just seems to be getting worse :(

only my 4th shave, but seems to be getting worse. Theres just more and more tugging. And this time i had a great lather with better soap and used pre shave oil.

I strop before and after shaving and it SEEMS to be good technique. Ive watched videos. Listened to the sound bit of what it should sound like and what it shouldnt sound like and mine seems to sound good. I dont put much pressure on the blade at all. Only thing i could think to do is sit there for 20mins stropping the stinking thing

I shave every other day... maybe i should try every day?

The angle of your blade may be to steep or even though you think the stropping is OK, in fact you may be rolling the edge. The stropping after the shave is really not necessary IMO.
Don't let it defeat you.

You may also want to look at the member map, i see there are a few members within 20-200 miles of you.

Sorry if you've already answered this, but what is your setup like? what razor are you using... did you get it honed by a pro (if so, how long ago, and did you strop it before using it)?

this info will help us find answers for you.

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Originally Posted by prezdead

only my 4th shave, but seems to be getting worse. Theres just more and more tugging. And this time i had a great lather with better soap and used pre shave oil.

I strop before and after shaving and it SEEMS to be good technique. Ive watched videos. Listened to the sound bit of what it should sound like and what it shouldnt sound like and mine seems to sound good. I dont put much pressure on the blade at all. Only thing i could think to do is sit there for 20mins stropping the stinking thing

I shave every other day... maybe i should try every day?

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Hmm many variables here, you may have rolled the edge when stropping, presuming that your razor was shave ready when you actually got it.

It took me ages to get it right but the key is sharpness of your razor , followed by stropping skill , shave prep and your actual technique.
I'd suggest contacting one of the honemeisters on here , sending your Razor for honing then shaving with it as soon as you get it back prior to stropping it.

Shaving every other day shouldn't affect, a properly sharp razor has whistled through a weeks worth of stubble on my face and I have a beard like steel wool.
Hope this helps.

my razor is a Dovo from SRD so it was shave ready and i just got it like a week and a half ago.

Will stropping on the webbing side help straighten the razor out if it did get rolled alittle?? Or am i screwed...

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Originally Posted by prezdead

my razor is a Dovo from SRD so it was shave ready and i just got it like a week and a half ago.

Will stropping on the webbing side help straighten the razor out if it did get rolled alittle?? Or am i screwed...

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As far as I know you can't correct a rolled edge with linen or leather. I do think some good advice in here would be to send a few PMs to members in your area to see if they'd be willing to help you out in person. At the very least they can assess your razor to find out where the problem might lie.

Another option would be to send it to the nearest honemeister. They could look at it and test it out for you; if it shaves then the problem is probably technique. If it doesn't shave they would be able to sharpen the razor and then you know that the edge could have been rolled or dulled somehow.

Finally, if you have the means, make a video of yourself shaving a few strokes and we can see if there are any glaring issues with technique.

To answer the question in your original post, I think it would be wise to continue waiting a day between shaves -- not so much for the razor but rather to let your skin heal, especially when starting out.

it may be that you dulled your blade at bad starter angles
i do 50/50 linen leather but it took months before my stropping improved the edge
if you got syntetic fabric the sound of a sharp razor is easy to hear IMHO

i realice i didnt actually give any advice here but after this bottle who would blame me

Don't give up. It sounds to me you may have rolled your blade's edge. Not a big deal, but don't shave with that until you get it honed. Rolling a razor's edge is all too easy in the hands of a New Guy. Stropping is a fine tuned art that took me some time to acquire. A lot more time than getting my shaving technique down. I may suggest practicing stropping with a butter knife. Also focus your attention on the spine of the razor instead of the edge when flipping/rolling the razor up and down the strop. I saw this post the other night, perhaps it can help. If the razor tugs and pulls on your face, put it down. it will beat you everytime. Check this out: http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...tml#post585772

I think I know what will help you get the edge back quickly and it will always be a great handy tool for you. A 4 sided pasted strop 3.0/1.0/.50 CromOx on three sides.

I bought this early on when I started straight shaving and it bailed me out a few times when I didn't strop my blade properly and it started tugging during the shave. Each of my razors can go anywhere from 3 - 10 shaves before they need some passes on the pasted strop to fine tune its edge to meet my preference.

The duller the edge, the greater the technique needs to be to get a good shave.

I hope this helps you out a bit and I do recall sharing the same experience with the purchase of my first razor.

Pabster

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Originally Posted by Pabster

I think I know what will help you get the edge back quickly and it will always be a great handy tool for you. A 4 sided pasted strop 3.0/1.0/.50 CromOx on three sides.
Pabster

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Where would I get one of those and about how much do they run?

And what does everyone else think on that? Would that be a good choice?:confused:

I bought mine from Tony Miller and I think it all came to $85. He does great work and this thing will last a lifetime. I still consider it my best purchase of all the straight razors, soaps, and brushes I have purchased. It is at the center of maintaining all of my razors. My leather strop can only do so much in maintaining the edge I prefer and that is when I get out this paddle strop. Example, one razor can go 6 shaves with just leather stropping, then it needs 5 - 10 passes on the
.50 Chrom Ox or if the razor has a lot of time on it, say 70 shaves, then 10 passes on the 1.0 and 10 and .50.

It will also extend the time between stone honings as it is a light honing tool. You know its time for a stone honing when you can still get the edge sharp, but the shave is harsh. A sign that the bevel needs to be reestablished by a stone honing.

Good Luck,

Pabster

This is why something that seems so simple, such as stropping, is indeed tough for a beginner and also leads to dulled edges and frustration. Muscle through it, friend, it gets better when you learn stropping.

It's not tough. It's not instinctual either.

I would find it necessary to hone. However since you are not prepared perhaps locating some high magnification would help inform you of what is there.

I think an edge can be harmed by aggressive shave angles, not mentioning a number of possible unobserved actions in a new experience.

I believe we could assemble a large group of members who, at first, may only get a week's use before things break down.

Don't feel bad about it. I suggest using what you have a few more times. Let your face heal, even if you feel everything is fine in that regard.

You can easily produce a paddle strop like object. All edges return again to honing.

I would put my guess on poor stropping. You shouldn't be stropping for 20 minutes... 20-40 laps. Maybe 3 minutes.

If you rolled the edge (or just out and out dulled it) you'll need to have it honed. Good stropping doesn't fix bad stropping, but bad stropping will ruin a good edge. In the future, pay attention to stropping properly and your edge will last a lot longer.

In the end, it's just a simple mistake that can easily be corrected. But learning good technique now is paramount as you'll start to develop muscle memory. :gl:

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In the future, pay attention to stropping properly and your edge will last a lot longer.

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... i was paying attention to it...maybe that was the problem though..idk

also does anyone else have the prob with their strop twisting at the top.
Attachment 41657
Whenever im stropping, where the hook thing on the strop swivels, it ALWAYS twists around and REALLY is starting to tick me off. I was holding just the leather strop but that caused the webbed one to swing back an forth which didnt help. So i now hold both. But it still twists to the right

Quote:

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Originally Posted by prezdead

Whenever im stropping, where the hook thing on the strop swivels, it ALWAYS twists around and REALLY is starting to tick me off. I was holding just the leather strop but that caused the webbed one to swing back an forth which didnt help. So i now hold both. But it still twists to the right

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Try using the hook on the strop to attach to the hook on the wall -- meaning don't use the ring on the strop. That will help prevent it from swiveling.

I usually get the strop hook so that it's perpendicular to the strop (if that makes sense) and hold it firm and it doesn't swivel. It took me a while to really figure it out.

Might have to modify it as the clasp hook won't fit over the hook on the wall