Thread: A few hesitant questions

I could cut armhair easily off the 1k. By 8k it was cutting hair off above skin level, but not easily.

I wasn't using electrical tape, as from what I'd understood it was for aesthetic preferences, of which this piece I'm not concerned. I figured for as thick as the spine is, you'll never take an appreciable enough amount off to truly screw up the geometry without first removing all the metal from the blade itself (since it's a half (or full) hollow I believe). Should I tape the blade to further reduce spine wear, regardless? I don't believe that a whole lot more metal needs removed to set the bevel/remove nicks (of the 1/3 near the heel), so I believe the spine is alright.

I will see what a few more people think, but right now I think working the heel area makes sense.

I don't want to junk the blade (since I'm stubborn and bought it, albeit cheaply) and want to eventually get it functional, even if that is farther down the road. Also, based on the progress I've made, I don't think I'm doing the razor any disfavors. On top of that, SRD is nearly out of every Dovo under $200. Any other reasonable suggestions from the "junk it" crowd and get a pro honed benchmark so I know exactly what I'm shooting for?

Again, thanks for the input whether it's what I want to hear or not.

The electrical tape is not only used for aesthetic purposes. It also increases the angle of the spine on the razor. It changes the angle of the edge making contact with your stone. Why not add a few layers of tape, make twelve honing laps with only the weight of the razor pressed onto the stone. Use your magnification to see if your edge looks different. Maybe lather and try a shave.

Something to understand about this particular razor...

It has been "Fixed" it had a cracked heel, it was ground out, doesn't mean it can't shave but it does mean that it is particularly susceptible to pressure while honing..
That blade will flex very easily because of the fix. so it is slightly more difficult to hone from the get go..

If you are close as you say, then add 2 layers of electrical tape and do about 20 light laps on the 8k strop and shave, this will tell you where you are really at...this will concentrate the finish to the very edge...


PS; if the razor shaves this doesn't mean you're done, it just means you are on the right track and you are very close.. see if it works and then decide whether you want to proceed using tape, or if you want to back track and try making the entire bevel meet evenly..

Originally Posted by gssixgun

If you are close as you say, then add 2 layers of electrical tape and do about 20 light laps on the 8k strop and shave, this will tell you where you are really at...this will concentrate the finish to the very edge...

Thanks, I did this and it was noticeably improved. I think with the steeper angle and slightly less metal to remove in future honings, I'll stick with the electrical tape. I'll shave with it 2-3 more times, as each time it got a little better (my imagination or my technique?) I shaved the cheek area WTG, XTG, and finally ATG which felt excellent, however, the blade isn't to the point I feel comfortable doing that with a coarser area of growth like the chin. I will do a few more pyramids with tape this time.

That being said, I guess I'll look into whipped dog's sight unseen, it worries me getting something I have no idea the brand. I don't mind a little metal-glo to clean up tarnish, but some of the razors in the picture don't quite seem worth $43, and they can't all be worth even remotely the same. However, if enough of you say you've had good experiences with them, I'll trust you. But I'd feel better spending even double on a dovo best I know is new as well as pro-honed from SRD.

Side note: Also, based on a lot of your replies, the first image of my post showing the bevels meeting in the middle, I didn't stop with them uneven. I got it to the point where neither a sharpie or magnification could show them unevenly meeting.

Again, thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I didn't want to reply immediately until I'd gotten a few more shaves in to get my sample size up. Also, I'm never giving up on this razor, I'll have others, but I will get it shave ready if it's the last thing I do!

Originally Posted by mrmessma

Thanks, I did this and it was noticeably improved. I think with the steeper angle and slightly less metal to remove in future honings, I'll stick with the electrical tape. I'll shave with it 2-3 more times, as each time it got a little better (my imagination or my technique?) I shaved the cheek area WTG, XTG, and finally ATG which felt excellent, however, the blade isn't to the point I feel comfortable doing that with a coarser area of growth like the chin. I will do a few more pyramids with tape this time.

That being said, I guess I'll look into whipped dog's sight unseen, it worries me getting something I have no idea the brand. I don't mind a little metal-glo to clean up tarnish, but some of the razors in the picture don't quite seem worth $43, and they can't all be worth even remotely the same. However, if enough of you say you've had good experiences with them, I'll trust you. But I'd feel better spending even double on a dovo best I know is new as well as pro-honed from SRD.

Side note: Also, based on a lot of your replies, the first image of my post showing the bevels meeting in the middle, I didn't stop with them uneven. I got it to the point where neither a sharpie or magnification could show them unevenly meeting.

