Thread: How dull can you make a razor by shaving with too much pressure?

No reason to. Sham is also very good as is Glen.

Originally Posted by Alethephant

I'm not getting the closeness of shave I should be using WTG and XTG passes, even on the cheeks.

Either I'm not getting the razor sharp enough, or I'm using the wrong angles or pressure, or the BBS with a straight razor is a myth.

Before the straight razor, I used a Gillette Sensor with two passes WTG and one under the chin ATG. This gave a very close shave with a 2-blade safety razor.

Now I use the straight razor WTG & XTG, but then follow with a double-edge safety razor WTG and then under the chin ATG. This results in a close shave.

I know the straight razor is removing hair, because the double-edge shave picks up very little comparatively.

So far I've been concentrating on getting the straight razor sharp enough. Now I'm wondering if the remaining problem is my shaving technique. I've tried to be diligent about the 20-30 degree angle and the lightest pressure, but this hasn't solved the problem.

What I have noticed is that the razor no longer passes the HHT after shaving. Is this typical? Or am I dulling the razor by bad technique?

I am late to this -- lots of good info has already been passed.

You might reverse things and use the straight to tidy up after a single
pass with your DE.

And yes a razor gets dull in the process of shaving. In most cases
it is fully refreshed with a visit to canvas and leather strops.

If it is not getting fully refreshed try lowering the angle when shaving and or
adding a pasted strop (sub micron abrasive)... to the process.

The key questions center on if the razor is good to shave sharp (no HHT stuff)
after stropping and if the razor is having trouble lasting a full shave.

Barbers had no problem with stropping a razor in the middle of a shave.
Barbers would also have a row of razors to select from as needed.

I often go "presidential" and use a couple razors for a shave. I got in
the habit when learning to hone of laying out the newly honed and
stropped razor with a backup or two. In the process I discovered that
my chin likes a fresh edge and no mater how sharp the first razor was
the comfort of a second blade for that last final bit of chin was
important to me.

And yes a BBS is a myth. NO man with whiskers has a face
as smooth as a baby's behind.... having said this a good smooth
shave is still possible. In the end it is whiskers .vs. steel and
the open blade of a straight razor is still steel .vs. whiskers.

The advantage of a straight is also a disadvantage. A straight is
the most 'adjustable' of all the razors. You can adjust the
sharpness and smoothness on hones and strops. You can adjust
the angle any way you want.... with skill you can get a delux
shave from a straight. The crux of it is that while learning
a lot of shaves will be suboptimal.

Since you get good shaves from a DE take advantage of it
and set it out with your str8 (team work). You can tidy up the
hard bits with the DE and shave the easy bits with the str8.
With practice things will reverse (did for me) you will find that
one day you reach for the str8 to tidy up after the DE.

IMO, Bottom line there is no magic in any razor..... and
there are no shortcuts that I know of (yet).

And... "latherin" is key. Take a full three min getting your
face and lather ready no mater what blade you select. Use
one of those little sand egg timers so you do not short change
yourself on this critical step.

Lynn is the Man for sure. Like he says "his blades are sweet" . And they is yep. Good luck mate and keep us posted on the progress.

Don't listen to that man behind the curtain!!! BBS IS NOT A MYTH

My $0.02:

1. I haven't used the 6k Icebear, but I'd recommend getting either a Norton 4/8k or a dedicated bevel-setting stone in the 1-3k range.

2. Choose a razor that tests "flat" with the marker test, then work on your honing progression with just that one until you're getting good shaves out of it.

Agreed BBS is not a myth at all. We watched Lynn restore a razor at the Mid Mo Meet and by the time he finished and honed it up it would give a BBS shave. He was gracious enough to allow us to shave with any of his razors at the meet and his Mastro Livi's are certainly BBS sharp and comfortable!!!

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

And yes a BBS is a myth. NO man with whiskers has a face
as smooth as a baby's behind....

I stand corrected, sir, as you are quite right.... there is no way I could get my face as smooth as my 17 month old son's bottom

Seriously though, in the realm of wet shaving the so-called "BBS" shave is entirely possible with practice and experience. A beginner will obsess about having the skill to achieve BBS every shave - until you get it down pat and then only shoot for BBS on special occasions

It's just the way it goes...

Honestly though I don't expect or require a BBS shave every time I shave. Most of the time it feels and looks just fine without that close a shave.

Today I conducted a final experiment. I used my "Sunday" razor, a Dozo Astrale, which I've honed the sharpest I can. After stropping, it cut hairs anywhere along its length without having to drag the hair. I think this is what 'shave ready' means.

I then tried to use all the advice for a close shave: Extra care on lather (except I wasn't using my best soap), tension while shaving and only light pressure. I shaved WTG, XTG and ATG in some places. I used a different, duller (in terms of the HHT) razor on the left side. Then I rinsed my face and felt my face.

I have to say that the right side with the sharpest razor was about as clean as I have obtained before with the safety razor (WTG twice and ATG under the chin). The left side was noticeably worse. Also, shaving with the sharp razor was a real pleasure, as it seemed difficult to cut myself, even around and over the chin, under the lip and around the mouth (both WTG and ATG).

After shaving, I tested the Dovo again with the HHT. It clearly wasn't as sharp as when I started. It still cut hairs, but I had to drag the hair once or twice before it cut. It wasn't effortless as it was in the beginning.

So (duh!):

1) Keeping skin taut makes a closer shave.
2) Having a very sharp razor is the sine qua non for shaving.
3) A razor dulls during shaving, more if you do it wrong.

Not too much surprise here, except in 3), which was the reason I started this thread. Just as you can dull a blade by improper stropping, you can dull one by improper shaving.

Now that I'm confident that 1) Yes, you can easily get a close shave with a SE alone, and 2) I know I can hone/strop a razor sharp enough, and 3) shaving can dull a razor, then I will continue by sharpening my razors to the same degree of the HHT result as it was here, and I will try to minimize the pressure I use during shaving.

The hardest part of shaving appears to be maintaining an angle, as this seems to have to vary around the mouth.

Thanks for all the feedback, which helped me focus and what appeared to be the right issues. I'll keep you updated as I develop more empirical evidence.

Good deal I'm glad it worked out well for you. Believe me we all have gone through something similar when we started with a straight. One thing some people do especially those with dense stiff beards is halfway through the shave they strop the razor just a few strokes to bring it back to the condition it was when they started.