So much rash... and stubble too

[njtnjt]

I just started with a straight this week. I am into my 4th shave. I have not cut myself nor had any blood - but I have managed to give myself some really good razor rash. How is this possible when i still have a lot of stubble on my face? I could understand the rash if the whiskers are gone but it seems a mean trick to have a case of rash and still have stubble for my trouble

When I first started shaving 35 years ago I do remember having razor rash but at least I had a clean shave for my effort. I must be gifted somehow

But I'd like to understand what I am doing wrong. I am going very gently with a light touch which is why I have not cut myself. I am lathering diligently with Cella, doing a nice hot cloth prep, etc.

Can someone explain this phenomenon to me please?

 

[hillbilly]

Could be lots of things. Lets start with your gear. What razor are you using and who honed it? the fact that your new and it did not cut you up could mean it needs honing lol.

 

[BillC]

Assuming all of your prep is stuff you've used before so the irritation is from the shave and not an allergy, I'd guess one or both of a razor that's not sharp or too steep an angle with the blade. If you 'float' the blade above the skin on your forearm does it cut hair with no tugs?

 

[njtnjt]

Could be lots of things. Lets start with your gear. What razor are you using and who honed it? the fact that your new and it did not cut you up could mean it needs honing lol.

The razor is a Torrey. It is round on both ends and there is a bit of a smile to the blade overall. I got it with a poor mans strop kit from Whipped Dog. From everything I have heard Larry knows what he is doing hone-wise and sent me a sharp blade. I'm going to test the razor on my arm per BillC's instructions and report back.

 

[njtnjt]

Assuming all of your prep is stuff you've used before so the irritation is from the shave and not an allergy, I'd guess one or both of a razor that's not sharp or too steep an angle with the blade. If you 'float' the blade above the skin on your forearm does it cut hair with no tugs?

Hi BillC,
I floated the razor above the skin and through the hair on my forearm. It didn't cut any of the hair. I think I'd have to angle the blade down into the skin to get the hair to cut. I bought the razor, a Torrey, from Whipped Dog. It came last week. I have been stropping it using his poor mans strop laying on a table. I am trying to be gentle with the stropping but guess I may have dulled the blade with poor technique. I am laying the razor flat and gliding it spine first up, then turning over on the spine and gliding it back 30 or 40 times before and after each shave. I use just enough pressure to keep the razor moving and am doing it in an X pattern as the strop is too narrow to cover the entire blade. He also sent me a balsa wood paddle with some red and green abrasives - but I have not used those yet. I understand they come into play after I have quite a few shaves on the razor. But perhaps the razor needs a touch up on them if I have dulled it??

 

[BillC]

If it won't cut arm hair it sounds like it's not sharp enough. I'd give the balsa a try to see if you can bring the edge back

 

[njtnjt]

If it won't cut arm hair it sounds like it's not sharp enough. I'd give the balsa a try to see if you can bring the edge back

So is the idea to only use enough pressure on the balsa to keep the razor moving?

 

[noahpictures]

So is the idea to only use enough pressure on the balsa to keep the razor moving?

I'd say yes. Light pressure at a moderate to fast pace would be my choice.

 

[Attila]

I myself dulled my blades with bad stropping technique. It's very easy for a beginner to use too much pressure and/or to dig the edge in a bit thereby dulling a sharp blade.

 

[jred]

Did you have rash & stubble the first time you used it? If it's gotten worse, you probably are dulling it. I'd say go over the instructions with the balsa & use that to try & bring it back.

 

[njtnjt]

Yes, I went at it with the balsa, then 40 passes on the leather. It is a bit sharper now but i don't think it's sharp enough yet. I am having some trouble with the strop as it is sticky, the razor does not glide on it so I think that is maybe one reason I am using too much pressure - it is hard to pull the blade along. I worked a little neats foot oil into it when I got it last Thursday, then worked it with the palm of my hand and the bottom of a coffee cup. It got a bit smoother and slicker but is still not as hard and fast as I think it should be. I am not trying to make excuses for what is probably my poor technique. It is one thing to read how to do things on the web and quite another to put them into practice. I don't have a good feel for sharpening this razor yet.

I will try another 40 or 50 passes on the leather tonight and see what happens. The razor does not pass the hht test, nor does it cut the hair on my arm when I float the balde along it above the skin. I will try letting up on the pressure some more and see if that helps. Thanks for all the help!

 

[njtnjt]

Well... I gave it the best I had in me tonight but the blade refuses to get any sharper by just stroping on leather. Perhaps I should try the balsa again tomorrow and see if I can get a better edge that way.

 

[njtnjt]

I sent my Torrey out to be touched up by HillBilly. I want an expert to look at it and tell me how sharp they think it is before I do any more trial and error sharpening on it. In the meantime I got a very nice Bengal which I did a partial shave with this morning. It was far and away easire for me to use and working better than the Torrey. It is a larger and heavier razor which was easier for me to manipulate and shave with. It was also sharper and did not tug nearly at all. HillBilly said he would send me a nice full hollow to try as he looks over the Torrey. I feel like I am on my way now.

