Is BBS on first WTG pass possible???? and sypderco hone Q too...

[kaiser1498]

Hey all,

I’m new to the forum although I’ve been lurking for a while. I been shaving with a straight razor for about 2 months now. I have a 5/8 inch carbon steel Dovo Special, a 20 inch Dovo leather and line strop, a 4000/8000 norton waterstone and a large sypderco ultrafine finishing hone (3”x8”). When I finally got all my gear, I did about 100 laps on the 4000 side, then another 100 laps on the 8000, and finished with 50 or so laps on the syperdo UF. Then took it to the strop to shave. given that i'm so new to all this, i'm not sure if what i did was enough to get it "shave ready."

don't get me wrong...the shaves have been good so far. although I stll cut myself a little bit. Well, not so much cut, but rather just kept going over my face so much that I got really raw and got a whole bunch of bleeders. Still, the result was a nice smooth shave, practically BBS.

However, the first WTG pass leaves a lot of stubble everywhere. On the shaving vids I’ve seen, it seems that the WTG pass gets you guys pretty close to BBS. The only way for me to get that way is to go back over it first XTG and then ATG, which causes all that irritation and then the little bleeders. Is the razor not sharp enough? Should a shave ready razor be able to get your face nearly BBS on the first WTG pass???

One other Q about the sypderco hone. I really like the sypderco UF. But when I use it (dry as per the directions) I don’t notice ANY little metal shavings coming off. I did about 50 laps, but you’d hardly know I even used the thing after I was finished. Is this normal for a syperdco? With the Norton, you get grit and residue right off the bat. I know the sypderco is ceramic and what-not, but still shouldn’t there be SOME wear on it? it’s so smooth (literally as smooth as glass), so maybe that’s why there aren’t any steel shavings on it???

[DaveF]

Well, I hate to start with a caveat, but as with everything, a lot depends on your beard. If you have a fine, downy beard you may be able to get close to BBS with your first WTG pass. If (like me), you have a stiff, bristly beard, you will not. I used a DE razor for years before switching to a straight, and I will say that the first WTG pass with a straight does not take off quite as much stubble as the first WTG pass of a DE razor. I was actually a little surprised at how much stubble was left after my first pass. It's in the subsequent, XTG and ATG passes that a straight really shines.

Try to think of your first WTG pass as a beard reduction pass, rather than an elimination pass...you are taking off enough hair so that your ATG or XTG passes (the elimination passes) are comfortable.

Again, though, every beard really is different. It sounds cliche, I know.

[kaiser1498]

thanks. that's a really good explanation, and what i was hoping to hear. i do have a pretty thick beard. and your'e right, the first pass is pretty unremarkable, but the 2nd and 3rd passes are what really gives me that me that smooth shave. Glad to know I’m not totally screwing up here.

but it’s a double-edged sword, so to speak, b/c while those other 2 passes are what gives me a great shave, they also result in me getting quite a bit of abrasion. I’m hoping that those abrasions go away after some more practice.

Could it be that the razor isn’t sharp enough? Would a truly sharp razor avoid those abrasions. They’re not cuts in the sense that i'm gushing or that the cut is a horizontal slice on my face. It’s just the skin opening up hear and there from stretching it so much and running the blade over and over and over it again.

[Kenrup]

You can minimize abrasion by good pre-shave preparation. The hot towel treatment or shaving after a shower will help hydrate your beard. A pre-shave oil will help prepare you skin. Letting your beard soak up the lather while you strop is good too. I relather my whole beard after each half of my face is shaved. This keeps the whiskers always soaking. Post shave, I rinse with cold water then I run and alum block over the shaved area. Then I will apply an aftershave. Too much pressure on the razor will contribute towards abrassion. A light but firn stroke letting the blade cut rather then scrap.

[JimmyHAD]

Welcome to SRP. In DE shaving I have seen it referred to as gradual stubble removal. A friend who got into wet shaving introduced me to the forums. He was telling me how he did 3 passes and I looked at him like he was from the moon.

He explained that the proper way to achieve irritation free shaves is to reduce rather then remove the whiskers in multiple passes. This works once you get over the urge to take it all off at once.

I don't know about your blade being shave ready. If you were to get one pre honed from the classifieds or one of the vendors you would have something to compare it to. Check out the Wiki up on the toolbar and the videos in the forum index fot alot of great info.

Edit( BTW, when I say multiple passes I mean shave, rinse, re-lather and shave again. I usually get bbs with two passes with my particular beard.)

[gssixgun]

Is BBS on first WTG pass possible????

I have one razor that I can accomplish this with, I would love to think/imply that it is the holy grail of razors, but I have finally had to admit to myself that my little "Mack the Knife" just fits my face perfectly and that it probably would not be as good a shaver for somebody else, yeah it was a depressing realization....
Sometimes when all the stars in the heavens align perfectly, I will get one of those perfect passes that I just have to say WOW !!!! that was a GREAT shave..... But one pass BBS shaves are few and far between, and I have noticed that they usually happen on a Monday after a weekend of not shaving....

[JimmyHAD]

Even if I could get it in one pass I wouldn't want to. I really enjoy rinsing and pulling that warm brush out of the Moss scuttle and lathering that second time.

[gssixgun]

Even if I could get it in one pass I wouldn't want to. I really enjoy rinsing and pulling that warm brush out of the Moss scuttle and lathering that second time.

OMG absolutely positively a huge +1 with ya here I enjoy my time in the shave den way to much to rush it

[kaiser1498]

oh I totally agree with you guys on that. I like taking my time. but what I don’t like is getting all these abrasions on my face from stretching the skin so taught and then passing the blade across it over and over again. I was just wondering if those abrasions were likely caused by an un-sharp razor. Maybe it needs a few more passes on the sypderco, just to play it safe.

[PuFFaH]

oh I totally agree with you guys on that. I like taking my time. but what I don’t like is getting all these abrasions on my face from stretching the skin so taught and then passing the blade across it over and over again. I was just wondering if those abrasions were likely caused by an un-sharp razor. Maybe it needs a few more passes on the sypderco, just to play it safe.

My perspective on this is that your razor is not quite sharp enough, or should I say "truly shave ready" . Because of this I get the impression that you may be using too much pressure on the razor to compensate for the lack of sharpness. Have your razor "Pro honed AND stropped" and try a shave with that for comparison.
One other factor I think most beginners fall foul of is; "I must get BBS or I am failing". While you are gaining knowledge and skill with the straight, don't be afraid to clean-up with a DE or Mach etc. It takes time to master so don't beat your face up doing it.

PuFF