What am i doing wrong?

[gpjoe]

Well, I've posted many questions and done some reading, and then made an attempt at SR shaving - it does not seem to be working for me. I've posted much of this in other threads, but will try and briefly recap here:

First razor was a Chinese Titan which I tried to get to shave using the included paste and fabric strop. That didn't work for me as a n00b, not having a reference razor to KNOW if the Titan was actually ready to shave.

Next, I purchased a "shave ready" vintage Boker razor from Ebay (and later found that the seller is a registered member here) and tried a shave. It was a bit better than the Titan but I still didn't get farther than one half of one cheek. It just didn't seem to want to shave.

Both of the above razor seemed to drag terribly across my face, and I finished those shaves with my Feather DX, which required far less effort to cut through my stubble. My DE razors, especially my Timeless, literally glide across my face with far less resistance than either the Boker or Titan.

Last, I picked up two more shave ready razors, one from a member here and the other an antique store razor which the same member graciously agreed to hone for me. Those arrived yesterday. I didn't even try testing those for a keen edge since I don't have a clue about what I'm doing. The member honed them, test shaved with them, touched the edges up, cleaned both and stropped them. The razors arrived ready to shave.

This morning I was very excited to try the two razors which I received yesterday.

As stated, I've been using AC blade shavettes almost exclusively for my every-other-day shaves for over a month. My technique is FAR from perfect, but my confidence is solid.

Of course, today's shave was another failure. I quickly grabbed my Feather DX after starting one cheek with one SR, and switching to the other SR. The Feather easily removed my beard (as I've come to expect) while both of the straight razors struggled to shave. Tugging, dragging, not easily removing my whiskers. After the first few strokes WTG there was still a lot of stubble on my cheek, much more than with any of my DE razors, or my Feather DX.

At this point, I conclude that the problem must be me. Either my expectations are far too high, or I am doing something incorrectly...

...or, I still don't own a true shave ready razor, which I suppose may be the case but feels unlikely. I've gotten three "shave ready" razors, honed by two people that are much more experience than me, one of whom shaved with the razors before sending them to me.

Which leads to my former conclusion, that the problem is...me.

I'm not ready to give up, and desperately want to figure this out, so my options seem to be:

- Identify what I'm doing wrong and fix it.
- Lower my expectations and accept that this is as good as it gets.
- Send one of my razors to a honemeister whose reputation is beyond question, to completely eliminate any doubt (in my mind) that my razor is the culprit.

I know this is long, and if you've read all the way through, thank you. Any guidance offered is greatly appreciated, because if this IS as good as it gets, it ain't that great.

 

[steveclarkus]

Are you stretching your skin?
Are you holding the spine at the spine width or less?
Is your shaving lather wet enough?
Are you using light pressure?
Are you holding your strop tightly and are you stropping with a light stroke?

Shavettes are so sharp that they can cover some sins but the fact that you get decent shaves with one is an indication that you are doing something right.

Learning to use a straight is actually worth it because of the lack of irritation and nicks so don't give up on it just yet. Try the simple things I listed and if that doesn't work, send me a razor and I'll hone it properly for you. You can PM me for my address.

 

[rbscebu]

I will assume that you last three SRs are well and truly shave-ready. That being the case, there are two broad things are are causing your dissatisfaction with your your SR shaving.

1. Your (initial) shaving expectations.
2. Your technique.

First, the edge of a well honed SR will rarely be as keen as a shavette blade. It can be but is rarely achieved, mainly just by luck and using diamond pasted balsa strops. As such, you cannot expect an SR shave to initially match that of a shavette. It took me about a month of daily SR shaves before I was actually enjoying the experience. It wasn't until I was well over three months into daily SR shaving that I was getting reasonably close and comfortable SR shaves. At well over 1,000 daily SR shaves, I am still learning and improving (and loving it).

Why was this so? It was technique. Over those three months, I really working on developing my SR shaving technique that suited my face and shaving style. This included face preparation before lathering, (face) lathering, skin stretching, shave angle and shaving pressure (both perpendicular and tangential to the skin).

You will receive a lot of suggestions on how to improve your SR shaving experience but it all boils down to what is best for you and your face. Succeeding in SR shaving takes concentration, practice, concentration, perseverance, concentration, patience and concentration.

The main thing is to SR shave daily if possible. Try and learn something new with each and every SR shave. It takes time but most get to were they would rather never shave again with with any type of shaving implement.

Now I will let others offer you advice, but remember, that is only what works for them. You need to work out what works for you.

If, after one or two hundred daily SR shave, you would still prefer to shave with another style of shaving implement, then possibly SR shaving is not for you.

 

[silverlifter]

- Identify what I'm doing wrong and fix it.

Follow Steve's advice above; straights demand a different approach and skills, and you have to dial in those basics.

- Lower my expectations and accept that this is as good as it gets.

My first dozen or so shaves with good edges were pretty ordinary. My expectations were too high, and I was wondering why I wasn't getting a BBS result after one, frankly awful, pass.

