New razor... not shave ready...

I was hoping my new 7/8 Hart would be an exception and actually arrive shave ready.
I wasn't too surprised when it didn't turn out this way.

The blade was well oiled, except for the edge. One small spot of rust could be seen.
I'm sure this will take care of itself when I get the edge to a hone.
New stones, & strop are incoming...

It's not a race, but it sure would be nice to be at that next step.

I read on the Hart site that they tape all their spines before final honing. I'll do the same when my 4 & 8 k stones land.
The 12k I ended up with came from a US vs Japanese seller so it's been waiting to see some action for a few weeks.

My R41 DE did a superb job tonight - but in the end it was still a DE and slightly disappointing.

Congrats on the new blade, yes, the wait can be difficult when you want to get started.

Quick question, you're not planning on honing that yourself are you?

I always try to steer people away from Hart. I wish I would have better spent my money than the Hart I have. Unfortunately they are priced so high that I will lose a considerable amount of money if I sell it. Anyways... good luck with your Hart and i hope you enjoy it.

If you can you may want to try crox on a strop first, of course you could always take a picture and email it to the vendor as well.

If you've never honed a straight razor before, I'd recommend starting and learning on a less expensive razor. Maybe a decent, but inexpensive eBay job.

Just in case.........knife sharpening experience doesn't really carry over to razors. Different animals, as they say.

Howard :)

Or better yet, take advantage of Razorfeld's offer in your other post. Take the stones and razor for a visit with one of them, you won't regret it.

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Originally Posted by SirStropalot

If you've never honed a straight razor before, I'd recommend starting and learning on a less expensive razor. Maybe a decent, but inexpensive eBay job.

Just in case.........knife sharpening experience doesn't really carry over to razors. Different animals, as they say.

Howard :)

Or better yet, take advantage of Razorfeld's offer in your other post. Take the stones and razor for a visit with one of them, you won't regret it.

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This seems like the best approach so maybe I'll get lucky and something towards the Holiday break will work out.
I have a full-hollow razor that will be my practice blade.

I have some good stones incoming (Naniwa Chosera\SS\Gouken 1k, 3k, 4k, 8k) & believe I have a good touch that will lend itself well to honing.

If all goes right, I can focus on strop work and shaving for a bit before diving too heavy into maintenance.

That's a good set of hones. :tu

As hard as it is to be patient, take it slow and learn good prep, razor technique, etc..

Here's a video that touches on technique, prep and what to expect from a shave ready razor.

:gl: and hope it all goes smooth. Holler when you have questions. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93zQP7CToWQ

I have four Harts, but come to think of it I'm the second or third owner for all of them.
Two arrived in what appeared to be unused condition (coat of heavy lubricant) one had been a replacement for a defective razor. And one is a Kamisori style grind from the custom shop.

The three "regular" straights are 6/8 Baxter and 7/8 SP (2) and in my regular rotation. Great shavers, hold an edge and they are very easy to maintain.

Agree that at the current list price they are at/near/over the price range of what is now a rapididly increasing supply of custom razor makers who are doing amazing work.
As with everything from cars to coffee - personal preference comes in to the selection process with razors - one persons treasure might be another's trot-line weight as we say.

If the razor is new - take some pictures and give them (Classic) a call - they get high marks from many for customer service.

And +1 to the comments about this not being a place to start learning to hone and to taking advantage of any mentor help you can get...it will save you time and frustration.

Keep us posted...

Smooth Shaving...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tab

I was hoping my new 7/8 Hart would be an exception and actually arrive shave ready.
I wasn't too surprised when it didn't turn out this way.

The blade was well oiled, except for the edge. One small spot of rust could be seen.
I'm sure this will take care of itself when I get the edge to a hone.
New stones, & strop are incoming...

It's not a race, but it sure would be nice to be at that next step.

I read on the Hart site that they tape all their spines before final honing. I'll do the same when my 4 & 8 k stones land.
The 12k I ended up with came from a US vs Japanese seller so it's been waiting to see some action for a few weeks.

My R41 DE did a superb job tonight - but in the end it was still a DE and slightly disappointing.

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Take your razor to Scott at the Portland Razor Company. He can put a very nice edge on your razor. He can also answer a lot of your questions regarding stropping and honing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SirStropalot

That's a good set of hones. :tu

As hard as it is to be patient, take it slow and learn good prep, razor technique, etc..

Here's a video that touches on technique, prep and what to expect from a shave ready razor.

