Incredibly uncomfortable - not getting better.

**Honeybadger** · 10-11-2010, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by leadingedge

You will probably ruin the edge if you do that to an already "shave ready" razor. That is an excellent test, but only while you are honing the razor, and should not, IMO, even be used on the smootest hones towards the end of your honing.

The edge is far more delicate than you would imagine, so the TPT (Thumb pad test) would be better when you want to check shave-readiness. Another good test is moving the razor through your hair (arm, chest, leg etc. about 1cm above the surface of your skin, and if it is shave ready, you will be slicing off quite a lot of hairs this way.

Enjoy!

got'cha, will try this (also going to just start with my cheeks and jaw for a while) and if it doesn't work, will send my blade to AFD

**markevens** · 10-11-2010, 06:07 PM

I would strongly recommend sending your razors to one of the onemeisters in our classifieds.

Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

When it comes back, trust that it is sharp. Strop it normally and shave with that, but dont' go fooling around with the edge of the razor trying to test it. The end test that matters most is the shave test. If its giving you a proper shave, its fine and will hold its edge with proper stropping for months.

**justalex** · 10-11-2010, 06:14 PM

if your in the UK, Gary Haywoods honing's very good, I've shaved with a razor he honed for the past two months and I've only been stropping it to keep it shaving superb.

Best advice I got was; 1.] lower the angle if you feel that it isn't getting through the tough beard, as I also had a tough beard and do when I leave it. But it does depend on the blade

2.] try putting on hair conditioner onto the beard at least 10 mins before shaving. This seriously reduces the chances of razor burn, but it still depends on your technique to eradicate it.

and 3.] stretch the skin, check Lynns video below for that.

Once you get the razor honed and your shaving, start with a video, here's a few;

EDIT: videos embed weird for some reason, on the first one click the link in the blue banner and the second one you can just play

what you can do with a good honed razor;
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...98030255805151

**amt** · 10-11-2010, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by markevens

I would strongly recommend sending your razors to one of the honemeisters in our classifieds.

Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

When it comes back, trust that it is sharp. Strop it normally and shave with that....

I would suggest not stropping it once you get it back from one of the honemeisters in the classifieds, just in case your stropping technique is the culprit. If you get it honed from someone on the classifieds it will surely be shave ready. This way you will know what a truly shave ready razor feels like. I did not strop when I recieved my Boker from SRD so that I would know a proper blade felt like.

-amt

**riooso** · 10-11-2010, 07:32 PM

Where are you located? Once you get back a razor, don't test it and don't strop it. Just use it and see how it goes. I have a killer beard also.

My prep;

10 minutes in a 105 degree spa.
shower
2 minutes with a wet towel heated in a microwave for 2 minutes then wrapped around my neck and tucked in while I strop an make lather.

Overdoing it? Yea but it is what I like to make sure that I get a BBS shave every time. I can skip the spa and the shower but that means longer with the towel for instance.

Later,
Richard

**justalex** · 10-11-2010, 08:20 PM

10 minutes in a 105 degree spa.
shower
2 minutes with a wet towel heated in a microwave for 2 minutes then wrapped around my neck and tucked in while I strop an make lather.

i'll need to try that when I have time, haven't had a BBS yet

**Nadie** · 10-11-2010, 11:13 PM

gimpyalex that is the first time I've seen a video of straight shaving. My work blocks most videos. Very cool! Thank you!

Honeybadger, I am also relatively new to the world of straight shaving. My post a few weeks ago was about the sheer frustration of doing this. I bought one blade that was professionally prepared from a member of this forum (long before I joined).

I was getting nowhere in a hurry and my face hurt. All the time. Now, when I began to read the influx of information about stropping and the sharpness of the blade, I was hesitant. I started my next shave by preparing my face, lathering it up, and the shaving with the back of the razor against my face. This meant the blade was pretty much flat. I shaved ... nothing. I also didn't burn my face. But what was the point if nothing was coming off?

So I stropped as I had read about and did it for 75 passes. My next attempt started off the same. Until it changed. My neck was cleanly shaved on a few passes. This excited me for a third attempt. My face wasn't clean shaven, but my skin wasn't irritated and I had removed hair.

I won't give any other advice other than to slow down, relax and listen to these guys. If I can do this, I know anyone can.

**onimaru55** · 10-12-2010, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by Honeybadger

Read that this was a method of testing the smoothness/sharpness of the blade, to just wet your thumnail and lightly drag it across, to feel for uneven-ness.

Is this incorrect?

As has been explained this is a test used at bevel setting stage only. It is damaging to a shave ready razor.
You need to get your razors re-honed & then focus on your stropping & shaving.

**souschefdude** · 10-12-2010, 01:53 AM

[QUOTE=onimaru55;671503]As has been explained this is a test used at bevel setting stage only. It is damaging to a shave ready razor.
QUOTE]
I would be interested to know if any of the technical minded gentlemen(women) have ever imaged this actually happening. Nails are made of the same thing as hair, so I would like to know how this could happen.

**volleykinginnc** · 10-12-2010, 01:58 AM

that is the first I've seen of Lynn's video. Maybe I'm not stropping with enough pressure because man his strop deflects....mine you can hardly see the strop move.

Thread: Incredibly uncomfortable - not getting better.

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