Recalibrate your approach. Your first 20-odd shaves are about exploring your face, grip, angles, and learning to combine all these with a decent lather and strokes. It's a skill that you have to develop for yourself, and will involve lots of trial and error. Needless to say, error dominates early.

Here's the notes I made myself. They won't transfer to your situation, other than they might give you some indication of the patience and perserverance required. My straight shaves now are better than any DE shave.

Cut myself up in the early teens, by about shave 35 I was getting the hang of it. By 40 I was doing two or three passes (W/X) plus touchups for mostly CCS,
plus some SAS. DFS around 70. Consistent DFS by 100 (2½ passes).

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Some thoughts. And apologies if you're already doing this.

Experiment with the angle. Too low will stick, too high will scrape and drag. When you find the sweet spot, you'll know.

Stretch the skin good and taut.

Don't try to shave with the whole blade at once, use about a third of the length of the blade, whether it's heel, center, or toe. So you're only mowing about a 3/4 inch strip at a time.

Start your motion before the blade touches your skin, not from a dead stop resting on the skin.

Use short, repeated strokes, at least at first.

See if any of that helps. I'd probably start on the cheeks and have the AC handy as backup.

 

[rbscebu]

I found that my biggest improvement in my SR shaving enjoyment was when I discovered how important shave angle was (with appropriate skin stretching). I found that the flatter the shave angle, the better my shaves became. Try it, you might like it.

 

[Loner16]

I honestly wish I could help, but it sounds as though you have razors that are shave ready. It's very difficult to say long range, but it could be your technique.

Watch this gentleman shave... He knows what he is doing!

 

[Herrenberg]

I don't have specific advice, because others have already given great advice on this thread.

I will say: persist. You're in a difficult spot, in which it is clear something is wrong, but not what. Rounding over the edge on the strop? Wrong angle? Lather not right? Persist, and you'll figure it out. Not long after that, you will be enjoying yourself. Not long after that, you may find it hard to imagine going back to shaving any other way. A while later, you will actually get good at it.

The Club of Straight Razor Shavers consists of those who persisted.

 

[gpjoe]

Are you stretching your skin?
Are you holding the spine at the spine width or less?
Is your shaving lather wet enough?
Are you using light pressure?
Are you holding your strop tightly and are you stropping with a light stroke?

Shavettes are so sharp that they can cover some sins but the fact that you get decent shaves with one is an indication that you are doing something right.

Learning to use a straight is actually worth it because of the lack of irritation and nicks so don't give up on it just yet. Try the simple things I listed and if that doesn't work, send me a razor and I'll hone it properly for you. You can PM me for my address.

Maybe I need to focus on stretching more, and my angle. I've applied a bit of pressure only because otherwise the razor seemed to drag to the point of stopping.

I will try to make my lather a bit wetter, though I've been producing very usable lather (with my DE) for over a year, and gotten great results from most, including Stirling, MdC, Razorock, TOBS, Speick, Old Spice, Pinaud, PdP, and others.

I am most definitely NOT giving up.

Thank you for the suggestions, encouragement, and the generous offer of your time - I may take you up on it.

 

[gpjoe]

I will assume that you last three SRs are well and truly shave-ready. That being the case, there are two broad things are are causing your dissatisfaction with your your SR shaving.

1. Your (initial) shaving expectations.
2. Your technique.

First, the edge of a well honed SR will rarely be as keen as a shavette blade. It can be but is rarely achieved, mainly just by luck and using diamond pasted balsa strops. As such, you cannot expect an SR shave to initially match that of a shavette. It took me about a month of daily SR shaves before I was actually enjoying the experience. It wasn't until I was well over three months into daily SR shaving that I was getting reasonably close and comfortable SR shaves. At well over 1,000 daily SR shaves, I am still learning and improving (and loving it).

Why was this so? It was technique. Over those three months, I really working on developing my SR shaving technique that suited my face and shaving style. This included face preparation before lathering, (face) lathering, skin stretching, shave angle and shaving pressure (both perpendicular and tangential to the skin).

You will receive a lot of suggestions on how to improve your SR shaving experience but it all boils down to what is best for you and your face. Succeeding in SR shaving takes concentration, practice, concentration, perseverance, concentration, patience and concentration.

The main thing is to SR shave daily if possible. Try and learn something new with each and every SR shave. It takes time but most get to were they would rather never shave again with with any type of shaving implement.

Now I will let others offer you advice, but remember, that is only what works for them. You need to work out what works for you.

If, after one or two hundred daily SR shave, you would still prefer to shave with another style of shaving implement, then possibly SR shaving is not for you.

Thank you.

 

[gpjoe]

Follow Steve's advice above; straights demand a different approach and skills, and you have to dial in those basics.

My first dozen or so shaves with good edges were pretty ordinary. My expectations were too high, and I was wondering why I wasn't getting a BBS result after one, frankly awful, pass.

Recalibrate your approach. Your first 20-odd shaves are about exploring your face, grip, angles, and learning to combine all these with a decent lather and strokes. It's a skill that you have to develop for yourself, and will involve lots of trial and error. Needless to say, error dominates early.

