, it might be a good idea to have the razor honed by someone who is recognized for knowing what they are doing when it comes to honing. That would eliminate one of the two possible causes.

If you go that route, do not strop the razor before you use it the first time. That would eliminate the possibility that you are dulling the shave ready razor by poor stropping. That also lets you know what a shave ready razor feels like. If the razor is tugging like a bear then you know it is your technique that is off.

Good luck, we all go through problems at first and it is difficult to figure out where the problems are.

Bob

Hold off on a second go in my opinion. And as Bob said, have it honed by someone we all know will do the job 100% right. And when you get it back, dont strop it. Shave and then you will know that the issue is just you and not the razor. This is the best way to start learning.

1. your shaving skills might be lacking
2. the razor might not be shave ready (anymore)

Those are two big factors.

Number 1 you can work on, number 2 as well, but if you're not a little experienced as a razor honer that's probably gonna take some time as well.

As previously stated, pressure of the lack thereof is a huge deal. Also skin stretching, razor angle and a light touch go a long way.

Is there a consensus choice for a good honer here? I wouldnt mind shipping a razor or two off to a guy that is trusted and recommended.

Send it Lynn Abrams at SRD. It will be ready when it comes back.

Straight shaving requires persistence to learn. But, persistence doesn't mean that you keep soldiering on, despite negative results. As the other guys said, get the razor honed well, and do not strop it for the first use after you get it back.

Read "Your First Shave" in the library. At least 10 times. Don't try to shave your whole face. The results will not be good, and the chance that you will overwork the edge of the razor is high.

Have fun and take your time. This is a two steps forward, one step back deal.

My line for this is: "Teaching yourself how to shave with a straight razor is like teaching yourself how to play the piano with a correspondence course" - Learning to hone by yourself is like learning how to tune that piano using a book...
You can do it by breaking the process down in to steps - but if you can find a mentor in the area a few hours will save you months of trial and error and many units of blood...not to mention some serious frustration...

but we are all with you...Shave on...