a problem with my shave thread ....

[ianp1966]

So here's how it's been going. I have 2 razors both from ebay fairly cheep but in good condition so i buy myself a 1k, a 4/8 Norton, and i also have a small BBW along with a home made denim strop with cromox on it.

I both razors what i thought to be shave ready, they both very easily removed hair from anywhere else on my body, stropped and off for my shave.
Washed and lathered up like never before i put my first blade to my face, angled not to flat, looked just about right to me with my previous experiments on my arm and leg hair.

Well it just about managed to pull its way thru its first pass but barely so i tried again and still not joy probably not sharp enough ?
I tried my second blade this time a bit better but just not good enough.

So what am i to do.

I checked both edges under a newly aquired mocroscope, from a local school they were going to throw it away, both had one tiny chip missing that you couldn't see with the naked eye.
So i decided to hone the chips out and checked the edges once more.
This time the chips are gone and all looks good. A strop on the denim/chromox and try the shave again.

Oh dear it was no better than before perhaps even worse .... what am i to do ???? obviously my strop might not be the best or could it be my honing (it looks good to me and cuts hair very easily )i don't know everything so im asking here what else can i do to rectify this ?
I'm really fed up with this and have no idea where i'm going wrong

thanks ian

[Frankenstein]

You'd be wise to send both razors out for professional honing. Then buy a barbers hone/pasted strop for touchups.
Then after you have learned to shave, maybe a few months down the track, you will have probably bought another couple of razors and can start worrying about honing. If you have something to compare to, i.e. a properly honed razor, it will be a much better guide than just hoping it's good enough to shave with.
IMO, learning to hone and shave at the same time is a great but frustrating idea. And when undertaking such an exciting but difficult art the less frustration the better.

Cheers

[ianp1966]

You'd be wise to send both razors out for professional honing. Then buy a barbers hone/pasted strop for touchups.
Cheers

mmm i thought that might be the idea to get them sent out but thats a no-go im afraid at the moment i can maybe afford one but not till next month
ive read quite a lot of threads etc , like most people do but what exactly is a barbers hone? is it a 10k 12k 16k or something completely different altogether Scotch mist perhaps

ian not really being sarcastic

[JimmyHAD]

You can hone a pocket knife to shave arm or leg hair easily but honing a razor to a keenness and smoothness to shave your face is a different kettle of fish. Nuances of stroke and pressure have to be learned. As Frankenstein said, sending at least one of the two out would be a good idea.

It will give you something to shave with and a benchmark for your own honing efforts with the other one or with whatever else you pick up. If honing a razor were as easy as falling off a log then people wouldn't be getting twenty bucks a pop on average.

In the meantime go to the SRP Wiki honing tutorials and try Lynn's pyramids since you have the Norton 4/8. Also honing videos of Lynn and heavydutysg135.

Edit; If I lived in the UK and was going to send one out either Neil Miller or Steve Dempster would be where it would go.

[freyguy]

I've been straight shaving for about 3 months, so just know that these are merely opinions based on my limited experience, as well as the abundent reading I've done on this site.

I will assume that your prep is good, I.E. good shaving soap, brush, good lather.

It sounds like although the edge is sharp enough to remove hair from your arm or leg, it's not refined enough to comfortably remove hair from your face.

Try a thumb nail test (lick your thumb nail, and lightly slide the razors edge across the top of the nail). With a keen edge, the blade should cut into the nail, with out any sensation of getting hung up or feeling jagged. If you feel any courseness in the edge, you might have to spend more time on the barbers hone and strop.

The other issue could be your technique. Even with a razor which I new was shave ready (professionally honed) it took me a few shaves to realise that less pressure was a good thing, and that the angle of the blade made a big difference. Maybe try working with those variables.

The third solution would be to send it out for rehoning. It's possible that your honing is not quite perfect. If you over hone the blade, or don't keep it flat while honing, you may get an edge which cuts hairs, but not comfortably. Check the wiki on this site, it's filled with information which might solve the problem, or at least point you in the right direction.

I hope this helps. Good Luck.

[fccexpert]

I am going to guess you need to hone some more. Have you tried the thumbpad test. This is not perfect, but it is the best test I know for checking the sharpness of a razor. FYI, I regularly sharpen my pocket knife to the point where it will shave hair off of the back of my hand, but if I were to apply the TPT the edge feels as slick as glass; and no, I could not shave with this knife (I wouldn't even try).

One you have honed your razor to the point that the entire edge feels sticky to the TPT, you are ready to strop. Personally I use only the leather on a freshly honed blade. It will probably take 50-100 passes/side to completely polish the edge.

You can, infact, shave with a properly honed blade without stropping, it will, however, feel a little rough (but it will cut the beard).

[ianp1966]

Thanks for the replies chaps

Plenty to think about but first thing i need to get one razor sent away then go from there.

ian

[jonnymy]

+1 to JimmyHAD I sent my 'good' DOVO to Steve Dempster and didn't recognise the edge when it came back!!!! You need a benchmark or you will never know what to aim for IMO. It will save you a lot of fustration for a few £

Johnnymy