Hi guys I'm a newbie to this forum. I've been wet shaving for the past 6 years with a safety edge razor and just recently I bought my first straight edge a Thiers Issard. I'm a little disappointed to say the least I can get a much closer shave with my safety razor than with my straight edge. Also I feel it's not shaving as smooth and pain free as the other, I was assured the razor was shave ready! Is this the normal for straight razors?
Not even close
- Thread starter Cmlucifer
- Start date
A couple of points, "Shave ready" may or may not be accurate. If youre getting tugging and/or pulling it may not have been shave ready.
Second, and probably the main reason, learning to shave with a straight razor is not something you should expect stellar results on the first shave.
Comparing the first shave with a straight to any method you have been doing for 6 years is a little biased.
Second, and probably the main reason, learning to shave with a straight razor is not something you should expect stellar results on the first shave.
Comparing the first shave with a straight to any method you have been doing for 6 years is a little biased.
Oh, BTW, Welcome to the forum. Straight razor shaving can be a challenge, and it is a skill that needs to be developed so keep at it. The shaves will improve.
Most everyone here will tell you never to trust "shave ready" unless you know for a fact the seller can be trusted (ie recommended from here possibly)
as for getting super close with it....to do that requires lots of practice! I'm now 3 months in and just starting to get ultra smooth, really comfortable shaves!
as for getting super close with it....to do that requires lots of practice! I'm now 3 months in and just starting to get ultra smooth, really comfortable shaves!
After shaving with nothing but a straight for two years,I tried my most favorite DE,the DE was "not even close"
There is definitely a learning curve to be had with straights. I'm only a few months in and I can get a closer shave from a DE (but not by much anymore) but I definitely don't get the same enjoyment out of shaving as I do with my straight. It just takes a little patience.
- Thread starter
- #7
Depending on where you got the razor, a smart next step could be to have it honed by one of the pros on here.
Also, it takes a little time to get the hang of stropping. Check out some YouTube videos, and then practice slowly.
Keep at it. Once you learn the techniques, the shaves are spectacular.
Also, it takes a little time to get the hang of stropping. Check out some YouTube videos, and then practice slowly.
Keep at it. Once you learn the techniques, the shaves are spectacular.
Welcome, and don't be discouraged. Just a quick thing, as far as the next step to getting that razor ready to give you good shaves
For some Honemeisters:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Honemeister
And a handy wiki: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Interactive_Guide_to_Straight_Razor_Shaving - - This thing has some great tips and pics to go along with it (I will always still be learning, and it helps to go back and check sometimes when things aren't working well)
For some Honemeisters:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Honemeister
And a handy wiki: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Interactive_Guide_to_Straight_Razor_Shaving - - This thing has some great tips and pics to go along with it (I will always still be learning, and it helps to go back and check sometimes when things aren't working well)
shave ready does not really mean you will have a good shave, i shaved with my german revisor straight out of the box and the shave wasnt that great...
i stropped it about 100-150 times on newspaper then on felt then leather and BANG! wicked shave every time now
but it is most likely a combination of the razor not quite being ready and also your technique, it is completely different feel on your skin to a DE and the technique takes months and years to master
i stropped it about 100-150 times on newspaper then on felt then leather and BANG! wicked shave every time now
but it is most likely a combination of the razor not quite being ready and also your technique, it is completely different feel on your skin to a DE and the technique takes months and years to master
If you bought it at art of shaving, they are notoriously poor factory ready.
Also learning to use the razor is often a perception of not sharp based on angles, pressure, lather and worst if all poor stropping.
Also learning to use the razor is often a perception of not sharp based on angles, pressure, lather and worst if all poor stropping.
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- Thread starter
- #12
Looks like I got some serious homework to do when it comes to straight razor shaving. I will take all your advises and formulate something that's right for my shaving style. Also I just had my brother in law get me a Norton 4000 x 8000 combo wet stone for honing I hear this is a good stone for straights. Has anyone used this type of stone?
Thanks
Carlo
Thanks
Carlo
Grab yourself a shavette like the Parker ones as well. That way you can learn proper technique and straight edge shaving even whilst your practicing your stropping and honing with your full SE.
If you can't master stropping instantly you can at least keep practicing the shave with the shavette and DE blades until your fully up to speed on getting your SE shave ready!
If you can't master stropping instantly you can at least keep practicing the shave with the shavette and DE blades until your fully up to speed on getting your SE shave ready!
lots have used the 4/8 norton.. nice hone to begin with i hear.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
tsk tsk. You could have saved some money by buying a sheet of 3u lapping film and a sheet of 1u, for a couple bucks a sheet, and a marble tile from Home Depot for $5, and be able to get a MUCH better edge easier than the Norton combo. Yes, it will do the job, but after the magic of film I would never go back to an 8k Norton edge for shaving. But even with the Norton, how are you going to know when your edge is truly sharp when you don't yet know what a sharp edge is like? At this point, sharp to you is anything that will shave arm hair. That's not even the beginning of shave-ready sharp. Here's what I would do... get yourself a shave-ready vintage razor from www.whippeddog.com and see what a good edge is like. Once you see the difference between what you got now and what you get from Larry, send it to him to be honed. Then you have two razors to use in rotation.
