Thread: Still nicking myself

As a guy that likes to take old stuff and make it work. I have acquired several straight razors for a few dollars or they were given to me. Some I believe to be sharp but I really don't know. they shave the beard and comfortable. However I have ralized the iimportance of keeping the face well lathered and keeping the skin taught. I have slacked and gotten ****y and went fast and put a nice inch long slice in my cheek.
I do the thumb nail test on the razor. and it feels sharp. it slides across the nail and doesn't tug. But they still don't cut a piece of my wifes hair.
The best shaving razor I have it a Henckles 5/8 round point.
Also, sometimes mid shave or between shaving my face I strop before shaving my head, is it normal to have to restrop during the shave?

Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Dale.

Are any of them uncomfortable to shave with?
Is the suspected unsharp razor on the good list in the Wiki?
If so, send it to one of the pros in the classifieds for honing....

The thumbnail test should never be used past the bevel setting stone.

It can dull/damage the edge.

The thumb nail test is not for testing the shave readiness of the razor. It's typically used to check for microchips in the edge (if you don't have a loupe or microscope) or that you've correctly set the bevel. For a blade that is shave ready, the edge should tug a bit since it will cut into the surface of your nail. So, if it's sliding effortlessly, it is most likely not shave ready. (As Slartibartfast said above, don't use it past setting the bevel; it can dull the edge.)

Since I began shaving with a straight, I have sliced my cheek a couple of times. The first time was with a blade that was not sharp enough; I was trying to force it. The second time the heel of the blade caught on my mustache and caused me to go sideways with the blade - It slices, it dices, it bleeds quite a bit But that's what I got for not paying attention to the task at hand.

Learning to hone to shave readiness in a vacuum is virtually impossible. I would recommend sending one of your razors to a honemeister to be sharpened. Then you will have a benchmark to measure your own sharpening efforts against.

It ain't rocket science, but honing is a skill that needs to be learned and learning takes time and practice.

Stropping between passes is fine. Some do it, some don't.

You really should send one of your razors out to be honed professionally. At the very least, it will give you a frame of reference for sharpness.

Originally Posted by dbc

As a guy that likes to take old stuff and make it work. I have acquired several straight razors for a few dollars or they were given to me. Some I believe to be sharp but I really don't know. they shave the beard and comfortable. However I have ralized the iimportance of keeping the face well lathered and keeping the skin taught. I have slacked and gotten ****y and went fast and put a nice inch long slice in my cheek.
I do the thumb nail test on the razor. and it feels sharp. it slides across the nail and doesn't tug. But they still don't cut a piece of my wifes hair.
The best shaving razor I have it a Henckles 5/8 round point.
Also, sometimes mid shave or between shaving my face I strop before shaving my head, is it normal to have to restrop during the shave?

Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Dale.

Dale,

I am pretty new at this myself--only becoming acquainted with str8 razor shaving for about two week--but here are my observations.

First, if you sliced your face it appears to me that you definitely used your str8 razor incorrectly. A slice usually occurs when you move the razor horizontally, not vertically, across your face.

Second, everything I have read so far recommends against stropping your razor during shaving. The razor will most likely be wet, despite your best efforts to dry it, and the stropping will not be as effective.

My recommendations: First, get your razors professionally honed. That way you won't be guessing about whether they are really sharp. There are several SRP members who are professional honemeisters who you could mail 1-2 of your razors to and get them honed.

Second, make a conscious effort to slow down while shaving and employing proper str8 razor shaving technique (ie. prepping the skin, lathering, stretching the skin, blade angle, etc.) I have found that str8 razor shaving is not something that you can rush--especially at first. The exposed blade of a str8 is just too dangerous for that.

Just my 2 cents.

I hope that these suggestions help. I am certain that other SRP members will add their thoughts as well

Happy shaving.

Originally Posted by Frampton

You really should send one of your razors out to be honed professionally. At the very least, it will give you a frame of reference for sharpness.

PERFECT . agree 100%.
This will help you so much you will understand it later. gl

Sliding effortlessly across you nail indicates a dull razor. If it tugged all the way across it would indicate it had some keenness. Like everyone said getting them honed professionally would be the way to go. Read my sig line below to avoid nicks and cuts.

Originally Posted by dbc

As a guy that likes to take old stuff and make it work. I have acquired several straight razors for a few dollars or they were given to me. Some I believe to be sharp but I really don't know. they shave the beard and comfortable. However I have ralized the iimportance of keeping the face well lathered and keeping the skin taught. I have slacked and gotten ****y and went fast and put a nice inch long slice in my cheek.
I do the thumb nail test on the razor. and it feels sharp. it slides across the nail and doesn't tug. But they still don't cut a piece of my wifes hair.
The best shaving razor I have it a Henckles 5/8 round point.
Also, sometimes mid shave or between shaving my face I strop before shaving my head, is it normal to have to restrop during the shave?

Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Dale.

I'm not sure how much hair you have to shave, but I'm also a head shaver and have a separate line of razors just for my head. I've found that they lose their keenness much quicker (for me) than the ones I use on my face.

For my face I'll usually strop a little bit (say, 10 linen and 10 leather) between each pass. For my head I'll usually strop once or twice (15 linen and 30 leather) during my first pass, and then before the second pass. I'm thin on the crown but the rest is pretty thick so stropping helps me get through it.

Otherwise, definitely have your razors honed by a pro if you haven't done so already.

Originally Posted by Frampton

You really should send one of your razors out to be honed professionally. At the very least, it will give you a frame of reference for sharpness.

+1 Highly recommend. Then you will have less questions and it gets you off to a great start.

Good Luck,

Pabster