What am I doing Wrong?

[withoutink]

I have a 1920's Shumate #222 Straight. It was cleaned up and honed (shave ready) by Leighton. I have a Filly Strop and have been stropping the razor before and after each shave.

When I shave with the straight, the razor does cut hairs/stubble -- but it kind of hurts. I guess I would say that if feels like its pulling the hairs out, not so much cutting them. I am prepping with a nice warm lather with quality soap. I am stretching the skin as best as I can. I think I am holding the razor right around 30 degrees. Is there something I am missing? I suspect its not supposed to feel like this. Maybe another way to explain it would be: shaving dry with a crappy cartridge razor.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[NoFair]

It sounds as it isn't quite sharp enough. I'm not an experienced straight shaver though (weekends only)

This is how mine feels when the edge is a bit off. Especially on my chin..

 

[Bacchus]

Try lowering your angle, start with the spine right against your face and increase the angle until it's shaving smoothly

 

[leighton]

What I've found is that the edges I'm putting on my blades now are much sharper than what I used to. I had to rethink my shaving strategy and use a really low angle. Otherwise, the razor burn would be brutal. ATG, I shave spine to skin. WTG, I go 15-20 degrees.

I've also found that short strokes and either a scything motion or guillotine motion really helps. But for the razor burn, the lower angle is absolutely necessary. Took me about 2 weeks to finally give up and drop the razor.

Bacchus' advice is spot on. btw.

 

[Fnord5]

It sounds as it isn't quite sharp enough. I'm not an experienced straight shaver though (weekends only)

This is how mine feels when the edge is a bit off. Especially on my chin..

Trust me, Leighton ships blades out that are sharp.
Darn near too sharp.

I have a 1920's Shumate #222 Straight. It was cleaned up and honed (shave ready) by Leighton. I have a Filly Strop and have been stropping the razor before and after each shave.

When I shave with the straight, the razor does cut hairs/stubble -- but it kind of hurts. I guess I would say that if feels like its pulling the hairs out, not so much cutting them. I am prepping with a nice warm lather with quality soap. I am stretching the skin as best as I can. I think I am holding the razor right around 30 degrees. Is there something I am missing? I suspect its not supposed to feel like this. Maybe another way to explain it would be: shaving dry with a crappy cartridge razor.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Lay that blade on your face. Spine touching.
If your blade is half as sharp as either of the two I just got back from Leighton, 30* is like using a hatchet to remove a fly from a friends forehead.
I would say start out with the spine touching, and if you "need" to raise it up a little, no more than one spine width from your skin.
And with sharp blades, use short strokes, if you try and do your cheek in one long pass, you are bound to run into some problems.

 

[BEAR DEN]

I don't know how long you have been str8 razor shaving. Here are some things I experienced in the last 8-9 months.
-lots of crummy shaves (really took alot of practice and patience. I'm not that type of guy so I have eaten some humble pie.) Pride probably kept me going because the shaves wern't.
-It still amazes me how different steels, brands of razors feel against my skin even though they are all shave ready. This is something that str8 razor shaver needs to find out for themselves. (YMMV)
-Proper stropping technique has helped me out alot. Again dammit no one was going to tell me that I wasn't stropping correctly...I ruined 2 strops with that sort of thinking. (maybe all you need to do is strop a little more on your linen or cotton before taking it to the leather).
-take your time, DON'T give up, put up with some crummy shaves and you will be rewarded unbeliveably great shaves. That's how it worked for me. YMMV...

 

[huracan]

Like everybody, I agree stropping and blade angle are the biggest factors when you know the blade is shave ready.

The stropping motion is simple enough, but making sure the blade is perfectly flat and not torquing it while it travels is not quite so easy.

As for the shaving angle, 30 degrees is probably more a guideline than a rule, I don't think I have used that much with any of the blades I have tried.

 

[The Mick]

practice, cut. practice, burn. practice, smooth shave. practice, cut ect...

 

[mrbeckett]

I recently started shaving with an Elliot staright after shaving with one of those "Magic" straights that uses half of a de blade since march. Therefore I'm obviously no expert, however I noticed something similar to this and thought I'd chime in and maybe get some insight as well. In my case, the painful "pulling" sensation went away once I actually increased the angle slightly other than that I changed nothing, I was already scything ad guillotining because I have a very tough beard and those methods help alot. It really seams like I was using too shallow an angle origionally because now I'm getting irritation free, near bbs shaves. Any possibility that could be the problem?

 

[withoutink]

Thanks guys, I know the razor is sharp thats not the question. Just need to know what was missing. Apparently the degree I was holding the blade. Amazingly enough Ive shaved about 5 or so times with the straight and have cut myself less than with my DE's. My real only complaint was the tugging.

I too have found getting used to the strop takes a bit of practice. I try and keep it flat and as close to zero pressure as I can get. When do you recommend hitting it with the paste thats on the back of the Filly?

Thanks for all the help =) Trust me I really enjoy the time I spend with the straight and have no intentions of stopping.

 

[mdunn]

you wont need the paste for a few months really, think of it as a really high grit hone.

Just keep aware of your angle and pressure, and with a little practice you'll be all over it

 

[withoutink]

Thanks! I suspect only need to do a few strokes on the paste then?

 

[mdunn]

Thanks! I suspect only need to do a few strokes on the paste then?

yeah, when it starts to dull a little give it like 10-15 laps and a good stropping and it should be much better, if not give it another 10-15 and youll be pretty again.

 

[withoutink]

Much appreciated =)

 

[withoutink]

As suggested I reduced the degree of the straight and it worked much much better. Only a little tugging at the lip and chin, but those are sort of awkward anyway. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

 

[SiBurning]

Is it tugging everywhere, or only in some places? I always get some amount of tugging on my cheeks, and a little on my neck, but none anywhere else. I think it's because I'm using a long stretch of the blade at the same time. Taking shorter strokes, and moving the blade in an arc or at an angle reduces the tugging. In some places, I don't quite go WTG because of this, but instead try to find the angle that's most comfortable.

 

[leighton]

As suggested I reduced the degree of the straight and it worked much much better. Only a little tugging at the lip and chin, but those are sort of awkward anyway. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Enjoy my friend! Welcome to the (dark?) path towards SRAD.

 

[Rick Sparks]

Pardon me for tagging a kind of off-topic question, but what is meant by "guillotining"?

 

[r0ckrat]

A guillotine had an angled blade, to slice the target. So I would assume that "guillotining" means using the blade at an angle to the stroke, rather than perpendicular to the stroke.

Like this:

 

[Fnord5]

A guillotine had an angled blade, to slice the target. So I would assume that "guillotining" means using the blade at an angle to the stroke, rather than perpendicular to the stroke.

Like this:

Yup.
Scything is the same thing, but with a slide to right or left at the same time.