Thread: sorta lost...help?

ok not sure if this is the best forum to post in, but i kinda have a few mini question....and ill attempt to not make this too long

im on my second razor (first one i had for 3 weeks,sent it out to be honed and usps, did a good job losing it) so now that im shaving a again im noticing that im getting a lot more irritation? but the edge seems to be much sharper. i purchased a used ss TI (thats what my first one was, and i just really like the look of that razor) that was said to already be honed and when i got it i didnt think it was all that sharp so i loaded my felt side of my strop with some chrome ox, and the bevel came through. sidenote: i disinfected it in bleach not know it would react, so thats why i didnt really notice the edge until it was cleaned up.

so now if i accidentally touch my face with the razor im getting lots of small nicks (to me this say its much sharper... is it?) but also im noticing that my shaves arent as smooth as they were with my other TI that wasnt honed....and i dont know where it was honed, the guy i bought it from said it was just recently honed, and it had a layer of grease/oil on it.

so to clarify a bit i guess

1. any ideas why im getting more irritation?/if my blade really is sharp
2.does slightly lacking in focus and nicking the hell out of my face prove its sharp (it feels sharper)....also my leather side of strop is pretty well torn up because of a few sloppy strokes i've cut my leather side up pretty well.
3.any idea why im not getting as good of a shave as before... maybe honed at a wrong angle....

thanks for any input guys

1.Some faces tolerate really really sharp blades better than others; mine does not personally. I prefer a smoother edge myself. Now if this razor was honed up to say a
10k then stropped, it will be sharp, but not as "smooth", as some that are taken to higher grits, then crox, then stropped.

2. Stainless is a hard steel and has to be honed more than standard high carbons, but they do take very sharp edges (thus #1 as well)
3. The previous honer may have used chromeox which is usually around 0.5u in size, I think it makes a keen but smooth feeling edge. The one you have now could have been stropped w/ 0.5u diamond which I find a little toothy on my sensitive face, and I notice I get a bit of irritation if I'm not a little more careful than w/ the chromeox. Then again, it could've been stropped w/ 0.25u diamond which many find "too sharp", leaving a very toothy feeling edge that causes some a lot of irritation and discomfort, I have never used it b/c it would be a waste on me if 0.5u diamond irritates my skin.
4. Knicking your strop over and over will damage that edge to a degree and could be leaving a jagged edge that is too fine to see w/ the naked eye, but not enough to "not" feel it.
Lots of variables here, if the edge tames a bit w/ consecutive shaves, then it's pretty safe to assume it was too sharp for your comfort level, if it doesn't then technique, stropping, beard prep come more into play.

How many shaves have you had on your second razor? That harsh edge may become more muted after a few uses/stropping.

What you describe sounds a lot like how some people describe Feather blades: insanely sharp, but necessarily smooth. That tends to go away gradually, and a lot of guys get better shaves with Feather blades after a couple/few shaves.

Could also be that the first razor you got was not so sharp hence you sent it out. Then you get one that is and still making the same amount of passes out of habit. In other words too many passes. Could be to much angle for a sharper blade. Maybe a pre shave oil would change things for you or more /better face prep. For me, sharp is less irritation as my after shave will tell me right away. Give your face a rest and think about what All is different. It may not be what you first think.

Sorry but lots of irritation+nicks doesn't = a shave ready razor. And the fact that you bleached it, pasted stropped it, and nicked up a strop with it didnt do anything good to the edge.

I think someone should look at the edge under magnification. Maybe it needs honing.

Michael

I don't know but I wipe my razors down with bleach but rinse them off immediately afterwards. I made the mistake of leaving a blade sit in bleach for a period of time and there was a chemical reaction on the metal with that black dormant rust. Maybe the edge was chemically degraded by the bleach?

Bob

I rinse mine in water then wipe them off with toilet paper from the spine toward the edge. I wouldn't let a razor "sit" in anything.

Originally Posted by ace

I rinse mine in water then wipe them off with toilet paper from the spine toward the edge. I wouldn't let a razor "sit" in anything.

I don't either in normal use but I was trying a new way to clean up an old beat razor that I had torn down. Somethings ya learn the hard way.

Bob

Originally Posted by panamapete

. . . i purchased a used ss TI (thats what my first one was, and i just really like the look of that razor) that was said to already be honed and when i got it i didnt think it was all that sharp so i loaded my felt side of my strop with some chrome ox, and the bevel came through. sidenote: i disinfected it in bleach not know it would react, so thats why i didnt really notice the edge until it was cleaned up.

so now if i accidentally touch my face with the razor im getting lots of small nicks (to me this say its much sharper... is it?) but also im noticing that my shaves arent as smooth as they were with my other TI that wasnt honed....and i dont know where it was honed, the guy i bought it from said it was just recently honed, and it had a layer of grease/oil on it.

so to clarify a bit i guess

1. any ideas why im getting more irritation?/if my blade really is sharp
2.does slightly lacking in focus and nicking the hell out of my face prove its sharp (it feels sharper)....also my leather side of strop is pretty well torn up because of a few sloppy strokes i've cut my leather side up pretty well.
3.any idea why im not getting as good of a shave as before... maybe honed at a wrong angle....

thanks for any input guys

First question:

. . . What do you mean, "and the bevel came through." ?

Second question:

. . . How many lap did you give it on the CrOxide strop?

Third question (a test, really):

. . . Take a piece of tissue, hold it against the blade, and try to cut it in half
. . . with very little pressure on the edge.

If the razor cuts cleanly and evenly, it may be sharp.

If it cuts roughly, grabbing at the tissue, the edge may be damaged (or the bevel may not be set).

If it doesn't cut at all, the edge may be dull.

Next test:

. . . Hold your forearm over a light-colored countertop, or clean sink.

. . . Put the razor on the back of your forearm, as though you were going to shave your arm hair off. The blade should be at a proper shaving angle to the skin.

. . . Lift the razor off the skin about 1/8".

. . . S l o w l y move the razor parallel to the skin, as though you were shaving, but keeping the
. . . blade just above the skin.

If you feel the razor catching hair, and you see cut hair falling off, the razor is probably sharp.

If it's not catching hair, it's dull.

A fact:

. . . If you look at a really, really sharp blade (e.g., a Feather), and say "This blade will
. . . cut me if I use any pressure at all!"

. . . and then you shave carefully with it,

. . . . your face will not be cut up and irritated.

So it's possible that

(a) your razor is not sharp, OR:

(b) it's possible that your razor is sharp, but you're using too much pressure while shaving.

If your previous blade was dull, and you shaved with it anyway, you might have gotten into the habit of using pressure on the edge. In which case, (b) is a good bet.

. charles

Originally Posted by BobH

I don't know but I wipe my razors down with bleach but rinse them off immediately afterwards. I made the mistake of leaving a blade sit in bleach for a period of time and there was a chemical reaction on the metal with that black dormant rust. Maybe the edge was chemically degraded by the bleach?

Bob

DO NOT USE BLEACH ON STAINLESS!!! I have worked in the swimming pool industry for over 30 years, and we use a lot of stainless steel around pools. There is some steel in stainless steel. What makes it stainless is the nickel that is added to the steel. When you expose stainless to a low pH product, such as bleach, it will bring out the carbon from the steel and stain it black. It can be removed, but it is very difficult. I'm not an expert by any means on straight razors, but my thought process says the bleach ruined the edge.