 

[temjeito]

I had a very similar thing happen to me when I started (last month). I got a shave-ready straight from the BST, and promptly ruined the edge by stropping poorly. I also have the poor mans strop, and have found that pulling it tight enough and not having it twist is difficult but essential. My third razor was a whipped dog, and it was beautifully sharp and smooth.

 

[njtnjt]

I had a very similar thing happen to me when I started (last month). I got a shave-ready straight from the BST, and promptly ruined the edge by stropping poorly. I also have the poor mans strop, and have found that pulling it tight enough and not having it twist is difficult but essential. My third razor was a whipped dog, and it was beautifully sharp and smooth.

I now have my whipped dog strop laying flat on a counter top - my technique was really poor trying to hold the strop straight with one hand while trying not to be tense and push the razor down into the leather with the other. So baby steps for me - I concentrated on just using the weight of the razor and little more as I pulled it back and forth across the strop this morning. It worked out much better for me concentrating on one thing at a time. I think I have seen to many western movies where it looks like the barber is just slapping the strop with the razor. I had no idea how gently I really needed to go until I dulled my first straight on the strop. Today's razor stayed really sharp after stropping - success

 

[Attila]

Don't think you are alone in this by any means. Many of us have dulled a great professional edge by poor stropping technique!!

 

[Bird_Flu]

Don't think you are alone in this by any means. Many of us have dulled a great professional edge by poor stropping technique!!

X2!! It's amazing how quickly you can screw up an edge, or cut a strop, with bad stropping technique. Putting the stop on the counter is an excellent first step to learning the motions. I think Seraphim also had a video up about how to strop on newspaper which might help you as well to learn how to hold and tighten the strop.

 

[njtnjt]

X2!! It's amazing how quickly you can screw up an edge, or cut a strop, with bad stropping technique. Putting the stop on the counter is an excellent first step to learning the motions. I think Seraphim also had a video up about how to strop on newspaper which might help you as well to learn how to hold and tighten the strop.

I stropped again today and kept the edge - so I figure I am in forward motion on the learning curve. I am just letting the weight of the razor do the work. I had been putting my thumb on top of the shank thinking a little pressure would "help" make it sharper

Hillbilly has the razor I dulled and has brought the edge back on it. Can't wait to try it out - though I don't think I will keep that razor, (a Torrey) as I don't like the grind as much as this Bengal I am now using.

Thank you all for the help - this is a great place to learn. I got a pretty amazing shave this morning and I am only 5 or 6 shaves into the journey. I really like how I can vary the angle of the straight to get a closer shave on the problem areas. I also like how I can get the blade in under my nose to get that area where the beard is heavy for me. I am still working on the chin - but I did a decent job today as I get a little more confident with angles and feel of the razor. So far so good.

The next big hurdle will be the pasted strop -

 

[Bird_Flu]

I stropped again today and kept the edge - so I figure I am in forward motion on the learning curve. I am just letting the weight of the razor do the work. I had been putting my thumb on top of the shank thinking a little pressure would "help" make it sharper

Hillbilly has the razor I dulled and has brought the edge back on it. Can't wait to try it out - though I don't think I will keep that razor, (a Torrey) as I don't like the grind as much as this Bengal I am now using.

Thank you all for the help - this is a great place to learn. I got a pretty amazing shave this morning and I am only 5 or 6 shaves into the journey. I really like how I can vary the angle of the straight to get a closer shave on the problem areas. I also like how I can get the blade in under my nose to get that area where the beard is heavy for me. I am still working on the chin - but I did a decent job today as I get a little more confident with angles and feel of the razor. So far so good.

The next big hurdle will be the pasted strop -

Sounds like you're making great progress. It's a lot of skills to learn all at once when you dive into straight razor shaving. Can you take a picture of the front of your Torrey? If it's like the one I have it's probably a near wedge. Some guys like those others don't, I love my Torrey, but wedge type razors aren't for everyone. There's little to no audible feedback so it's tough to know when you're actually shaving with one.

 

[njtnjt]

Sounds like you're making great progress. It's a lot of skills to learn all at once when you dive into straight razor shaving. Can you take a picture of the front of your Torrey? If it's like the one I have it's probably a near wedge. Some guys like those others don't, I love my Torrey, but wedge type razors aren't for everyone. There's little to no audible feedback so it's tough to know when you're actually shaving with one.

Hillbilly has my razor right now. He touched it up for me as I ruined the edge stropping it. The Torrey blade is a "smiling" blade. I will photograph it and put it on the BST board when I get it back. I am really liking this Bengal I am using which is a bigger, heavier razor and the edge is straight instead of smiling. Hillbilly is also sending me a big wedge to check out for a few weeks. What a great guy I need to find the grind I like in a straight and then start buying them all up Actually - I just would like to have 3 - if I can hold myself to that many.

So I will take a pic of the Torrey and post here when I get her back.