Techique

[Solemnsaint]

Okay so I have used straights exclusively for 2 months now so I'm at the point where I know enough to see that I know very little. I now have mostly blood free shaves, and I have even worked up to 2 pass shaves. But I ALWAYS bleed on the second pass. Can any experienced str8ers give me some hints on the fine points of straight shaving? Like finger position, hand trade-offs, pressure, soaps that do/dont work, and angle review. Or maybe even sounds. I know I love VERY sharp spikes because it is a real challenge and the danger is fun.

Also, Ilike using a wedge, but what are some of the percieved advantages/disadvantages to wedges? Thanks.
-Mike

 

[professorchaos]

I'd tell you how I shave, but it wouldn't do you any good. So I won't. What I will say is that you should be open to trying new ways to shave. Although I was getting very good shaves with a straight after a month or so, it took me close to a year to get where I am today. What's more, I am still improving, albeit at a slower rate.

 

[joshmpdx]

When you say youre bleeding one the second pass, what do you mean?

if it's nicks and cuts, i would say focus on each stroke and know when and where the end of your stroke is going to stop.

if its vicious razor burn, make sure your razor is shave ready and failing that consider your stropping technique. what is your stropping method?

 

[valmara1971]

Glad to hear your still enjoying the journey Mikey.

 

[dpmtherrien]

if it's nicks and cuts, i would say focus on each stroke and know when and where the end of your stroke is going to stop.



Good point here. I'm new to straights too and this is helpful.

 

[professorchaos]

Oh, one thing I'd add to my earlier (largely unhelpful) post is to use the shallowest angle possible. You want it just steep enough to engage the stubble and no more. In my case this means the steepest angle on the WTG pass, somewhat less on the XTG pass and as shallow as possible on the ATG pass.

Spike points are fun, aren't they?

 

[Luc]

+1 on Josh/Henry comments!

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Bleeding on the second pass is telling me that your angle and/or pressure is wrong. Different razors also sometimes have different prime cutting angles.

I'd recommend laying the blade flat against your face and giving it a try. Most likely, this isn't going to be your prime cutting angle, but adjust from there in small increments to find what you're looking for.

Personally, on my first pass, the angle I use is not much more than a spine width away from my face. This pass, for me, is a combination of WTG and XTG.

On my second pass, however, the razor's spine is just barely off my skin. This pass, again, for me, is a combination of XTG and ATG. In some areas, ATG for me is having the spine virtually touching my face, especially in tough areas like my chin and lip area.

If your razor is undoubtedly shaving sharp, you won't need to use much pressure at all for it to cut correctly. There are some areas where I need to apply a little pressure, but by no means should it be uncomfortable. I've taken to holding the razor with my index and middle finger on the tang and my ring finger on the tail. That grip helps me to use as little pressure as I can.

All that said, if you do these things and are still having a hard time cutting hairs in a tough area, odds are that your blade is not as sharp as it should be.

 

[leighton]

Bleed? You mean weepers? If you nick yourself, thats all your fault. Sorry, no other way to put it.

If your getting weepers, its because the razor is super sharp and your using too high of an angle. The blade is pulling the hairs little and causing blood to come out of the pores. Solution: lower the angle. Should also mention weepers are only a problem with ATG passes, so if your getting them WTG, I don't know whats wrong. Not sure about XTG, don't think weepers are a big problem.

 

[Solemnsaint]

Fellas! I just read all your posts. I think that I may have just drawn light on one of the problems I am having. My neck area has always had weeping poors. So I believe that I am going ATG on part of my neck and am keeping the angle too high. The rest of the blood is from cuts. I am sure that the reasons for this include my pressure. I have been working on stropping technique. I started out doing more damage then good but have mostly resolved this... I think. I start on the canvas. I pull the blade across the surface and apply just a couple of pounds of pressure. The entire surface gets coverage. When I hear the sound deepen I know that the spine has left the surface and it is scraping the canvas. I also keep strong pressure pulling on the strop so that the strop is perfectly flat. I finish on the smooth leather side. And I do 20-50 passes on each side of the strop. I do notice that the low blade angle often causes lots of pulling and a little pain. Also the blade sometimes catches and stops... this usually results in a good nick. What do you make of all this?
I have gotton into a specific pattern and I rarely deviate. Maybe I should experiment more. Lastly I use 3 different blades consistantly. Two wedges and one full ground. Would that effect anything?

And Mic, thanks for the encouragement. I actually do smile after every shave even when I'm bleeding pretty bad. Almost heightens the fun. I dont plan on quiting, ever. I love this stuff!