Likely culprit, though, is shave technique. Proper angle is important. Not only the angle between spine and skin, but also the heel or toe leading angle. Safest shave is to have the blade at a modest angle from the face, and perpendicular to the direction of travel. Like a bulldozer blade straight across the front of the machine. But more effective cutting is with the blade angled so that the heel leads somewhat. Think of the bulldozer blade pivoted to the right or left, like a snowplow, or a road grader. You get a slicing effect. Of course this makes cutting skin easier, too. So when you do that, watch your shave angle extra closely. Also stretch the skin tight. Tight skin resists cuts and abrasion. Tight skin pops the whiskers up for easier cutting. Best shave angle is usually about where there is one spine thickness of gap between the spine and the face.
Don't worry... it will all come together for you. Typically it takes about a month to get competent with a straight. Good luck and happy shaves.
Likely culprit, though, is shave technique. Proper angle is important. Not only the angle between spine and skin, but also the heel or toe leading angle. Safest shave is to have the blade at a modest angle from the face, and perpendicular to the direction of travel. Like a bulldozer blade straight across the front of the machine. But more effective cutting is with the blade angled so that the heel leads somewhat. Think of the bulldozer blade pivoted to the right or left, like a snowplow, or a road grader. You get a slicing effect. Of course this makes cutting skin easier, too. So when you do that, watch your shave angle extra closely. Also stretch the skin tight. Tight skin resists cuts and abrasion. Tight skin pops the whiskers up for easier cutting. Best shave angle is usually about where there is one spine thickness of gap between the spine and the face.
Don't worry... it will all come together for you. Typically it takes about a month to get competent with a straight. Good luck and happy shaves.
- Thread starter
- #16
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Lapping film is sort of like very high tech very fine grit sandpaper. It is a plastic backed abrasive sheet originally used for polishing the ends of fiber optic cables. However, its high tolerances and low price lend it well to honing razors. See this thread: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/283576-Lapping-film-try-it?highlight=lapping+film+try+it for everything you need to know about film. But before you try your hand at honing, by whatever method, I strongly suggest that you learn to shave first, and learn what a shave sharp edge is like. Could you paint a copy of the Mona Lisa, without ever having seen it? Even if you are a talented painter, no. You can't recreate something that you have never experienced. So you need to learn what a true shave ready edge feels like on your face. Then you have some basis to work from. Then you can have a realistic chance of getting a good edge from your honing attempts. How sharp is sharp, anyway? At this point, you have no way of knowing. Learn to shave, don't buy any stones or films just yet, and meanwhile, read the thread start to finish from the url I gave you. Save every page to your computer, or print it all out. It is a great reference for you.
Stones must be lapped, often/usually when you first buy them, and certainly after they have honed a bunch of razors. However, film is just as flat as the plate you stick it to. Typically we use a polished marble tile, which is usually very flat, within .001 or so I am guessing. For only about $30, you can have a polished granite lapping plate with tolerences of .0001". Better than any stone, I am sure. Also with film, you have a much bigger honing surface. And very consistent grit size. It is easier to get your first honed edge to come out really good with film than with stones.
If you are going to go with stones, the Norton 5k/8k combo along with the 1k/220 combo and a finisher is hard to beat for the price. Even that kit won't be cheap... a marble tile costs $5 or so. Film prices vary between sources but when you figure you can cut a sheet into 3 pieces and each piece can do a dozen razors, the film is pretty cheap, and certainly the cheapest by far to get started with. A Norton progression followed by a C12K finisher is about as cheap as you can go for stones of good size and reasonable ease of use and decent results. To go cheaper, you got to go with smaller stones and that is not a good idea starting out, IMHO. 3" x 8" is a good size. Easy for a newbie to get decent results. Smaller stones are harder to learn on and won't be as consistent for you.
Certainly, there are "better" stones, of course at a higher price. A Chosera 1k is a good bevel setter, and the Naniwa Superstones will complete your progression. The Shapton Glass Stones are superb but you pay for them, yeah. A good coticule 70mm x 200mm will do the work between bevel setter and finisher, and in a pinch can also set a bevel if you don't mind lots of wear on an expensive stone and are not in a hurry. Many coti fans shave right off the coti without a finisher. It can be done. There are many very good Japanese Natural stones, or JNATs, that have die hard fans, but they aren't cheap either. So for a beginner, my first choice would be film, maybe with a 1.2k DMT diamond hone for bevel setting. Second choice would be the Norton progression followed by either the C12K or the 12k Naniwa Superstone. Third choice a toss up from among all the rest, cause you get what you pay for.
- Thread starter
- #18
