Straight Razor Problems

Thomas J Ekman

Thomas J Ekman

Joined
Jul 29, 2000
Messages
555
I use a straight razor for shaving, and I've got good results sofar, but Gillette Mach3 gives a closer shave. I've had the razor for a couple of years now, and tried to sharpen it using a surgical black Arkansas stone. I also strop the razor 5-6 times before shaving. Can you give me any tips on what's wrong here. I get more razor burns from the straight razor than Mach3. Maybe my technique is wrong, or I'm pressing too hard. Any ideas are welcome.
 
There is a website that explains it all see if you can find that, maybe search this forum. One thing is that you don't use the razor everyday.That means getting as many as seven razors , one for each day !
 
it sounds to me like a strop problem....sharpen both sides of blade w/ stone till you get an even burr turned up the full length of the cutting edge...then, keep stropping till you have removed the burr and polished the edge.....is it possible that your strop needs dressing/compound?...plain leather won't do anything for an edge but break off the burr, and that leaves too rough an edge for shaving/surgical use......keep your strop flat, and strop the blade 2 dozen times, or more....you should see a pronounced change in how it picks up the loose hair on arm.........this should give you the smooth shave you are looking for..
 
Or you might want to get an ultra fine ceramic stone from Spyderco. I always sharpen my razor with that stone and strop. Works wonder.
 
I have a straight razor (Puma) and straight out of the box it wasn't as effective as a Mach 3. If I want a quick, low-risk, smooth shave, I'll use a Mach 3. If I'm in the mood to use a straight razor, I will, but I'll accept the slower and not necessarily closer shave. I've had the same experience with straight razors at barber shops.
 
There's a straight razor forum on Yahoo that I go to now and then. There, they talk about using the Norton 4000/8000 grit stone. The guys there seems to get their st8's really sharp with them and a strop.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/straightrazorplace/messages/9786?viscount=-30

I use a Cryogenic M3 from greatrazors.com and obtain the closest shave I have ever gotten! The blades last two to three times as long as regulars as well.

I have been thinking of a st8 razor and will at some time, buy a st8 or two, a strop and hone and get into it. In the meantime, the M3 has been fine.

Jerry S.
 
Aren't you supposed to sharpen a straight razor on one of those leather thingies, not a stone?

~ashes
 
You hone/sharpen (one to four times a year) on a fine grit stone, keep the edge with the leather strop.

Jerry S.
 
Originally posted by Thomas J Ekman
I use a straight razor for shaving, and I've got good results sofar, but Gillette Mach3 gives a closer shave.
Click to expand...
Try duct-taping three straight razors together. Let us know how it works out. :)
 
My razor needed sharpening. When I used the Sharpmaker with the rods flat (on the bottom of the plastic holder) the razor became much sharper.
 
razors are the easiest blades to get the correct sharpening angle on. you lay the blade flat on the abrasive...
 
Thomas J Ekman said:
My razor needed sharpening. When I used the Sharpmaker with the rods flat (on the bottom of the plastic holder) the razor became much sharper.
Click to expand...

Yes you must use a flat stone (I think the rods in the base will do). The angle is set by the back of the razor, you lay it _flat_ on the stone, and hone, edge-leading, until you get a burr on both sides with the finest stone possible. (Edit: this is a mirco, very tiny burr that you can barely see while holding it to light, since you are using such a superfine stone... raising a burr with a coarser stone would be very bad!)
(Yes all the spyderco ceramics are the same, so fine=fine and ultrafine=ultrafine).

Then you strop, edge-trailing with the spine and edge touching the leather on a conditioned (no abrasive, just an oil strop conditioner, to keep the leather supple.), do one edge trail and then rotate the blade _over_ the spine, so the edge cannot be damaged, and go the other way... may take 30-60 repetitions to stretch out the burr and get it sharp enough.

If your technique is correct, I believe you are simply not stroppinig enough. (I'm no expert, but there are many here!)
 
Some interesting comments here. I have never heard anyone suggest to raise a burr on a straight razor before. The guys at the Yahoo group would refer to this as over honing, which is bad. I don't have enough experience yet to say who's right here.

