It arrived!
- Thread starter alimac23
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Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Hang in there. It will get better.
You have a wedge, or more properly, a near wedge razor. Wedges have their fans, but they shave and hone somewhat differently than a hollow ground razor.
Any members who have been here for a while will tell you I am not a fan of electrical tape. But with razors of this type, best results are had by taping the spine during the last stage of honing or the last couple of stages. This gives a slight compound bevel and greatly reduces honing time while also making it easier to get a good consistent edge. If it was honed, or actually, finished, with tape, then when you strop on the pasted balsa you should tape the spine. Otherwise, the true edge gets only fleeting contact with the balsa. One layer of tape should suffice. When stropping on the leather hanging strop, a slight belly in the strop is to be preferred when stropping a wedge. Normally the strop is pulled nice and tight to present a flat, semi rigid surface for a hollowground razor.
A sharpie marker is a great diagnostic tool, especially for a wedge or near wedge. Paint (gently) the edge bevel with the sharpie. Put your layer of tape on the spine, and give it a dozen laps on the balsa. Examine the edge under a loupe or a strong magnifying glass. There should be zero ink left on the edge. Wherever there is ink remaining, obviously that did not make good contact with the balsa.
Here is a little test for you. Sweep your razor about 1/4" over your forearm. Ideally, it should lop off the tops of several hairs with a single pass. If not, hit the pasted balsa. Strop about 40 laps on the green and see if you get anything. If not, repeat. More than a couple hundred with no treetopping of hairs on your forearm and you are probably doing something wrong. Anyway, after you get results, hit the red side for 2 or 3 dozen laps, then 4 or 5 dozen laps on the leather and you should be good to go. Generally Larry's edges are quite good but we all have our off days, and you might have damaged the edge in stropping or shaving.
When stropping, be sure that the shoulder of the razor does not ride up on the strop. The spine of the razor should stay in contact with the strop. When you turn at the end of the stroke, flip the EDGE out, not the spine.
Here is the shave wiki: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/
It is a comprehensive collection of articles on every aspect of shaving.
Poor initial results are often caused by lather that is not slick enough, not shaving WTG, (With The Grain), too high of a shave angle, or not stretching the skin sufficiently. Rounding the edge while stropping is another booboo that will prevent you from getting a good shave. Re-examine your technique before going all medieval on the balsa. Poor stropping on the balsa will make things worse.
You have a wedge, or more properly, a near wedge razor. Wedges have their fans, but they shave and hone somewhat differently than a hollow ground razor.
Any members who have been here for a while will tell you I am not a fan of electrical tape. But with razors of this type, best results are had by taping the spine during the last stage of honing or the last couple of stages. This gives a slight compound bevel and greatly reduces honing time while also making it easier to get a good consistent edge. If it was honed, or actually, finished, with tape, then when you strop on the pasted balsa you should tape the spine. Otherwise, the true edge gets only fleeting contact with the balsa. One layer of tape should suffice. When stropping on the leather hanging strop, a slight belly in the strop is to be preferred when stropping a wedge. Normally the strop is pulled nice and tight to present a flat, semi rigid surface for a hollowground razor.
A sharpie marker is a great diagnostic tool, especially for a wedge or near wedge. Paint (gently) the edge bevel with the sharpie. Put your layer of tape on the spine, and give it a dozen laps on the balsa. Examine the edge under a loupe or a strong magnifying glass. There should be zero ink left on the edge. Wherever there is ink remaining, obviously that did not make good contact with the balsa.
Here is a little test for you. Sweep your razor about 1/4" over your forearm. Ideally, it should lop off the tops of several hairs with a single pass. If not, hit the pasted balsa. Strop about 40 laps on the green and see if you get anything. If not, repeat. More than a couple hundred with no treetopping of hairs on your forearm and you are probably doing something wrong. Anyway, after you get results, hit the red side for 2 or 3 dozen laps, then 4 or 5 dozen laps on the leather and you should be good to go. Generally Larry's edges are quite good but we all have our off days, and you might have damaged the edge in stropping or shaving.
When stropping, be sure that the shoulder of the razor does not ride up on the strop. The spine of the razor should stay in contact with the strop. When you turn at the end of the stroke, flip the EDGE out, not the spine.
Here is the shave wiki: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/
It is a comprehensive collection of articles on every aspect of shaving.
Poor initial results are often caused by lather that is not slick enough, not shaving WTG, (With The Grain), too high of a shave angle, or not stretching the skin sufficiently. Rounding the edge while stropping is another booboo that will prevent you from getting a good shave. Re-examine your technique before going all medieval on the balsa. Poor stropping on the balsa will make things worse.
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