Thread: Third shave not so good

My first shave went surprisingly well. Only a little nick under my nose. The blade seemed to tug a little from time to time but when I adjusted my angle all was well. My second shave was good, not as good as the first though. The blade seemed to tug more whether I adjusted my angle or not. Then my third shave... I made one WTG pass, which was surprisingly close although uncomfortable from the constant tugging.

I thought perhaps it was my lather but I cleaned up with my DE and the lather was excellent so I'm ruling that out.

I'm thinking it is my stropping technique. However, would proper stropping bring this blade back to life? Or does it need to be sent out to be rehoned. I bought it supposedly honed by a honemeister but it did struggle to pass the HHT out of the box (before I ever stropped it).

If it does need honing, or even just refinishing, I do have my grandfathers old barbers hone, would now be a time to try to bring the blade back myself?

Try extensive stropping first before you try honing. Always work in the direction of least damage to most damage. Be careful if you decide to hone. Study up on the stroke before you try anything.

Strop on a flat surface like a table. Add a touch of pressure, then return to using no pressure.

Chances are good that you just are not stropping effectively enough and you've begun to see the edge degradation as each shave damages the edge.

Have you noticed any change in the blades 'keen-ness"?
Does is still struggle just as much to pass the same HHT or more??

If the blades edge has been degraded through some stropping mishaps ect then you may need to just touch it up.

Before you go to a hone and potentially do more damage than good, try a few other options first.

If you have a pasted strop, try that. If not, use some newspaper on a FLAT surface like the edge of a table and strop a few laps (5 at a time) on that. After the newspaper, strop on leather around 100 times using LIGHT pressure. Go slow, and make sure the blade stays flat and the spine doesn't lift off the leather.

Then try the blade, if it's still not working out do another 5 or so laps on newspaper. After a few repetitions of this cycle, you should notice an improvement in the blade. If not, then I would touch up the blade.

Some pics of your barbers hone would help, but you should be able to do a few laps on that just to bring the edge back as long as it hasn't been damaged.

After you use the barbers hone, do 60 - 100 laps on leather before you shave with it again.

Hope this helps, I'm reading what I just wrote and it sounds a bit 'rambly'.

Good luck! I'm sure you're about to get a whole lot more advice on this question

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

. . . Always work in the direction of least damage to most damage. . .

That's a really, really good general rule.

Use paste when you're _sure_ that canvas and leather won't restore the edge's keenness.

Use the finest hone you have after you're sure that paste doesn't work.

And so on . . .

. . . Charles

Thank you all for the advice.

AFDavis11 I found your video on stropping and it has probably saved me months worth of trial and error.

I slowed down my stropping method and realized I was curling my wrist after the razor flip causing uneven pressure/contact. I practiced the movements of the razor flip and tried it on some newspaper, about five laps, then hit the leather. The blade felt much better, but still not what it was.

I have a second strop arriving tomorrow (I hope) and some paste I may try if another go at the news paper doesn't bring it back to life.