Here's the notes I made myself. They won't transfer to your situation, other than they might give you some indication of the patience and perserverance required. My straight shaves now are better than any DE shave.

I thought as much. I can't believe it is my equipment, so it must be technique, but I was expecting the same learning curve as DE.

In that case i had no problem removing whiskers immediately, on my first shave. The problem was adjusting my technique to avoid removing skin as well. With the SR, I'm less worried about nicks and irritation (and somehow less intimidated) but not getting the whisker removal I was expecting.

Thank you for the input.

 

[gpjoe]

Some thoughts. And apologies if you're already doing this.

Experiment with the angle. Too low will stick, too high will scrape and drag. When you find the sweet spot, you'll know.

Stretch the skin good and taut.

Don't try to shave with the whole blade at once, use about a third of the length of the blade, whether it's heel, center, or toe. So you're only mowing about a 3/4 inch strip at a time.

Start your motion before the blade touches your skin, not from a dead stop resting on the skin.

Use short, repeated strokes, at least at first.

See if any of that helps. I'd probably start on the cheeks and have the AC handy as backup.

All good stuff. Thanks.

At this rate I'm gonna need a cheat sheet on the bathroom mirror to remember it all.

So far, my first adjustments will be:

- Wetter lather
- Stretch, stretch, stretch
- Shallower angle
- Short strokes

I'm pretty sure my prep is good, wash or wet face with warm water and face lather with a vigorous scrub using a boar or mixed badger/boar.

 

[gpjoe]

I found that my biggest improvement in my SR shaving enjoyment was when I discovered how important shave angle was (with appropriate skin stretching). I found that the flatter the shave angle, the better my shaves became. Try it, you might like it.

This may be my main problem. I think I'm coming in too steep. I need to flatten the razor a bit.

 

[gpjoe]

I honestly wish I could help, but it sounds as though you have razors that are shave ready. It's very difficult to say long range, but it could be your technique.

Watch this gentleman shave... He knows what he is doing!

Thanks. I've watched a number of vids and it amazes me at how effortless it looks. I'm not kidding myself, and realize that many of these guys have thousands of shaves under their belt. It is certainly something to aspire to, and keeps me going.

 

[gpjoe]

I don't have specific advice, because others have already given great advice on this thread.

I will say: persist. You're in a difficult spot, in which it is clear something is wrong, but not what. Rounding over the edge on the strop? Wrong angle? Lather not right? Persist, and you'll figure it out. Not long after that, you will be enjoying yourself. Not long after that, you may find it hard to imagine going back to shaving any other way. A while later, you will actually get good at it.

The Club of Straight Razor Shavers consists of those who persisted.

It is daunting, but that just motivates me.

I'm just glad to have a wealth of knowledge to tap into, and a great bunch of guys willing to help.

Thank you.

 

[gpjoe]

Rounding over the edge on the strop?

Not yet.

The razors I used today were fresh from honing. The instructions were:

Both razors are ready to shave out of the package: honed, cleaned, and stropped.

If I had stropped them, that may have been a factor.

When I do strop, I try my very best to keep the leather taut and the razor flat, apply light pressure, and don't "flick" the razor off the leather at the end of my stroke. I finish the stroke with the razor flat and roll it in its spine for the return.

Still, I am a rookie, so who knows how long before I actually do roll the edge?

 

[steveclarkus]

Thank you.

No problem and I'll be happy to hone a couple of razors for you. In fact, I've had a gap in my stone sequence for the lack of a 3K stone which caused me to spend a lot of time on the 5K so there is a 3K Chosera on the way from Japan right now and I'll be looking for an opportunity to give it a go.

 

[gpjoe]

No problem and I'll be happy to hone a couple of razors for you. In fact, I've had a gap in my stone sequence for the lack of a 3K stone which caused me to spend a lot of time on the 5K so there is a 3K Chosera on the way from Japan right now and I'll be looking for an opportunity to give it a go.

I may be able to abide you.

I'm going to give it a few more shaves over the next week, making adjustments, and see what happens. I'm pretty sure my last two are honed correctly, and plan to use those two for working on my technique, but I suspect the Boker needs work.

I will certainly let you know via PM, and very much appreciate your offer.

 

[steveclarkus]

I may be able to abide you.

I'm going to give it a few more shaves over the next week, making adjustments, and see what happens. I'm pretty sure my last two are honed correctly, and plan to use those two for working on my technique, but I suspect the Boker needs work.

I will certainly let you know via PM, and very much appreciate your offer.

Sounds like a plan. I'm going camping 5/31 for a couple of days but otherwise I'll be home. When I hone a razor, I finish it at 200K so it will be really sharp What size are your razors?

 

[Wombat ESQ]

I honestly wish I could help, but it sounds as though you have razors that are shave ready. It's very difficult to say long range, but it could be your technique.

Watch this gentleman shave... He knows what he is doing!

He doing it wrong !!

I've watched so many old movies and every barber in those old movies holds the razor at a ninety degree angle to the skin, takes one pass up the neck removes the lather hair and all, no grubness left behind at all.