:gl: and hope it all goes smooth. Holler when you have questions. :)

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Good video - I'd seen it before and sat through it again. He's done some good honing videos too.
My razor definitely failed this test, and in the near future it'll get there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by feltspanky

Take your razor to Scott at the Portland Razor Company. He can put a very nice edge on your razor. He can also answer a lot of your questions regarding stropping and honing.

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This is a fine idea too... I have a razor on order with him as well.

At a minimum I'll have some good first-hand experience with two new, US production straights!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tab

Good video - I'd seen it before and sat through it again. He's done some good honing videos too.
My razor definitely failed this test, and in the near future it'll get there.

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Yeah,

Glen has a lot of quality videos....a major treasure trove of razor info!

I have no doubt you'll succeed!! But, as we tell many........Explore and try to solve problems one at a time. Changing too many things at once can be confusing because you won't know which change was beneficial or detrimental.

If you can't meet with one of the mentors in your area, Local Help - Straight Razor Place Library, Then I would send the razor to one of our members that professionally hone razors and then you'll know what a shave ready razor feels like.

I'd link our classifieds, which contains the list of our pro razor honers, but it's currently under repair.

So, if you want to send it off, PM me by clicking on my user name and then follow the "private message" link and I'll give you some names to choose from.

Howard :)

Without even being able to shave yet , how do you know it won't shave? Many of us starting out thought a blade wasn't shave ready just to find out that after you become a little more experienced it was, and honing is easy till it ain't ,, just saying, this is a post that comes up all the time, it takes a little patience and time to get good shaves from learning the technique, when I started my first razor had a terrible edge, by the time I figured out angle and beard prep ,, suddenly it was sharp. Tc

I have two Harts. The first one (7/8 Square Point by JA) was ready to go right out of the box. Held its edge for quite some time. Required a rehoning about a couple months age...no tape; tape is tedious. Works just fine now.

2nd blade a was a 6/8 French Point fron the "Artisan" Series by BG. Unususl razor..it was "ok" from the get go but lacking. After MANY laps on the ol' Tony Miller the edge truly came into its own. Won't use tape on this one when the time comes either.

Both are nice razors..neither rank in my top 5 though.

tab,

We had a big meet-up in Seattle last September and are planning on doing it again next year. If you can make a meet-up or find some time to meet with a local mentor I would highly recommend it. I know both Razorfeld and Pinklather are in the Portland area and are very generous with their time.

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Without even being able to shave yet , how do you know it won't shave? Many of us starting out thought a blade wasn't shave ready just to find out that after you become a little more experienced it was, and honing is easy till it ain't ,, just saying, this is a post that comes up all the time, it takes a little patience and time to get good shaves from learning the technique, when I started my first razor had a terrible edge, by the time I figured out angle and beard prep ,, suddenly it was sharp. Tc

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Let me dive into this a little further, you could be correct.

I did shave with the blade one time. Good face prep, 2 days growth, C&S 88. All the time and attention I give for my normal DE shaves.
It was one of the roughest shaves I've had since trying a slant DE. I managed 3 passes, and missed some areas, which I expected. Had this been a normal DE shave for me I would have been swapping the blade before I finished one cheek.

I'll get a PM off to the local guys here in Portland. I'm sure if time allows they'll get me on the straight & narrow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tab

It was one of the roughest shaves I've had since trying a slant DE.

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Wow, which slant did you try? I found the Merkur slant to be a real sweetheart to shave with.

Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tab

Let me dive into this a little further, you could be correct.

I did shave with the blade one time. Good face prep, 2 days growth, C&S 88. All the time and attention I give for my normal DE shaves.
It was one of the roughest shaves I've had since trying a slant DE. I managed 3 passes, and missed some areas, which I expected. Had this been a normal DE shave for me I would have been swapping the blade before I finished one cheek.

I'll get a PM off to the local guys here in Portland. I'm sure if time allows they'll get me on the straight & narrow.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobH

Wow, which slant did you try? I found the Merkur slant to be a real sweetheart to shave with.

Bob

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I had the 39c and gave it a really fair shot. Four or five different blades and some of the best soaps available.

It worked out fine, I sold it and moved on to the R41 & Cobra Classic where I received fantastic results.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tab

I had the 39c and gave it a really fair shot. Four or five different blades and some of the best soaps available.

It worked out fine, I sold it and moved on to the R41 & Cobra Classic where I received fantastic results.

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Yea, don't know about the Cobra but for sure the R41 shaves closer than the slant.

Bob