Thread: Looking for assistance after first attempted shave

Hey guys. I recently got a straight razor, and a few nights ago got a strop and two sided whetstone(3000/8000, submerged overnight and came with a 30 degree angle assist). I was hoping I would be able to have a nice and sharp blade after 15 round trips on both sides of the whetstone, and 25 round trips on both sides of the strop, but I was greeted by a blade that felt dull and barely scraped the surface of my face. I do not have long, or coarse hair. I applied a hot towel, brushed on a layer of shaving soap, applied another hot towel to wash off the shaving soap, and then applied another layer to start. Where did I go wrong? I assume the 3000/8000 grit is not low enough for an out of the box razor. Any help is much appreciated.

The spine of the razor is the correct angle so you don't need any gadget. Also what brand razor and stone have you got?

Welcome to the forum.


30 degrees is way too obtuse for a razor. Setting a proper bevel will likely take a bit of work now. If you post a general location, someone close may be able to help you out.

Did you use the 30 degree angle assist?

What kind of whetstone exactly is it?

What strop are you using?

And what exact razor are you using?


I highly encourage you to read the wiki, it's a good learning tool: https://shavelibrary.com/w/Shave_Library


Honing, stropping and shaving technique needs work, a shave ready razor is a must and I doubt that's the case right now.

Bluesman made a good suggestion, I also had many struggles and wish I had someone helping me out IRL earlier


I hope things will get figured out and you can start enjoying shaving with a SR, it takes some trial and error, but with the help of the guys on here and your interest in SR shaving succes will be had

You can learn to hone and shave at the same time, however they are two separate skill sets. If you get your razor honed by someone that already has the skills and just concentrate on learning to get good at shaving and then learn to hone that is likely the most simple route. A picture or information about the razor will likely give us an idea if it is in fact a razor or merely a razor shaped object.

Some photos of your gear or links to where you bought them would be good to try and understand what you are dealing with.

Bob

Originally Posted by RezDog

You can learn to hone and shave at the same time, however they are two separate skill sets. If you get your razor honed by someone that already has the skills and just concentrate on learning to get good at shaving and then learn to hone that is likely the most simple route. A picture or information about the razor will likely give us an idea if it is in fact a razor or merely a razor shaped object.

Everything he said! And when you do start developing your honing skills having a professionally honed razor will give you a standard to compare your own work to.

You need to back up and read the beginners section. Learn to shave and strop with a pro honed shave ready razor, like has been said list your equipment by name. Also if the stone you have is good for razors it will give you all the edge you need, it's just your not ready to go e cause you don't even know how to shave yet, which prevents you from knowing what a shave ready edge is. Put your location in your profile so you can get help like your asking for. Tc

This is the closest thing I could find to the razor. Box is from RenRen and product code is w3908:
RENREN Classic Old School Shaving Razor + Badger Hair Brush + PU Leather Strap Set - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

Whetstone:
https://www.amazon.com/BearMoo-Whets.../dp/B01KT9US30

Strop:
https://www.amazon.ca/Red-Deer-Genui.../dp/B01N7MFVYV

I live in the Windsor, Ontario area

Thank you all for the assistance so far

Yeah, so that razor is no good. Have a look at the classifieds here and get a true shave ready razor to start with. Don't know about the hone, but you basically get what you pay for. Main thing, don't get discouraged, you not the first and won't be the last to have purchased an RSO.