Thread: Can you help me figure out a mystery?

I've been shaving with a straight since about may of this year and I've gotten okay at it. I can do a complete shave with no discomfort and usually no nicks excluding the chin area. I have 4 razors that i shave with and they all shave wonderfully except my latest acquisition seen here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-its-here.html

I hone it myself with hones i bought from Miss Tilly at redtrader. It passes every test: HHT, TPT, TNT except for the shave test. it doesn't pull, it slices right through the hair but for some reason it is the only razor that leaves my face feeling like it's on fire. I honed my other henckels straight the same way i did this one and it is my best shaver. What am i doing wrong? Is it my technique? Why only this razor?

Thank you for your help!

If that was happening to me I would strop it a hundred times or so on linen and then on leather and see if it helped. If it didn't help, I'd post a thread just like you did here on SRP

I'm curious to see what others have done to alleviate this issue...

hmm...i don't have a linen strop but i've got nothing to do this afternoon so i'll strop it a hundred times while i'm bored :P

but what else could it be?

If you have a loupe or microscope, check the edge for microchipping. I found out through a couple of razors I thought I"d honed up well that those little jags can make you feel like you shaved with acid!

well...i went to RS and got a microscope to look at the edge and it looked pretty good (the thinsg kinda difficult to use :-\) i didn't see any jaggies...(i stropped it 50 on my CrO and then 100 on leather for good measure) and i gave it a quick shave WTG...face only burns a little but it still burns :P haha

I usually find, when a razor starts to deteriorate the first symptom is that it causes irritation. It sounds to me like you just need a touch up honing. if you have a 12K hone try some passes on that or if you have a pasted strop with CrO try that.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

If that was happening to me I would strop it a hundred times or so on linen and then on leather and see if it helped. If it didn't help, I'd post a thread just like you did here on SRP

I'm curious to see what others have done to alleviate this issue...

I agree. The linen helps burnish the scratch pattern left by honing. I had some razors that wouldn;t shave well before I realized the linen was required to relieve the harshness of the edge.

When you look at a freshly honed razor, I can see the striations clearly ( I use a secondary light source -- pocket flashlight -- with my RS microscope). After using linen for about 40 laps, the edge looks fuzzy or the striations are gone.

Let me ask a (pseudo)scientific question: is the problem razor a different size, grind, or material than your other 4? If the 4 good ones are carbon steel full hollows & the problem razor is a stainless wedge or something, maybe you're just not accustomed to the quirks of honing it?

Originally Posted by Johnny J

Let me ask a (pseudo)scientific question: is the problem razor a different size, grind, or material than your other 4? If the 4 good ones are carbon steel full hollows & the problem razor is a stainless wedge or something, maybe you're just not accustomed to the quirks of honing it?

No sir, all four are carbon steel, they're all hollow ground varying between full and half. They're all different but i don't think it's enough to make a difference?

Maybe a simplistic answer but sounds like the edge needs more refinement.
I had a Wald razor like that. Wicked sharp after the 12K and CrO but required an ultra light touch or I got a somewhat harsh shave.
I use a Jewellers rouge pasted strop after my CrO now & it makes all the difference.
Obviously others find linen and other methods work for them. See what works for you.