Again, thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I didn't want to reply immediately until I'd gotten a few more shaves in to get my sample size up. Also, I'm never giving up on this razor, I'll have others, but I will get it shave ready if it's the last thing I do!

I'm glad you were able to bring it back to life! I do find that the second or third shave after honing a razor tends to get a bit smoother.

As for the topic of whipped dog's sight unseen shave ready razors you have to think about what you're getting. If you look at eBay, the average buy it now razor is 15 to 25 bucks. It will not be shave ready, which means you will have to sharpen it or send it to be honed, another 25 bucks. Might be more, because some of the razors I've seen on there look like the previous owner tried to sharpen them with coarse pocket knife stones and screwed everything up.

I would argue that if you do the math, it's well worth the 45 bucks he's asking for his razors. You may not get the prettiest razor out there. In fact you might think it downright ugly. But I'm willing to bet it'll shave as good as any other razor out there. Not to sway you away from one of SRD's razors, a Dovo Best would also be an excellent purchase, even more so if it some from Lynn.

Originally Posted by mrmessma

Thanks, I did this and it was noticeably improved. I think with the steeper angle and slightly less metal to remove in future honings, I'll stick with the electrical tape. I'll shave with it 2-3 more times, as each time it got a little better (my imagination or my technique?) I shaved the cheek area WTG, XTG, and finally ATG which felt excellent, however, the blade isn't to the point I feel comfortable doing that with a coarser area of growth like the chin. I will do a few more pyramids with tape this time.

That being said, I guess I'll look into whipped dog's sight unseen, it worries me getting something I have no idea the brand. I don't mind a little metal-glo to clean up tarnish, but some of the razors in the picture don't quite seem worth $43, and they can't all be worth even remotely the same. However, if enough of you say you've had good experiences with them, I'll trust you. But I'd feel better spending even double on a dovo best I know is new as well as pro-honed from SRD.

Side note: Also, based on a lot of your replies, the first image of my post showing the bevels meeting in the middle, I didn't stop with them uneven. I got it to the point where neither a sharpie or magnification could show them unevenly meeting.

Again, thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I didn't want to reply immediately until I'd gotten a few more shaves in to get my sample size up. Also, I'm never giving up on this razor, I'll have others, but I will get it shave ready if it's the last thing I do!

First of all 'Good Job" you got it into shavable service on your own by yourself, by reading and applying what you have learned here.
2) Chins are tricky areas to shave. Your way ahead of the curve. Main focus now for most , is on the flats of your face.
3) More warm water after each pass on your face rehdrates and allows you to feel areas that need more attention.
Choke down on the tang and use more of the distal end (tip) on tight areas . ie chin and lips,curves..
Feel YOUR face for direction of hair growth. No two faces are the same. Then apply the principles of WTG........ take your little wins.
If your straight aint tugging on the flats. test it on the curves. Just like driving slow down around the curve.

Thanks for the purchase!

It's a really nice blade and VERY sharp, it seems to have been rarely used before I honed it so it was close to a factory edge and honed very easily with one layer of tape. No geometry issues with this one

So you decided to start with a tough blade?

I would suggest getting a pro honed razor to compare it to. Whippeddog.com has sight unseen razors for $45 - it might not be a pretty one, but it will be honed and ready to shave with.

The electrical tape is not only for aesthetic value. It will help keep the blade angle correct while honing and keep the bevel width smaller down the length of the blade. In your razor's case, a layer or two or more of electrical tape will act as a fill in for the missing metal and bring the bevel angle back up to 17 degrees. Which will also mean less metal removal and less time on the hones. Change the tape as it wears and between hone grits so that you don't contaminate your hones.

It is possible that the temper on the heel was messed up when it was shortened. So it may be hard to maintain a sharp edge on that are. Or it could fine and just need more work.

It looks like you are proceeding down the right path with magnification and test shaves. Take your time with it and get the bevel straight and even. When you get frustrated, walk away from it for a little while and come back to it later. It takes patience to get a banged up blade like that back to shaving properly.

And the library is a black hone. Every time I refer to it to get a "quick" answer I end up seeing something new and losing a few hours to reading and learning.

You're a far braver man than I, taking that on as your first straight. I had it bad enough learning to shave with the razor I was learning to hone, and my razor wasn't broken. It just got a little surface rust from being left in the bathroom while someone took a steamy shower. I originally planned to put off honing til later, but life had other ideas.

If it were me...I'd be tempted to look at Ebay and find myself an unbroken vintage blade that's missing the scales and scrap the broken blade. I saw a few earlier while I was shopping around, might be worth looking into. A chipped toe I might wrestle with, but I doubt I would ever want to hassle with a chipped heel. YMMV.