A week in...

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by redorchestra, Feb 4, 2008.

  1. redorchestra

    redorchestra New Member

    So I am a week into my first time with a straight. I have only nicked myself slightly. I bled more when I started into DEs. I am getting better at the strop. I can cut a hair after fifty trips on the strop, but my face is so red and sore when I finish. I have been pouring on the witch hazel.

    My shaves have been getting better, but I still need to finish up with a DE pass.

    Here is my question and my humble opinion, and I hope someone can tell me fo'sho.
    I have moderatly thick beard. By that I mean, I get a 3 o'clock shadow.
    Do I need to restrop between passes. I feel like I get great passes on my cheeks, but by the time I get to my chin I can't cut the hair any more.
    I feel like I need a bigger blade, by that I mean a wedge or a 1/4 hollow.


    For background info the blade is a Wade and Butcher Special, and it was honed by Lynn Abrams.
     
  2. IsaacRN

    IsaacRN Active Member

    No pressure with the blade. That might relieve some of the redness and soreness. Just be mindful of blade angle. You shouldnt need to restrop in a shave. Might be that you rolled your edge with the strop. Just take your stroping nice and slow.
     
  3. Padron

    Padron Active Member

    Well said Isaac :D,

    I would also try to insure that your prep is good, use plenty of hot water and try to soften the beard as best you can...letting the hot lather sit a couple minutes on the growth prior to shaving will help too.

    Hot towels also work nicely ;)
     
  4. IsaacRN

    IsaacRN Active Member

    +1 to what Neale said

    I have been reading that you want Warm and not Hot water on your face. The Hot tends to wash away the oils on your face. Or so ive been reading....i usually use hot myself
     
  5. Reformation Student

    Reformation Student New Member

    A less hollow grind might work better on a thicker beard but a properly keen razor should cut just the same.

    There has been much debate about mid shave stropping. My experience is that it doesn't help. What I would focus more on is making sure my prep is very thorough. Something that I find helpful is to splash very warm water onto my face in between each pass. It helps to keep the whiskers soft and helps keep the face lubricated for the next pass.

    You should also use a very light touch. Hold the blade lightly enough that your and just acts as a stabilizing factor. Use short strokes and keep the point a little more forward than the heel. This helps to slice the hair instead of mowing it down and does help.

    Probably the most critical thing to do is analyze your stropping. Make sure you use just the weight of the blade and no more. Make sure the blade remains flat at all times and, if using a hanging strop, make sure your strop is pulled taught. A little too much bend in the strop could cause the edge to fold. Take it slow and be aware of what the blade is doing on the strop. Speed will develop naturally in time.

    Keep at it. The learning curve can take several months but the reward is more than worth it.
     
  6. redorchestra

    redorchestra New Member

    So the second week is finished. I took two days off. One for Lunar New Year, and of course I don't shave on Sunday.
    I have been consistently improving everyday. My face isn't sore anymore and my strokes are getting more confident.
    I got the best, closest shave I think I will ever manage. I did my third pass ATG, which I have never attempted with a DE.
    I am still having trouble with my chin and neck, but I have trouble with a DE too.

    I think what I wasn't doing well enough was stretching. Still not perfect, but I am getting better.

    I watched Sweeney Todd last night to try and get some tips. Nothing there. I saw him strop his blade at a right angle to the strop! :eek: The older Movie "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" had some great shave shots though.
     
  7. Reformation Student

    Reformation Student New Member

    Please don't take tips from Sweeney Todd, many of the people he attempted to shave got cut so bad they died from bleeding :happy102

    Way to go on the improvements! I'm in my 2nd year of using a straight and I still have trouble with under my chin and neck. Be sure you know the direction of the hair growth. I had gone most of the year thinking my hair grew in a certain pattern and re-examined that under the chin area and found out that I was wrong. I changed my shave pattern there and get a much closer and more comfortable shave now.

    Keep striving for comfortable shaves right now and don't worry about getting perfectly smooth. Finish with the DE (if you do) as long as you need to. Eventually, you will use the DE less and less.
     

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