Similar results: uncoated carbon steel DE razor blades and carbon steel straight razors

[chuckd]

I've been shaving with carbon steel straight razors sporadically for a few years but always had less than perfect results with the mustache/upper lip and chin area. Recently, I ended up shaving with a new production blued, uncoated carbon steel blade in a DE and achieved the same results as with the SR: perfect, irritation-free shave on the cheeks, jawline, and neck, but the same problems on the mustache and chin area - plus a lot of pulling/tugging. In contrast, I always get a close shave with coated carbon or stainless DE blades.

So I used to think that my less than perfect results with the straight razor were due to user error - but now I am not so sure. What are your thoughts and suggestions? Thanks in advance...

 

[ajduplessis]

Either technique or dull blades, I am leaning towards the later. Does the SR treetop effortlessly across the entire blade lenght?

 

[RumpleBearskin]

I've been using carbon steel straights almost daily for about two years. DEs for about 6 years before that. I get BBS (or very near BBS) all over almost every time. No pulling. No tugging. No irritation. My results with a straight are consistently better than a PTFE coated stainless SE blade (GEM Persona) or even a platinum coated stainless DE blade (Astra SP).

IMHO it's not the steel or the coating. Technique and/or prep is my usual guess.

 

[chuckd]

Either technique or dull blades, I am leaning towards the later. Does the SR treetop effortlessly across the entire blade lenght?

Thanks, I will try the treetop test next time.

 

[chuckd]

Either technique or dull blades, I am leaning towards the later. Does the SR treetop effortlessly across the entire blade lenght?

Thanks, I will try the treetop test next time.

I've been using carbon steel straights almost daily for about two years. DEs for about 6 years before that. I get BBS (or very near BBS) all over almost every time. No pulling. No tugging. No irritation. My results with a straight are consistently better than a PTFE coated stainless SE blade (GEM Persona) or even a platinum coated stainless DE blade (Astra SP).

IMHO it's not the steel or the coating. Technique and/or prep is my usual guess.

Thanks. With 7 years using the DE, I had never experienced pulling or tugging until I tried this uncoated blade, which was why I thought of it. There goes my theory.

 

[steveclarkus]

I have only carbon steel straights and they shave beautifully. I believe yours are not homed sharp enough.

 

[MO1]

Yeah dull blades. You'd be surprised how much better a straight razor edge can be, and very noticeably so.

 

[Slash McCoy]

What they said. Very likely your edge could be sharper. As for technique, try putting more effort into stretching the skin and watch your shave angle. One spine thickness is enough gap for a reasonably sharp razor. At one and a half spine thicknesses, you are leaving the shaving zone and entering the scraping zone.

Are you doing your own honing? Spend a couple weeks reading the Newbie Honing Compendium. It's not just for newbies, actually. Straight off your finishing stone or film, you could run the pasted balsa progression and have an edge that simply can't be surpassed by any other means. The balsa progression won't work unless you already have a nice 12k or 1u edge but it will take that good edge and make it into something special.

Chin can be tough going true WTG which is usually N-S. Try instead going WTG on the front and underneath the chin, and to the point of the chin E-W or W-E to get that last bit. This gives you a more gentle curve to follow than the N-S contour at the point of the chin. Under the nose can be tough. Pull your nose up hard in a piggy face and use very light pressure as you follow the underside of your nose with the spine of the razor. Then mash it to the right to get under the left corner, and vice versa. If you just got to have it dead smooth you will probably need to make multiple passes. Go two passes WTG and then a third careful pass ATG. Remember, they call it the Fool's Pass for a reason. Be careful there. I use my off hand to hold the nose of the razor and sort of nod my head while holding the razor between lip and nose. This increases control on this sometimes tricky pass. That is when I am going for a super close shave. My normal everyday shave is just a single WTG pass with a Method edge and usually gives me quite a good shave, just not true BBS all over. So you might want to just be satisfied to have less than BBS on upper lip. Honestly, nobody will notice.

 

[KW Driver]

I’ve used stainless and carbon SE blades in the same Gem. I got the same results, excepting the care the carbon blade needed post shave for longevity. Carbon and stainless straights yield the same results assuming there’s a good edge on both for me.

my vote’s honing/stropping/technique. Assuming you used the same DE and techniques with the various blades.... maybe the carbon blade oxidized the edge and/or it had a differing thickness/bevel angle. that assumes the carbon blade to be vintage.

 

[ShaverAZ]

I hone all my straights myself and find that the carbon steel hone easier & can be stropped more than corresponding stainless blades.
For DE, I recently got a vintage Gillette Thin carbon steel blade. First 2 shaves were VG, but it lost its' edge by the 3rd. I read of others honing DE's, and didn't place much stock in it, but tried anyway. Stropping a carbon steel DE blade actually works (stropping stainless DE doesn't). After stropping, the DE blade was smoother than the first shave, and 4 more stroppings restored the blade edge to better than new for the next subsequent 4 shaves.
I just rec'd some Treet Black Beauty blades. First 2 shaves were smooth, close and irritation free, but it's not regarded as nearly as sharp as most other stainless DE blades. I stropped it after todays' shave, dressed it with blade oil and will try it out tomorrow to see if it surpasses the original first shave.
Carbon steel blades can oxidize rapidly after stropping, so I use a blade oil I make myself, to prevent any corrosion.

 

[chuckd]

What they said. Very likely your edge could be sharper. As for technique, try putting more effort into stretching the skin and watch your shave angle. One spine thickness is enough gap for a reasonably sharp razor. At one and a half spine thicknesses, you are leaving the shaving zone and entering the scraping zone.

Are you doing your own honing? Spend a couple weeks reading the Newbie Honing Compendium. It's not just for newbies, actually. Straight off your finishing stone or film, you could run the pasted balsa progression and have an edge that simply can't be surpassed by any other means. The balsa progression won't work unless you already have a nice 12k or 1u edge but it will take that good edge and make it into something special.

Chin can be tough going true WTG which is usually N-S. Try instead going WTG on the front and underneath the chin, and to the point of the chin E-W or W-E to get that last bit. This gives you a more gentle curve to follow than the N-S contour at the point of the chin. Under the nose can be tough. Pull your nose up hard in a piggy face and use very light pressure as you follow the underside of your nose with the spine of the razor. Then mash it to the right to get under the left corner, and vice versa. If you just got to have it dead smooth you will probably need to make multiple passes. Go two passes WTG and then a third careful pass ATG. Remember, they call it the Fool's Pass for a reason. Be careful there. I use my off hand to hold the nose of the razor and sort of nod my head while holding the razor between lip and nose. This increases control on this sometimes tricky pass. That is when I am going for a super close shave. My normal everyday shave is just a single WTG pass with a Method edge and usually gives me quite a good shave, just not true BBS all over. So you might want to just be satisfied to have less than BBS on upper lip. Honestly, nobody will notice.

Thanks for the chin and under nose tips! I'll try this out. I get a close shave on the rest of my face, so I'm optimistic.

 

[godek]

so I use a blade oil I make myself, to prevent any corrosion.

Would you care to share the recipe?

br
godek

 

[ShaverAZ]

Would you care to share the recipe?

br
godek

3 Parts Camellia Seed Oil to 1 part Anhydrous Lanolin. It's an old recipe my Grandfather used at his Dad's Iron Foundry, where he worked summers as a patternmaker. Wooden patterns required sharp chisels, and after honing the blade oil was used to prevent oxidation on the carbon steel chisel edges. Grandpa and about everyone else also used the blade oil on their straight razors.