I have been working my way up to full str8 shaving and just realized I can't get my str8 to stay shave comfortable for an entire NS pass. By the time I'm 3/4 of the way through, she starts tugging, skipping and pulling. Today I got left with some bumps on my neck. I actually have had one decent shave this week when I mixed some coconut oil in with some GFT cream. I am using a vintage Wilbert 6/8ths which I purchased on ebay and arrived "shave ready". It indeed started out shaving smooth when I first started just on one quadrant per shave for a couple weeks. Everything was fine just stropping on leather, then once on linen then leather. As soon as I progressed to the 3rd qudrant, she started to tug. I touched up on a yellow coticule thinking maybe it was just not quite bevel set right, but she passes all tests after honing (TPT, TNT, HHT), then starts out nice and smooth, then, right on que: tug, skip, pull, rash. I tried stropping mid shave, but it doesn't help much, besides that's no way to run an airline. Any ideas? Could it just be this thing can't hold an edge?
Relative newcomer having trouble keeping an edge.
- Thread starter flyman
- Start date
So, you have a lot of things going on, but the one thing that I suspect you will be told by a lot of people here is to start with a confirmed, known, shave-ready razor. I mean a razor that has been honed by someone whose work you know to be reliable - not a pot luck 'shave-ready' special on EBay. That will be your benchmark. Why not send it out to get honed properly?
The TNT can actually degrade an edge; you don't want to do that past the ~bevel-setting stage. Also, if the bevel is not set right, a touch up is not going to fix it. Anyway, I defer to the more experienced honespeoplepersons around here, but I think you'd do well to start out with something of a known commodity. Good luck with it.
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Honemeister
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Could be the steel isn't up to the task or that your bevel angle is too acute.
- Thread starter
- #4
I think that is a good idea to get a known shave ready razor from a known seller for comparison as a benchmark. I fell a bit silly for not thinking of that in the first place. Thanks for the tip.
Not silly at all. You should be able to get your razor honed up fairly quickly for reasonable $$.
Hi there
I did exactly this. I got a shave ready Dovo from Steve at The Invisible Edge. This is my gold standard, everything else has to measure up to it!
Roy
If you want to get a shave ready razor from a trusted seller and not break the bank, take a look at Whippeddog. Larry puts a real nice edge on a razor.
My best guess is that the metal is compromised by rust, isn't quality metal to begin with. I have had a few razors that were rust pitted that took good edges, but lost them quickly. They acted in many ways like soft metal.
Out of curiosity, what grind is the razor?
Out of curiosity, what grind is the razor?
- Thread starter
- #9
It's a full hollow. Maybe not the best grind for my tough beard from what I've read. By recommendation I took a look at Whipped Dog. Your prices are very good. Any recommendations?
I know you didn't mean anything by asking me for a recommendation from my site. But, this forum isn't the place for me to sell things. It somewhat tarnishes the trust we have in each other if we have to worry about vendors' comments directing readers to their products.
I am very glad to help you though. And, there are other vendors on this forum just as willing and able to help. I hope you understand.
- Thread starter
- #11
Not a problem. I meant to ask you, as someone experienced with str8's, if you have any recommendations with respect to what I should do about my problem. I did not intend my comment to be interpreted as an offer to buy. If I am interested in any offerings on your website, I will contact you via the proper channels. Sorry about the mix-up.
What direction are you shaving on the 3rd quadrant? Is it WTG, XTG, or ATG? It might be worth verifying this again. If I accidentally go ATG on the first pass, even on my sharpest razor, I will get all kinds of pulling and skipping, especially if my angle is too steep.
- Thread starter
- #13
Interesting question because I just assumed N-S is wtg. However, upon further review, in that quadrant, my beard actually grows E-W! So, I have been shaving XTG in the 3rd. Not nearly as radical as ATG, but not WTG either.
I have to change directions 180 degrees when I go below the adam's apple if I want to stay with WTG. Anyway, play around to find the direction and have some fun with it.
