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Blade vacuum?
- Thread starter HMan
- Start date
you might want to add a bit more water to your lather. you need maximum slickness with a straight. you also may be going just a bit to shallow with your angle. the spine should be close to your face but not touching. maybe a couple mm above.
Edit: And stretch your skin like crazy!
Edit: And stretch your skin like crazy!
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
I think this covers it for now!
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
Most of us do make faces! That guard bar (or even OC teeth) helps stretch and flatten the area as well, but the open blades (except the Feather SS style perhaps) have no such helps...they’re the old school, do it yourself, uphill both ways in the snow razors.
HMan
Doften Savant
And that’s the way we like it!Most of us do make faces! That guard bar (or even OC teeth) helps stretch and flatten the area as well, but the open blades (except the Feather SS style perhaps) have no such helps...they’re the old school, do it yourself, uphill both ways in the snow razors.
HMan
Doften Savant
The tips worked a charm today guys thanks!
The slow and easy approach is working well for me, and I’m really starting to enjoy learning how to shave with a straight.
Today I opened the angle up quite a bit, I was really hugging the spine to my face. Using a little more water in the lather and the overhead grip skin stretch. I managed to do two full WTG passes on both sides of my face. This is with the classic two fingers on the tang and ring finger on the tail grip, switching hands right and left.
The most difficult bit today was using the heel end of the blade near my lips, especially on the right side, I had a problem finding an angle that would let me see what was going on, my hand was blocking the view. That shouldn’t take long to work out.
Surprisingly I think I’m doing better with my left hand than my right.
The slow and easy approach is working well for me, and I’m really starting to enjoy learning how to shave with a straight.
Today I opened the angle up quite a bit, I was really hugging the spine to my face. Using a little more water in the lather and the overhead grip skin stretch. I managed to do two full WTG passes on both sides of my face. This is with the classic two fingers on the tang and ring finger on the tail grip, switching hands right and left.
The most difficult bit today was using the heel end of the blade near my lips, especially on the right side, I had a problem finding an angle that would let me see what was going on, my hand was blocking the view. That shouldn’t take long to work out.
Surprisingly I think I’m doing better with my left hand than my right.
Good to hear! and on the left vs right thing i had the same phenomena. i can only guess it is because we are giving it a bit more thought since it is the off hand. but keep it up because it is nice being able to swap hands to get better angles for sure
HMan
Doften Savant
I took a few days off using the straight since we took a road trip up to see an old friend in Orangevale and I didn’t want to make it all about straight razor shaving. Turns out he’d gotten one himself recently and was having some trouble too. Lol.
Anyway each shave gets a little bolder, I ventured into the neck are today and got my first weepers, no big deal.
One thing for sure is, using a straight seems to negate any slickness a soap may have for me at this stage. Going from the straight to a DE is night and day in perceived slickness for the same lather.
I’m having some issues now with the blade catching on my whiskers, especially around the chin, which I couldn’t mange to shave today and in general there’s skipping going on. This makes seeing our resident expert shavers more amazing with their long strokes.
I actually wound up finishing the first pass with a DE and then going back on the 2nd pass to hit the areas where the blade was catching with much more success.
Everything about using a straight is a learning curve, even the simple looking act of using the strope. I managed to take a little chunk out of it today. But at least the blade seems sharp and passed the cutting paper test with flying colors.
Anyway each shave gets a little bolder, I ventured into the neck are today and got my first weepers, no big deal.
One thing for sure is, using a straight seems to negate any slickness a soap may have for me at this stage. Going from the straight to a DE is night and day in perceived slickness for the same lather.
I’m having some issues now with the blade catching on my whiskers, especially around the chin, which I couldn’t mange to shave today and in general there’s skipping going on. This makes seeing our resident expert shavers more amazing with their long strokes.
I actually wound up finishing the first pass with a DE and then going back on the 2nd pass to hit the areas where the blade was catching with much more success.
Everything about using a straight is a learning curve, even the simple looking act of using the strope. I managed to take a little chunk out of it today.
But at least the blade seems sharp and passed the cutting paper test with flying colors.
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Glad to see you are making progress with the SRs and sorry to hear about the strop. Pretty sure we all do that at least a few times in the beginning and even later on by forgetting to pay proper attention.
I'd probably avoid paper testing a razor edge much. I have heard that even with knives that is pretty harsh on the edge. I still do it with knives anyway but I avoid it with my razors just in case.
I'd probably avoid paper testing a razor edge much. I have heard that even with knives that is pretty harsh on the edge. I still do it with knives anyway but I avoid it with my razors just in case.
