Newbie guidance desired

Hi guys! I'm sure you get loads of posts like this, but I get the impression you're all friendly around here =).

I've just started shaving with a straight, after many months of thinking and wanting to. I've got the White DOVO/Rooney Straight gift set from ClassicShaving with a DOVO white-handled "Best Quality" 5/8ths razor.

I've got a whole load of waterstones (Japaneses KING waterstones) for honing other edged tools and could tell that the DOVO wasn't going to shave out-of-the-box. I took Lynn's (DVD) advice and just did a very simple 3-3,1-3,1-5 pyramid on 6000 and 10000 grit waterstones.

I'm used to a Gillette Sensor Excel which, for my money, is the best conventional razor around. (I shaved with my old man's Mach 3 -- with a new blade -- the other day and it nearly ripped my face off!)

So, first shave with a straight this morning, and I did the whole face with not a nick in sight! There was, however, a fair bit of tugging -- a similar experience to shaving with the Mach 3 .. and despite having done WTG and XTG, there's still a fair bit of beard still around.

So, have I just not honed enough? Is this just a dull blade? What sort of pyramid would you experts recommend to get this razor ScarySharp?

Sounds like a stupid question, but you did strop thoroughly after coming off the 10000 right?

Si (parents live in your neck of the woods, I grew up in Wootton Bassett) :)

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Originally Posted by Sunsi

Sounds like a stupid question, but you did strop thoroughly after coming off the 10000 right?

Si (parents live in your neck of the woods, I grew up in Wootton Bassett) :)

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Hmm, well I did strop, but maybe I didn't do enough. It was one of those things when you do something automatically (I've been stropping knives and axes forever, so don't think I was just stropping a razor without thinking!) but then can't remember how much/how long you've done.

I might give it a good thorough 50 stroke stropping tomorrow before I return to the waterstones.

(Good to see other Brits around. I'm only in Swindon for the year, though -- am I allowed to say "thank God"? ... I'm a Cornish lad at heart, and up to Cambridge this October.)

Welcome! And your right about that Sensor! I think a little pulling is ok, maybe not optimal but ok. Hair left over is obviously a problem.
Check the razor by running it over your arm hair in the beginning. It shouldn't cut many hairs at all. As you progress through what I describe in para two it should, at some point, start cutting hair.

I would just keep honing. The stone choice is pretty much irrelavant as long as your using high grits. I would stick to the one that is the highest and polish on that for say 20 strokes and check the edge and then add a few strokes on lower grit, just a few, then go back to the higher grit. This will allow you to learn better as the slower cutting will be more forgiving. Test often and use light pressure. You can use a little pressure for the first iteration, a little less for the next, and as little as you can muster for the last. But you must keep the blade flat.

Do this very slowly, take your time. If you go through 3 iterations in under 30 minutes you were probably moving too fast for your skill level. Orient the stones so you can see the edge and spine contact in both directions.

Keep the pressure, distance and angle the same on each side and use an x pattern.

If three iterations fails to improve the edge at all, consider a fourth, but after that I would just stop and ask for more advice as no improvement is indicative that your doing something wrong. There should be some improvement, even if it can't shave perfectly at that point.

Do a search on overhoning so you know what might happen if you go too far.

You most certainly can say Thank God - Germany still isn't far enough away for my tastes :)

Do you have linen and leather strops? You would need to a minimumn of 30 passes (1 pass = up and down) on linen then another 30 on leather before shaving just to get everything pointed in the right direction.

Can we also assume that you stropping with the edge following and going over at the end of every strop? If you are turning the edge towards the strop at all you are likely to round off the edge, which would also give similar symptons. If you are an experience stropper thats unlikely, but its possible.

Cheers

Si

Thanks both for the great (and incredibly rapid) advice.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Maybe i'm wrong, but does Steelforge live in Swindon? If so you may be able to speak nicely to him and get some advice?
I was born in Truro, but left when I was 1 so don't remember much of Cornwall except from holidays.
You will find loads of helpful advice here to get your straight shaves amazing, and I have to say that even though it took me a while to get the great shaves, the process of learning is so enjoyable.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
Nick

Welcome aboard, Nick. I'm pretty sure that Iwan does reside in your neck of the woods and he could be very helpful to you. It looks like your razor needs more work on the hone as it's not supposed to tug and it's supposed to shave smoothly.
The other option is that your angle is too steep (almost parallel to the face). That would explain the tendency to pull and the lack of closeness.
I'd give it some more work on the hones (make sure you lap them and go slowly) and then shave while paying special attention to the blade angle.

OK, if I don't get myself sorted out by the sixth shave (that seems to be the number round here!) then I'll think about getting Iwan to show me the ropes.

In other news, number 2 today was a lot better than yesterday. Two or three rounds of 5+20 on the 6000,10000 waterstones. Easily takes hair off the back of my arm, but the drawing-hair-over-edge test isn't yet passed -- possibly because I have very light hair (weight, that is).

30 canvas, 50 leather, and a much better shave. I also tried to make sure I had a slightly more aggressive angle while shaving, which I think made quite a difference (although that may have been the keener edge as well). It's *nearly* BBS after a 3-pass WTG, XTG, ATG shave.

Well, I can only assume it's going to get better and better! Thanks again for all the advice. I still can't believe I haven't even given myself the tiniest nick .. something I did even with the Gillette Sensor!

I am a noob too - very much so - but the biggest difference I found - and something that I underestimated until recently - was STTRRREEEEEETCH that skin. I mean really stretch it. I keep a facecloth by the side of the sink to wash the soap off my fingers after every stroke now to give me some grip to stretch the skin - always from BEHIND the edge of course.

Maybe you already are - but I get BBS from a downward stroke after discovering just how important that point is.

Cheers

Si

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Originally Posted by Nick S

I also tried to make sure I had a slightly more aggressive angle while shaving, which I think made quite a difference

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I think this is very likely right. I'm still very much a newbie and I was fortunate to start with a blade expertly honed by AFDavis11 (which removed one variable) but I've found that the angle at which I hold the blade is the most important determinant of whether I get a close shave or stubble in a particular area. As my angles improve, I get more and more consistently smooth, close shaves.