Thread: Trouble getting started

Hi all,

First, I must say this is a great forum. Lots of usefull advice.
Now to my issue: I bought a straight razor from a local knife shop, where they also hone. According to the owner, the razor was shave-ready. When I tried it at home, after doing the necessary prep steps, I could hear this grinding noise as I shaved. Managed to almost cut part of my ear as well! The straight rasor is a Dovo.
I then received a starting pack from Classic Edge. Now that razor felt much better, less grinding noise. I used it a few weeks, sinice beginning of January, but am not completely satisfied. I still get better results with my safety razor, closer shave, less irritation of the skin. I also think I screwed up the edge of the Classic Edge razor, because during the last few strops I did over the weekend, there was a really loud grinding noise. The strop is also nearly ruined I guess.
Next issue is making a good lather using shaving soap. I have no problems making a good lather using shaving cream, but when I use soap, is just dries too quickly on the face and hardly covers the skin.
Suggestions?

Jan
Belgium

Jan, maybe you need to use more soap, as you say it hardly covers the skin. I load my brush for 30 seconds with most soaps...45 seconds with Mitchell's Wool Fat. As for the lather drying too quickly, that is a common problem when you first start wet-shaving. It's probably a combination of not enough water in the lather, and the fact that it takes you a long time to shave when you're a rookie. Try putting 5 drops of glycerin in the mix, that should help make the lather richer and last longer. Good luck.

Hi Jan,

I've had similar experiences. I've been using a straight for over two months now and still get a better shave from my double edge. I'm more of an every other day shaver though so the total number of shaves is less. The straight shave is still improving, it seems a long learning curve for me.
The grinding noise is normal I think but louder if the razor is dull. The straight razor produces a LOT more sound when cutting than the double edge, especially the full hollow ground.
I can't imagine your strop being ruined unless you cut it. I find that just as the straight makes noise when cutting whiskers, there is a sort of hiss sound when stropping. Again more so with the full hollow. As long as you keep the spine in contact whenever the edge is in contact and keep the strop reasonably taught, it should do the job as intended. Remember to rotate for alternate strokes with the spine toward the strop, just a little drag of the edge without the spine in contact can dull the razor. Watch some stropping videos
I'm still figuring soaps out myself. I have found some last longer than others before drying. When I first started I found lathering in sections made more sense. I also used to make the lather on the soap puck which lead to an almost pasty consistency. Now I use a separate bowl to build lather. I find it like making whipped cream and that is the consistency you're aiming for. At first I was making a weak bear foam like lather but experimentation with soap quantity vs water is making it better.
Having bought several razors (RAD) I've found that people claim that a razor is shave ready when it simply is not. I've been able to improve them honing at home first try (again, lots of videos). Maybe someone could recommend a place to have your Dovo re-honed, having a properly sharpened razor makes a huge difference in your shave. Did you know there is a BeNeLux forum here?
Sorry if I seem a little pedantic but as a fellow beginner these have been my observations on how I've improved and continue to. I'm still working on it.

Originally Posted by jprlauwers

Hi all,

First, I must say this is a great forum. Lots of usefull advice.
Now to my issue: I bought a straight razor from a local knife shop, where they also hone. According to the owner, the razor was shave-ready. When I tried it at home, after doing the necessary prep steps, I could hear this grinding noise as I shaved. Managed to almost cut part of my ear as well! The straight rasor is a Dovo.
I then received a starting pack from Classic Edge. Now that razor felt much better, less grinding noise. I used it a few weeks, sinice beginning of January, but am not completely satisfied. I still get better results with my safety razor, closer shave, less irritation of the skin. I also think I screwed up the edge of the Classic Edge razor, because during the last few strops I did over the weekend, there was a really loud grinding noise. The strop is also nearly ruined I guess.
Next issue is making a good lather using shaving soap. I have no problems making a good lather using shaving cream, but when I use soap, is just dries too quickly on the face and hardly covers the skin.
Suggestions?

Jan
Belgium

Hi Jan - this may seem a strange thing to say, but after awhile, you won't be able to believe you ever knew how not to shave with a straight, prep and all the other things that come with this.

I wouldn't change or give away each and every aspect of learning this. From screwing up my first razor by trying to clean it with Brasso and lemon juice, to melting an entire puck of Col Conk in my Classic Edge scuttle, to learning that extra-hollow ground meant, "I will cut you NOW"!

Don't rush it, embrace the RAD when it comes, that's half the fun, and enjoy the journey, because in a lot of way's, you never stop learning...so don't get discouraged, it will all come together and then something else will pop up...we'll leave honing, and the various other pursuits of acquiring different soaps, strops, hones, and brushes until later!!

Hey Jan, welcome to the forum.
I would suggest sending a PM to Dimitry, he also lives in Belgium and took a look at my Dovo and honed it.
The sound and the unpleasant shave are probably a combination of a non shave ready blade and shaving technique. All I can say is, send the razor to someone from the forum, who knows what he's doing and practice, practice, practice.
What Hart says about the lathering in sections is something I do as well. At the moment, this works best for me.

So my suggestion is: send a PM to Dimitry so he can check them and hone if needed.
And when you get them back, take some time to learn how to use them. I'm also fairly new to this and the one thing I learned, if you want to go to fast, your technique won't be good. Then you have 2 options, taking a few steps back and starting from zero or having bad shaves that result in quitting SR shaving.

Wayne,

I actually think I am using too much water, the lather is all bubbly and smears out very thinly on the skin. I just have to experiment some more I guess.

Jan

Thanks for all the info guys, much appreciated
I will certainly check out the Benelux forum, and contact Dimitry.
No wonder it is called the Art of shaving.

Jan

Hi Jan,

MEGADITTOS to what Phrank said.

Stay patient and stay with it. Many of us have been through the same struggles at one point or another. This is how I learned and am able to pass on my learning experiences to others down the road.

So, don't view things as a failure. Instead, embrace each and every experience as a learning opportunity, a mountain you've overcome. And, if you stay patient, you will.

Don't sweat whether you're getting BBS(baby butt smooth) shaves yet. That doesn't happen right away. It takes a little while to get the technique and pressure just right.

Ask, ask, ask, read, read, read, watch, watch, watch. If your feeling uncomfortable or unsure, put the blade down, finish up with a cartridge and assess what might be going wrong and/or post a detailed experience here and wait for responses.

Make the journey a personal enjoyment and accomplishment!

You have received great advice so far. I would say to load the brush more and get those blades honed. There are heaps of great vids on YouTube. Check out the vids by Lynn Abrams, Gssixgun and Geofatboy. Good luck and as a general rule it is about 3 months till a reasonable proficiency is obtained. Ed

Originally Posted by jprlauwers

Wayne,

I actually think I am using too much water, the lather is all bubbly and smears out very thinly on the skin. I just have to experiment some more I guess.

Jan

I've been at this a while, but I still find that it's _much_ easier for me to make a proper lather from creams than from soaps. I started on soaps, and when I discovered creams I could have cried for joy. I know very well that the problem is with my technique rather than with the soaps, and if I take time and really try, I can get a good lather from a soap. But for now, I use shaving creams for shaving, and treat soaps as an ongoing research project.

As everyone says, keep at it. But if you find yourself wondering whether the edge is kaput from early mistakes, don't hesitate to put it into the hands of one of the honemeisters here for analysis and any necessary rehoning. I spent time as a beginner trying to "solve" straight-razor shaving with a blade I had borked with early efforts at stropping and honing, and I remember how discouraging that was.