Paper can be hard on an edge depending on the type of paper. Most recycled papers and things like magazines and newsprint have a lot of fillers in them including clay. The clay is mildly abrasive. A good knife it shouldn't really hurt much more than anything else you are cutting, but the very fine edge of a straight can take much more damage due to it being so thin.
If the blade is catching your whiskers, it is possibly getting dull. Could be from paper testing, could be from cutting your strop, (ouch by the way...) could be from slightly rolling the edge during stropping, or some combination of any of the above. They are pretty fragile from the combination of being a hard steel and very very thin.
Also, something to consider, it could be lack of pre-shave hydration in the whiskers or the extended time taken to shave letting your soap/whiskers dry too much. Personally, unless I shave after a shower, most razors will tug for me. My face and whiskers are pretty dry naturally, so I need more pre-shave moisture. I notice it more with a straight and had issues with my face and lather drying even after a shower when I took more time to shave when learning to use a straight.
If the blade is catching your whiskers, it is possibly getting dull. Could be from paper testing, could be from cutting your strop, (ouch by the way...) could be from slightly rolling the edge during stropping, or some combination of any of the above. They are pretty fragile from the combination of being a hard steel and very very thin.
Also, something to consider, it could be lack of pre-shave hydration in the whiskers or the extended time taken to shave letting your soap/whiskers dry too much. Personally, unless I shave after a shower, most razors will tug for me. My face and whiskers are pretty dry naturally, so I need more pre-shave moisture. I notice it more with a straight and had issues with my face and lather drying even after a shower when I took more time to shave when learning to use a straight.
HMan
Doften Savant
Thanks guys for the advice. I only did the one paper test, after feeling the blade catching, to see if it was obviously dull. I’ll avoid it in the future.
@ShawnF what do you mean by “rolling the edge during stropping”?
You’re right about the hydration, I always shave after a shower, but the prep time is a lot more getting set up with the straight.
@ShawnF what do you mean by “rolling the edge during stropping”?
You’re right about the hydration, I always shave after a shower, but the prep time is a lot more getting set up with the straight.
GearNoir
“The Disney Princess’s Apprentice”
When stropping, folks learning will sometimes damage the very fine edges of their razors with improper stropping technique. It is very easy to damage the edge/or deform it if you apply too much pressure when stropping or let the edge touch the strop before the spine is down, etc. Rolling the edge is just what it sounds like, the edge starts to curve instead of remaining straight. It is not always noticeable until too late.
Pretty much what Chris said. A good way to tell is like Kyle mentioned with a different sound, or to very gently run your fingernail off the edge and see if it catches on one side. Do this by starting on the blade and going from a spine to edge direction. If you have a roll there is a good chance your nail will catch ever so slightly as you reach the apex of the edge.
As far as prep, I always do my stropping etc... before my shower. That way all I need to do is grab the brush from the soaking bowl, make my lather and go. Some people it doesn't make a difference for and something like a hot towel soak is enough for them. For me personally, I need all the extra hydration I can get.
As far as prep, I always do my stropping etc... before my shower. That way all I need to do is grab the brush from the soaking bowl, make my lather and go. Some people it doesn't make a difference for and something like a hot towel soak is enough for them. For me personally, I need all the extra hydration I can get.
HMan
Doften Savant
Thankfully, the edge seems to be in working order. I've done a fair amount of mechanical stuff in my life and tend to be as careful as I can taking care of things.
Another question. I'm having some trouble with the left side of my neck, due to limited elbow mobility in my left arm. (Osteoarthritis, I fell too many times in my skateboarding days.)
I've tried shaving the left side with my right hand, but boy does it feel like I have a fraction of the pressure control or general finesse. So I maybe get a half stroke in before I balk.
Any advice on getting better control shaving the opposite side?
Another question. I'm having some trouble with the left side of my neck, due to limited elbow mobility in my left arm. (Osteoarthritis, I fell too many times in my skateboarding days.)
I've tried shaving the left side with my right hand, but boy does it feel like I have a fraction of the pressure control or general finesse. So I maybe get a half stroke in before I balk.
Any advice on getting better control shaving the opposite side?
When I was beginning I used a DE shavette or AC style shavette and I was killing my face. Several hours of practice with each one with no blade in it really helped me learn pressure control.
Actually just read this thread. There is some really good stuff in here. My problem with the times I tried a straight is the face stretching. I absolutely suck at it. My face is a bit leaner now than it was so maybe the angles are different. I just need to give it a go!