Thread: Patterns of blood.

Hey all I've noticed two spots that I've cut a number of times. I'm new to straights and I'm wondering if the sharp smile makes it easier to cut my cheek, I think it happens when I'm shaving the the left side of chin with my non dominant hand. I'm just using wtg and light short passes. Low blade angle.

Should i Learn to shave with it?
This is the razor I'm learning to hone on, I just started light rolling strokes and it's biting me. . I could re set the bevel back till the tip touches the stone with the rest of the razor. Or I could give the light rolling hone strokes a break

The other pattern is the knicked mole. Hard to stop before them. How do you all handle them?
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Here is the razor. Thanks for the info!

Your razor is not honed properly.

A razors edge runs continuously from heel to toe. You can't hone the toe, then the heel. The bevel has to be uniform from heel to toe, perfectly. Anything else is not excepted, and any further honing on higher grits, will be for nothing.

As for the cuts....too many variables. Moles n such.....shave around them, or have them removed is all I can say.

Maybe shave with your dominant hand, instead. Lots of us do, including myself.

Your still new to all this, it take's time to become proficient and comfortable using a straight. Honing, is another animal some can never tame.

Mike hit this right on the head here, take like 20 steps back and re-evaluate. Also PM a member about getting a razor. You are going to be blown away the difference in the edge if you haven't tried one yet. Trust me.
-Laramie-

I third what the guys have already said. If I cut myself it’s usually because I had a lapse in attention to what I was doing or my razor needed to have its edge refreshed.

You won’t believe how much easier and more comfortable it is to shave with a properly honed razor. Send it to someone who knows how to properly hone a straight.

A vary generous member is sending me a razor.
Sounds like I should leave the correction to someone who has done a few.

By no means should you not try it for yourself. However make sure you have at least one or two properly honed razor to shave with. Then as you learn to hone, you can then compare the edges you create to a known standard. This will avoid some of the unknown variables. I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but be prepared for more bad shaves(even with a properly honed razor). It's kinda part of the learning process, I'm sure there's a few members here who just picked up a razor, found a hone, and shaved. That is typically not the learning curve for most of us mere mortals, take it slow and enjoy the journey. Let us know if we can help more!!
-Laramie-

Originally Posted by mattnat

A vary generous member is sending me a razor.
Sounds like I should leave the correction to someone who has done a few.

We have some very generous members here, I've been helped and gifted razors and even hones and cotton for my strops, I am eternally grateful for their kind help in my journey.

Even though you have a rounded toe and the point is not very...pointy it can still bite you. You are certainly ambitious. Don't let that bite you too. Personally I think you may want to limit the honing until you get all the bugs out of the shaving part first. Not that you cant do both but it's hard to know for sure if the honing is going well if the shaving is still problematic. I admire your zest for it. Just try to make that work for you, not against you.

I have 2 spots on my face that I still cut myself more frequently. One is just above the chin ony bottom lip and the other is about where yours is. For me it is purely ergonomics. As David said lapses in attention and, for me, hurry will likely be the source of occasional cuts for as long as you shave. It's just inevitable but it decreases greatly over time.

How many razors do you have now that are shave ready? You said you had a member sending you one. Is that the only one that will be shave ready? Laramie is right. You should have a couple that are ready.

Yeah at the moment that plum was what I've been using to hone and shave with. I certainly know what I did to make the smile worse and won't do that again. The shave ready razor is in the mail. And I have another cropp full hollow that is diy edge.

I am going to stop by a barber shop for a shave tomorrow and continue reaching out to Vancouver members.