I find I get less razor burn with a straight than I do with a Mach 3. Are you shaving with the grain of your beard and then against it? Also prepping your beard is a big key. You need to do more prep work than you do with a Mach 3 type of razor. It's best to shave after a warm/hot shower. I like to use a face wash with a high glycerin content, like Niva's Double Face Wash. I'll let it sit for a minute to help soften the stubble. Then after I get out of the shower I wet my face with warm/hot water, as hot as I can stand. Then I apply a pre-shave cream by Poraso (sp?) that I like. Then I use a good brush and shaving soap and mix up a lather and apply that. Now I strop my razor while the stuff on my face continues to soften the beard. Then I rinse the razor with very hot water and start shaving. You should try and keep your skin strechted to help get a closer shave. After I go with the grain I apply more shaving cream and shave againts the grain.

The Mach 3 saftey razors have the blades on guides so they may not get as close to your skin as a straight razor would. It really all comes down to technique, and the quality of the edge you have on your straight razor.

When I'm done shaving I rinse with COLD water. This helps prevent razor burn. Then I dry and apply a good after shave lotion. Niva makes some nice after shave balms available in mild and sensative that won't burn much.
 
The barber book I have would refer to that as overhoning as well. You want to set the edge with the stone but raise the burr with the strop. Try a steeper angle while using less pressure. I find that gives a closer shave. Also, when using a straight razor, you need to shave the old fashion way. Forget using foam from the can. Lather up the face with a good brush, wait 3 minutes for the pores to open up and eject the hair. Remove the lather and lather up fresh and start shaving. Apply fresh lather occationally in between the shave (when you change sides for example). Last but not least: Do NOT judge the closeness of the shave immediately after the shave you will only fool yourself. You have to wait at least half an hour after you have thoroughly removed the lather for the pores to close again. Use cold water and a good aftershave to excellerate that process (personally I like the Dominican Bay Rum best).
 
Hey Thomas,
As was mentioned, beard prep is important. Lotsa hot water and a good slippery soap.
I typically strop 20 or 25 round trips on the strop before I shave. Before hitting the hone, try a little more stropping first, laying the razor flat on the strop (spine and edge both touching) and using only the weight of the razor for pressure. Strop edge trailing.
For honing a straight razor, you don't want to use something that will change the beveled angle of the edge and you don't want a burr. As was mentioned already, lay the razor flat on the hone. The spine of the blade puts the blade at the best angle for sharpening.
Hone edge leading, using only the weight of the razor for pressure. I find that, even on a stone wide enough to accommodate the whole length of the blade, using an X pattern works best, just as if you were using a narrow stone.
For initial honing to get a razor shaving keen, I use a Norton 4000/8000 combination water stone. (I'm outed now Wade :rolleyes: ; yeah, I'm a yahoo straightrazorplace guy in addition to being a bladeforum guy.) I also use the old style barber hones. The important part is using a fine enough stone to get a good edge, to use a light touch, and be sure when you flip the blade over you do it on the spine and not the edge. I mention these types of hones because it's what I'm familiar with and to give you a guideline of what kind of grit can be used for sharpening a str8.
Since you said that you were already shaving with this razor, I'm assuming that it just needs a little keening up. Based on what I would do on a 4k/8k combo, hone up and back on the 4k side 3 times, then 5 or 6 on the 8k, back for 1 round trip on the 4k side of the stone, and then 5 or 6 on the 8k. Using a ceramic combo barber hone, I would do 1.5 to 2 times the number of passes on the hone, as they are usually finer grit. Strop and test. The best way to test is to shave with it. I will sometimes see if I'm close by moving the blade through the hair on my arm, not touching the skin but between 1/8" to 1/4" above it. If it grabs it and cuts through it easily, it's at least close; as each razor seems different, it may need a little more hone time or it may be good to shave with. Again, shaving is the best test.
If I have a razor that I'm having a hard time with, I'll get it to where I think it's keen, or at least close to shaving keen, and I'll start my next morning shave with it. If it pulls or is uncomfortable, I'll put it away and use a different razor. Next opportunity I get, I'll go through the paces on the hone and then test it on the next morning's shave. It can take a week doing it this way sometimes if I have a stubborn razor, but I know when the razor is sharp. I get a good test each time, and only have spent a little time sitting at the hone.
Keep us posted how it's coming along.
Parry
 
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