Feels like wasted time

So I have spent a lot of time learning how to hone a razor. Well today it all came together and I had a razor poping hairs off of my arm without touching my skin. So I figured lets take it to the next step and do a shave test. I stropped it and prepared my face. The shave was going very well I did two passes on either side of my face it felt very close and smooth. Then I went to rinse the blade and took my eyes off of the blade for a second and I hear a sound of metal on metal SCRAPING. Yep I hit the blade on the water tap. So after some colorful adjectives left my mouth I cleaned up my face and took a look at the blade and I saw what you see below. To top it off I don't think I needed to do those second passes or at least use the same amount of pressure I had used in the past because it had shaved very close. So I guess its back to the stones and hopefully it will not take the same amount of time as the first time.

Moral of this story If you rinse your blade don't take your eyes off of it. I think I will switch to wiping the blade on a towel.

Ouuuchhhhhh :gaah:...I can almost feel what you went through that exact moment.

I think it's fixable...lesson learned.

Done that once. Once was enough. I learned. Yeah, I feel your pain.

Oh man... you hate to see that happen. Oh well, just another chance to get more time on the hones. A lesson learned for sure though

Cheers

Dave

I had my first straight shave today and whenever I rinsed I was SOOO cautious about rinsing my blade. Even before my blade arrived in the mail today I was having bad thoughts, imagining myself hitting the tap with my razor.

Sorry to see this happened. Take a break then hit the hones!

Actually, the moral of the story is to keep your blade out of the sink entirely. I know lots of people have different methods of clearing lather off the spine but mine is the safest, in my opinion. I wipe the blade off between my thumb and forefinger and then rinse my fingers. I've never had to do any repair on my fingers from accidentally hitting them against the sink.:gaah:

While I feel your pain, realize that you got off lucky. Apparently it was a straight shot that simply compressed the very edge. It didn't bend it and better yet, it didn't crack it.

Now to fix it, I'd recommend back honing first until you no longer feel any resistance as you slide your finger from spine to edge. That is, on the hone you will do the same concept as what stropping is presumed to do--straightening the edge. After that, then you need to simply reset the bevel until the damaged area is gone. This should be a relatively easy fix. Like I said, you got off lucky.

oh come on, just pop open the seal of the next package and keep on shaving :)

and btw honing ducks doesn't count as honing - that can be done with the left foot while scoring goals against brazil with the right foot - ask maximus about that :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

oh come on, just pop open the seal of the next package and keep on shaving :)

---

:rofl2:

It used to be that new guys were frequently advised against expensive blades for this very reason.

Still, it happens. A while back I dropped a Bergischer Lowe. Had a reasonably cushioned landing luckily & just needed a trip back over the hones. My heart was in my throat on its way down though! :D

It is always good to have a backup razor handy for many reasons, I have done the same thing too, luckily it was the spine and side of the razor that made contact. I keep cotton wash cloths handy now when shaving.

I rinse my razors with the edge pointing downwards. Using big blades and small amounts of good lather also help. I only need to rinse three times for each pass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gugi

oh come on, just pop open the seal of the next package and keep on shaving :)

and btw honing ducks doesn't count as honing - that can be done with the left foot while scoring goals against brazil with the right foot - ask maximus about that :)

---

It wasnt one of the ducks, I have been practicing on a razor I got at the flea market.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utopian

Actually, the moral of the story is to keep your blade out of the sink entirely. I know lots of people have different methods of clearing lather off the spine but mine is the safest, in my opinion. I wipe the blade off between my thumb and forefinger and then rinse my fingers. I've never had to do any repair on my fingers from accidentally hitting them against the sink.:gaah:

While I feel your pain, realize that you got off lucky. Apparently it was a straight shot that simply compressed the very edge. It didn't bend it and better yet, it didn't crack it.

Now to fix it, I'd recommend back honing first until you no longer feel any resistance as you slide your finger from spine to edge. That is, on the hone you will do the same concept as what stropping is presumed to do--straightening the edge. After that, then you need to simply reset the bevel until the damaged area is gone. This should be a relatively easy fix. Like I said, you got off lucky.

---

Yes Sir,

Why do I feel like I've just been scolded by the principal

Don't feel too bad. I think, eventually, every straight-razor user does something similar. I know I have. And, sadly, I've done it more than once over the years. You get so comfortable doing something that it becomes routine, then one day your mind wanders a bit, and the next thing you know you've banged up the edge of your razor, or nicked your strop, or cut yourself.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dllandry

It wasnt one of the ducks, I have been practicing on a razor I got at the flea market.

---

At least you'll be more aware in future & it may have saved you damaging a more valuable blade. Get it back on the hones & strive to get it a little better than it was before. :tu

In more than a few threads I read the recommendation to wipe the lather off the blade on a microfiber towel rather than rinse under the tap. This is what professional barbers who shave their customers do; they don't rinse their straight razors off with water during a shave.

I purchased 40 microfiber towels for $14.99 at BJ's (Costco, Price Club & Sam's Club will have similar deals). I use one towel per shave and just toss them in the laundry basket for the next time I wash towels. At the end of my shave, I carefully rinse all the lather from the blade before wiping it dry & oiling it for storage. I feel so much better now that my razor no longer approaches the faucet each time I take a stroke on my face.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

That's a shame...My heart goes out to you and your razor.

I rinse my blade frequently by rinsing it under the bathroom sink tap, but I am VERY careful when doing so and NEVER taking my eyes off of it. I also forgo trying to remove all of the soap/cream from it under the tap and followup the rinse with a quick wipe on a barber's utility towel hanging in my bathroom.

I don't rinse my razor during shaving now. I keep a small hand towel over one shoulder and wipe the lather off after each pass. My motivation was not to avoid the taps, but to keep my hand dry and my grip more secure. I turn the towel end for end so I always have dry spots to wipe foam onto.

I've been shaved by a barber who used a largish paper towel that sat on my chest for this purpose. Wiping the blade was just a quick flick at the end of each stroke for him. I think he clipped the paper to the ends of a light chain that went behind my neck for this purpose. The paper towel went into the wastebasket after each shave.

Cheers,
Ian

There is a huge attraction between the razor and any objuct that will cause traumatic damage to it and as the degree of damage goes up the ratio of the degree of energy needed to cause increasing damage goes down. When you take the eyeball off the razor this attraction becomes unstoppable. This is a well known scientific fact.:)

Gentlemen:

I, too, use microfiber cloth to wipe off the lather during the shave. It's a safe way to go. Still, under no circumstances, do I ever take my eyes off where the blade is when not on my Hollywood face. As you know, the straight razor is sassy and has a mind of its own.

Regards,
Obie

Check out Chimensch's 30 year shave video..

He wipes his blade on a sponge... It's a great idea, and has become part of my routine because it's utterly safe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIM0Coix6Gg

I have been at this a short while but I did kinda the same thing about a week ago. I just "touched" the edge to the faucet. It is a very highly tempered blade and it minutely crumbled the edge. It took an hour to get it back into form. I guess it happens to everyone but the key is not only to watch what you are doing but doing it very slowly!:)


Take Care,
Richard