I need to slow down or change

Today I picked up my King Cutter and the first stroke on the strop left a scratch. What the hell? I looked closely at the edge and saw a tiny glint at one point. Couple of more strokes and two more scratches.

I got out the 40x loop and saw a very small chip. How in the hell did that happen?

I set the razor down and grabbed my other Boker. I was now in a hurry. Just as I was finishing up and went to rinse the blade I bumped the edge on the faucet. I couldn't see any damage so I finished the shave then looked with the loop. Sure enough there was a small dimple in the edge.

I remember being in a hurry two days ago when I last used the King. So I need to slow down or use a different method of wiping off the lather.

Two blades to touch up this weekend. Sigh.

sounds like fun ive never dinged my edge on the sink yet lol hoopefully it will come right out.

You deffinatly need to slow down, If you are rushing a straight shave it will most likely always go wrong in various stages. The last thing you want is damaged razors and such. Pick up a DE or something on those rushed mornings. I stick to my rule always and forever. If I dont have the time and patience for my straight, then I dont even bother. I go with my DE :)

To avoid those mishaps I shave in the evening. Makes the bs of the day a little less important. Nothing like being relaxed to get a good night's sleep.

It seems no matter how careful you try to be mishaps occur. The worst I ever had was after shaving with my Livi-Takeda a few years ago I put the razor propped open on the counter and as I was putting the shave soap away the container was smooth metal and my hands were wet and the thing flew out of my grasp like it was jet propelled and targeted right for the razor knocking it against a porcelain shave mug edge first. The entire edge was full of small nicks. It took a long time getting those out.

If you hang your washcloth over the facuet when shaving you can avoid this :) and still rinse and warm the edge..

I also shave in the evening so that I have plenty of time and never rush the fun. :)

That's why I don't rinse. That would happen to me. I'm always hurrying in the am. Who isn't?

Michael

Rinsing a straight razor is inviting trouble in your life. A simple wash cloth to wipe the blade is all you need.

Total agreement with the no-rinse method. As a person who nicked a blade, minimizing movement with the blade was key, especially as a new user. The other thing is when I am not using the blade: when making foam, cleaning my face, after stropping, pre-shave prep etc., I close the blade and open it only when I am ready to shave. Hope this helps.

Well, I couldn't leave it till the weekend. I took the King Cutter to the Norton 4k. It took about 200 circles to get the chip out. Then 100 of various strokes and shifted to the 8k.

At that point I was pretty happy with the edge, so I thought I would try the Cnat again. This time I made a slurry and after about 50 strokes it seemed I was going backwards again. But I didn't give up this time and did 50 with half the slurry gone and then 50 more with no slurry. 100 on the strop and HHT4!!

Looking forward to the shave in the morning. I don't have to get up early tomorrow as I'm doing startup and training at a customer only 5 miles from my house and I don't have to be there till 10.

So I can take my time and find out if the edge is really good or not.

The 45 minutes I spent on the hones also relieved the stress I built up while chewing out my son for missing classes today. Double score!

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Originally Posted by Speedster

I also shave in the evening so that I have plenty of time and never rush the fun. :)

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I did this on Monday and was still good on Tuesday. I may start doing this regularly.

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Originally Posted by Crotalus

I did this on Monday and was still good on Tuesday. I may start doing this regularly.

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Amen to that. I stopped morning shaves a few years back and don't miss them at all! Plus you get the added bonus of drinking a beer during the shave in the evening if it takes your fancy!

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Originally Posted by Speedster

I also shave in the evening so that I have plenty of time and never rush the fun. :)

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I shaved at night when I first started with a straight. It is great to be able to relax and take lots of time. But I missed my morning shave - shaving in the morning just improves the whole day for me so I've gone back to mostly morning shaves and I get up a little earlier to make a little more time.

In this shaving video, he is using a sponge in the sink to wipe the blade. It looks very safe.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ing-video.html

I'm a sponge user thanks to chimensch - love it.

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Originally Posted by Sasquatch

Amen to that. I stopped morning shaves a few years back and don't miss them at all! Plus you get the added bonus of drinking a beer during the shave in the evening if it takes your fancy!

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Actually, I did have a drink. Not beer, El Presidente Margarita. _Really_ helped me slow down.

I find the evenings a great time too. Lot's of time for relaxation and I can be more focused. Years ago when I worked construction I used to shave in the evening all the time. If you shave in the AM, your sweat during the day can really cause problems.

I've tried to fool proof my shaving area. I also use it to wash out my Pyrex coffee makers. So I really live in fear morning and evening. What I've found works, so far, is the rolls of rubberized mesh that's designed for kitchen drawers and shelves. I have small pieces cut to fit strategic spots on and in the sink. Easy to use and clean. Yes I also use it in the kitchen sink too.

What I did was change out the faucet to a taller one that also swivels out of the way. It was about a $35 investment.