Thread: Questions about my shaving!

Alright heres the situation, please bare with me on the explanation my first razor chipped on the sink(dovo special) so i got it honed out by Lynn(thanks!) and while i was waiting for it to come back i decided to buy another one to have as a guide to what was shave ready.
1st shave was with my new razor(dovo bismark) since it was shave ready (by Lynn) i dint strop it and decided to shave with it, now when i shaved with it , it pulled right away and i adjusted the angle,it was better but still pulled and i shaved the sideburn areas and finished up with my mach3. I figured it was my prep that was the cause of this, because i had taken a quick shower and dint really soak my beard for the right amount of time/exfoliate ect. Once my original Dovo (special) came back i was ready to shave again ,but i had been stropping with the bismarck to practice so when i was ready to shave i used the bismarck with proper prep, and it still pulled , but was better then the first time. Now halfway i switched to my newly rehoned Dovo ( to feel the difference) and it was better but still pulled a little and i figured it was my angle. Now sorry for the long explanation but i was thinking that in learning with the Bismarck to strop i might have rolled the edge, and now it has been a little dulled, and thats why i feel the pulling or its because of my angles. I never do the hht because it works sometimes and doesnt but it does cut hair off my arm with ease, i guess im wondering if i can send it not to be rehoned but checked to see if i rolled it or not, that way i would know what the problem, also to see if my stropping is on par,i would hate to roll the Dovo special too. Again sorry for the long explanation just wondering what i should do?

Doesnt sound to me like your ever going to get a Str8 shave if you keep sending the razors off for re-honing. All beginners will get pulling I believe, I know I did, then as you go a long you will start to get your stropping, prep, mapping, stretching, angle and pressure down and everthing will come together. It also seemed to me that my freshly honed blades were a little rougher at first until they had a few shaves and stropping sessions on them. IMO the best thing is to start out with a pro-honed razor as you have, I know if I hadnt I would of blamed my razor for all sorts of my problems in the beginning. Knowing that is was honed by Lynn took that out of the equation so I could focus on my real problems, me and my technique. Take your time on the strop, it took me about 2 months till I was getting decently proficient, still not perfect, but I have come a long way, as you will. Make sure to pull the strop tight, but dont rip it off the wall, concentrate on the spine not the edge, and go slow it is not a race. If you concentrate on the spine you may lift the edge, but that wont hurt anything you just dont count that lap, if you raise the spine you are in trouble. I think you will find that if you just relax, the pulling will subside, as will irritation when you develop the proper skills but it will take some time, how much depends on you. Good luck and enjoy the journey as RichMondesi would say.

Edit: Just noticed you are in LA, I am here visiting and have my microscope with me. I am in the downtown area(6th and spring), PM me and I could probably meet up with you and look at your edge to see if it is in fact rolled or damaged.

Not to sound vague but there are a lot of variables you don't state. One easy one is what are you using for lather/cream?

As far as face prep all I do is get everything ready then hold a wash cloth soaked in HOT water to my clean face for a minute or two and then lather lightly. I rub that lather into my beard with my finger tips and then lather up good and proper. Make sure to use a decent shaving soap.

Lynn does recommend stropping his razors before shaving. That aside you may need to observe your stropping technique as you mentioned. Make sure to read the Wiki and watch the videos on proper stropping. Briefly, make sure you hold the strop taught, no pressure on the blade, spine first, blade flat on the strop, don't flip on the blade edge, don't worry about speed but concentrate on method (speed will come naturally with skill). Take 20-25 laps on the canvas side then 25-30 on the leather.

Also don't worry so much about the HHT or shaving arm hairs. They're good indicators but just indicators. The face shave test is the real test. If everything is right you'll hear a light scrapping sound but not feel a thing. With a full hollow grind like your Dovos you can 'almost' lay the razor flat against your face and get a good shave, especially after one of Lynn's honing jobs. Also make sure you're stretching the skin while shaving.

Sorry for the long winded reply. I'm sure our other esteemed members will have some great advice too.

Pelkey

I think I know what your problem is, because I also had it to some extent when I was first starting out. Even with well-honed razors, if you try to shave using excessively slow and careful strokes, you will experience some pulling. What you should do instead is shave using quick, short, and confident strokes. I believe that advice is taken from an article by Lynn, but I'm too lazy to check right now.

By quick, I don't mean super fast, but if each stroke takes a minute to go a milimeter on your face, that's way too slow.

By short, I mean that one stroke shouldn't start from your ear and go to your chin.

And by confident, I mean you have to use at least some force in the blade. Of course, the force shouldn't be directed towards your face, but instead it should be directed across your face.

I'm new to this too, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

There are many things you can be concerned about. First I wouldn't be practicing anything be it stropping or honing with a good razor. Practice with an Eboy special or in the stropping case with a butter knife until you have the very basics down.

Straight Shaving takes time to master. Don't expect good results for weeks and maybe months. You just need to watch your pressure and angles and strokes. It all comes with time, alot of time. Don't be inpatient.

First, Thank you guys for helping me out and giving me great advice! I think that i left out some info here for some of you so i will try to clarify, First off i have researched this site for 3 months before i even bought my first straight, watched the videos on stropping , bought Lynns DVD, then bought a cheapy timber rattler razor to practice stropping with( at least the motions of stropping, turning razor on its spine ect so i wouldnt be tense when i did actually start) Also as far as soaps go i use an uberlather consisting of AOS sandlewood shave cream/and Kells Amber aloe soap, adding a little water at a time till i get the right consistency which seems to be right never dries on my face to quickly ect ,


Also i dint want it too seem that as soon as i have a problem, I go out and get it rehoned, which isnt the case i wanted to see if i could get it sent to someone to check to see if i rolled the edge, but after reading Victors post, i might be going to slow and therefore it pulls, Also ive read so many posts about us newbies where it pulls , and i hear people say "If its pulling somethings wrong" however i associate that with a dull razor and not the fact that im new and i dont have the angles properlly executed yet, and that is my fault, so i think im just going to take my time with it keep using the bismarck, and get better at shaving!!

You don't say where on your face the razor is pulling. As a novice, even a well honed razor will pull on certain parts of your face. Just keep at it, small sections at a time. Try to figure out where the problem areas are and work on those. We're all here to help you.

Originally Posted by ziggy925

You don't say where on your face the razor is pulling. As a novice, even a well honed razor will pull on certain parts of your face. Just keep at it, small sections at a time. Try to figure out where the problem areas are and work on those. We're all here to help you.

It was pulling on my sideburn cheek area, but yeah ill just keep going at it thanks!!!!!!!

I got it figured out. Behind those dark glasses it's Clark Kent. No wonder his bread is so tough

Just kiddin'. Hang in there and keep a good thought. Like Ziggy said, we're all here for you.

Pelkey

Repeating what others have said, I have used razors honed by three of the top SRP honemeisters now. They all pulled with the first pass in the heavier areas no matter the angle or slice or scything action used.

I lay the blade almost flat and with some pulling reduce the whisker length with a WTG pass. Then, relather with one swipe of the brush and do another WTG pass that is more traditional in angle to skin, and also with little or no pulling.