After refreshing blade, shave close, face sore

[gregory56]

I'm still figuring out how to use my Arkansas Black, and today's shave was a mixed message. The shave was close -- near perfect, I'm still happy with the closeness and it's 12 hours later -- but after a few hours my face is sore. I had polished the blade on an Arkansas black before the shave. So what is my shave telling me?

BTW, I'm controlling my variables: same soap, same stropping, same razor, shaving daily. After shaving for a week, I felt the blade needed a refresh, so that's what I did this morning. I'm holding off on describing how I did the refresh to focus on what the shave feedback is.

 

[rbscebu]

So the only change you made from yesterday's shave was polishing the blade's bevel on your Arkansas black? If so, then you have found where your problem lies. Tell us more.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I have clarifying questions. Was your face only sore after a few hours, not immediately after the shave? Was the razor previously finished on the Ark or something else? How many shaves total did you have on the razor?

Pending those answers I'll just throw this out here: If I'm touching up a blade on my Ark, I spend some time on the 8k first. An Ark imparts a great final edge but I like to start with a clean apex.

 

[Possum092]

I'm still figuring out how to use my Arkansas Black, and today's shave was a mixed message. The shave was close -- near perfect, I'm still happy with the closeness and it's 12 hours later -- but after a few hours my face is sore. I had polished the blade on an Arkansas black before the shave. So what is my shave telling me?

BTW, I'm controlling my variables: same soap, same stropping, same razor, shaving daily. After shaving for a week, I felt the blade needed a refresh, so that's what I did this morning. I'm holding off on describing how I did the refresh to focus on what the shave feedback is.

Try adding more water to your soap. The edge needs to glides across the skin instead of removing the top layer of skin along with the hairs. I rushed the other day without really paying attention to adding enough water on one side…lesson reinforce. Cheers.

 

[Herrenberg]

I had this happen to me on a black ark. I solved it by really backing off on the pressure I use on the stone, going super-light. On JNat and synthetic finishers, I only do that at the very end, but the ark seems to want me to do it the whole time.

 

[gregory56]

Try adding more water to your soap. The edge needs to glides across the skin instead of removing the top layer of skin along with the hairs. I rushed the other day without really paying attention to adding enough water on one side…lesson reinforce. Cheers.

Hypothesis: I messed up my shave. It was my first day off after a exhausting two weeks, so I can see this happening. I did mess up making my coffee too!

 

[gregory56]

I had this happen to me on a black ark. I solved it by really backing off on the pressure I use on the stone, going super-light. On JNat and synthetic finishers, I only do that at the very end, but the ark seems to want me to do it the whole time.

This hits on why I’m sorting out. What would too much pressure have done to the edge?

 

[lightfoot]

It would help if you described how you’re maintaining the edge from start to finish. Are you doing your own honing from start to finish or just touch-up maintenance?

 

[gregory56]

So the only change you made from yesterday's shave was polishing the blade's bevel on your Arkansas black? If so, then you have found where your problem lies. Tell us more.

The blade was freshly honed by Portland Razor Co. and I’ve been using it for a week.

I inspect the blade edge with a microscope. No major deterioration has occurred as has happened with my Ralf Aust and Gold Dollar (this vets that I’ve dialed in stropping).

I inspected on receipt of the blade, twice during the week, before and after swiping it on the Arkansas Black.

So the only change you made from yesterday's shave was polishing the blade's bevel on your Arkansas black? If so, then you have found where your problem lies. Tell us more.

 

[gregory56]

The blade was freshly honed by Portland Razor Co. and I’ve been using it for a week.

I inspect the blade edge with a microscope. No major deterioration has occurred as has happened with my Ralf Aust and Gold Dollar (this vets that I’ve dialed in stropping).

I inspected on receipt of the blade, twice during the week, before and after swiping it on the Arkansas Black.

Oops… hit reply too soon

When I swiped it on the Arkansas Black:

• Liberal coating of honing oil on stone
• Hold stone in hand
• Swiped blade forward: spine down first, then lower until the blade edge made contact, swipe away lifting the edge before the end of the stone. Then swiped towards me the same way
• Pressure on the blade was light but some making sure even blade contact. I used the oil displacement as my guide
• Swiped for 7 minutes
• Then swiped with edge trailing (like stropping) 5 maybe 10 laps
• Stropped on linen 50 laps
• Stropped on leather 100 laps

 

[gregory56]

It would help if you described how you’re maintaining the edge from start to finish. Are you doing your own honing from start to finish or just touch-up maintenance?

Only touch-up maintenance. I find that I need to fresh the blade once a week. I’m sorting out how to do this without messing up the edge!

I put the full procedure in my reply to rbscebu.

 

[lightfoot]

Only touch-up maintenance. I find that I need to fresh the blade once a week. I’m sorting out how to do this without messing up the edge!

I put the full procedure in my reply to rbscebu.

What it sounds like to me is that the edge needs to go back to an 8K or perhaps a 12K to recover the edge a bit. A while back I did some testing that involved shaving off the best 5K edge I could hone and the shave was pain free with no tugging followed by some delayed irritation that lasted for quite a long time. Like a refrigerator hum of irritation that lingered through the next day.

 

[gregory56]

What it sounds like to me is that the edge needs to go back to an 8K or perhaps a 12K to recover the edge a bit. A while back I did some testing that involved shaving off the best 5K edge I could hone and the shave was pain free with no tugging followed by some delayed irritation that lasted for quite a long time. Like a refrigerator hum of irritation that lingered through the next day.

I have an Arkansas Hard and an Oil Bath Replacement Stones - Aluminum Oxide. Are you suggesting I go down one notch to the Hard or one step further and the Oil Bath Replacement stone?

 

[lightfoot]

I have an Arkansas Hard and an Oil Bath Replacement Stones - Aluminum Oxide. Are you suggesting I go down one notch to the Hard or one step further and the Oil Bath Replacement stone?

I wouldn’t recommend either one of those options. I would suggest the Shapton Kuromaku 12,000 stone due to its good speed and very modest price point on Amzn. Then you can go right back to the finishing Ark.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

What's the source for these Arks, btw? Not all are created equal.

 

[gregory56]

What's the source for these Arks, btw? Not all are created equal.

Dan’s Whetstone

 

[Tomo]

Likely too much pressure or too high a angle during the shave.

 

[gregory56]

UPDATE: I had a much better shave today. I made sure the lather was properly hydrated, and I reduced the blade angle to the most shallow and still make contact.

I guess the refresh made a really keen edge, and I needed to compensate for that.

Regarding using Arkansas stones. I'll sideline that. I did a progression on my Gold Dollar tonight (using Arkansas stones). I'm following what Mike Baker talks about in his YouTube channel. I’ll shave with it and post in a separate thread.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I bet if you keep your shave angle low you'll not need to touch up your razors as often, too. Pretty sure we've all been there. I know I have.

 

[6Cuda6]

I am going to agree with ^^^^^ but i'm also going to ask about how your stropping your razor before/after a shave. I'm trying to figure out how your killing the edge that it needs a touch up in a week after its been professionally honed.