Hello, i am new here....

and this is my story.,....
first I just want to say how great this site is. I came across this sight watching lynn abrams on google videos.

well to make a long story short, back in March i was vacationing with my family in Honduras and I came across a shop that sold Dovo razors. So I thought it would be a cool idea to buy one for me and my two boys. My boys are 10 and 8 but i will save it for them when the time to shave comes. (dont worry it is in a safe place) i figure i could get enough practice in so i could teach them

I have always hated shaving with me nolreco so I decided to make the switch.

Well I have no clue what I was doing because the first day i tried to use the razor i bought it tore me face up. I mean i was extremely raw and I hardly cut any stubble off of my face. so it looked like a just had some weird rash on my unshaven face.

FYI-i do have the pre-oil, then fancy cream, and the badger brush

so I thought to myself---"what happened"

well I go to my barber and he tells me that most of those razors are not shave ready so I lend it to him to so he can sharpen it for me and tells me not to try anything for a couple of days and lends me one of his razors.

Well this razor, which was Thiers-Issard, was sharp. about 2 days after not shaving i tried this razor and it got alot of stubble off. I shaved in the direction of the hair growth but since this was my first time i cut myself pretty good in two place. (one I think is going to leave a scar about 1/4 of an inch on my face--i really dont know how it happened but it has been about a month now and i am still healing. **if anyone has any tips on how to help with deep cuts on the face please let me know***)

so I go return the "death blade" to my barber and he gives me mine honed and ready for use. Well i tried it yesterday and it cut ok but not as good as the one my barber lent me.

I feel a lil raw still probably because since i could not get a good shave goingwith the flow of the beard i decided to go against the grain----i gave myself lil nicks everywhere but no major bleeding... or future scars lol

i just feel that i am doing something wrong---i bought all the "quality" stuff at the store and i do not know why i am not shaving as easily as all those people on the shaving tutorial videos on the web

please help

thanks

bladessss

Welcome aboard. For starters he probably didn't hone it properly. Even if he did, you'd need to strop the razor before shaving. I'd recommend sending them to one of our honemeisters like Lynn (adjustme69) or Joe (Joe Chandler) for their honing service, so you'd know what a truly sharp blade feels like. You should also get in touch with Tony (Tony Miller, www.thewellshavedgentleman) to get your hands on one of his strops. Read the help files here, especially the one on the pyramid honing method. That should tell you about the honing process. Check out anything you find on sharpness test as those are also valuable resources.

thanks man--i am pretty sure my barber honed it because he gave me one of his razors while he honed mine---i havent seen him but i will talk to him when i do
again thanks

anytips on scaring on the face?

bladessss

Aloe is a great thing for healing skin.

As for the razor, everybody can make a mistake and it could be that the edge just isn't as refined as the TI he gave you, but I'd bet there's some stropping that needs to be done before it shaves pretty.

X

There are several factors that could influence the sharpness..
1) His sharpness standards may not be as high as ours. We're a bunch of enthusiasts here, some of us use grits that are 10x higher than the finest barber hones.
2) The lack of a strop can also be an issue. It makes a HUGE difference
3) Just because he's a barber doesn't mean he knows how to hone a blade properly. I've come across a barber on SMF who needed some honing tips as his customers were getting razor burn.
As for scarring... Just keep the cuts covered with petroleum jelly. It moisturizes the skin, thus minimizing any possible occurrence of scars. I've learned that from the time period when I used a Pakistani razor that could never take a proper edge. Getting my hands on a good piece of Sheffield steel was a triple quantum leap.

They actually sell some preps in drug stores that supposedly makes scars fade away some. I don't know if it works but you might check it out. Worse comes to worse just tell people you got it in the old days when you used to be a pirate.

I would take it slow and easy with the straight. Assuming your blade is shave ready this thing takes time to learn. Don't even expect to get good shaves for weeks, maybe months. Just start on the sides of your face and get comfortable with the razor before even attempting the neck or any fancy moves. Plan on using DE or disposable for awhile to complete your shaves. With experience will come mastery.

thanks for all the advice guys

i will definitely try again on monday and i will strop a good 15-30 times

been reading around here and that is what some people recommend so i will try and hope for the best

i really think that shaving with a straight razor is a very distinguished skill that has been lost

i just hope i can learn correctly so i can teach my children and maybe pass on my first straight razor to one of my grand-kids


bladessss

You chose a good one. I whip out my DE occasionally for variety's sake, but 99% of my shaves are with a straight razor. Nothing else has the appeal. Actually this is the overriding reason for me to want to have children (no joke) :roflmao

i was wondering is the 15-30 strops on both sides or just the leather or just the cloth???

bladessss

I do 10 linen, 30 leather. That's the optimum number to get a great shaving edge without spending half an hour stropping :cool:

Thanks for clearing that up FiReSTaRT

I have seen many questions about quality blades

mine is a dovo thuya wood...the salesman told me it was a very good blade.


any comments are welcome


bladessss

DOVO is a highly respected maker and one of the 2 remaining major manufacturers of straight razors (the other being Thiers-Issard). With either of the two brands, you can be fairly sure that your blade can take on a proper shaving edge. The scales have nothing to do with the blade quality, but I like wooden scales. Most of my rotation will end up being protected by some variety of wood.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bladessss

i will definitely try again on monday and i will strop a good 15-30 times

---

I strop 50-60 laps for maximum efficiency in the shave. I guess that's the difference between Ilija and myself ... he wants to get a shave that is good enough with the least amount of effort ... and I want the best shave this man can achieve. :D

X

I strop the same way even when going for BBS shaves, but yeah, most times I just do a 2-passer that gets me right up there but I won't die if I can feel a small patch when moving my fingertips ATG while pressing.

You're no fun to play with tonight. :p

I'm new to shaving as-well and my first shave sucked too. I bought my first razor here form Ivo and when I reported my first shave experience, people jumped in and said " the razors not sharp" this turned out not to be the case as with more practice the razor gets sharper with every shave. the same blade is now scary sharp and wipes the hair off my face this is after a month of shaving.
Now I think its common sense that the blade is not going to get sharper and what is happening is that I am getting better at using it. I think maybe some of the more experienced guys forget what it was like when they started and maybe they started with dull razors as there was no srp for them.
So my advise is practice,
Never force the razor. Imagine gently brushing a feather across your face.
Stretch the skin. this is important so I will say it again stretch the skin!!
Keep your face wet and your razor dry.
Don't aim to high at the beginning just get most of the hair off, you will get better with practice. ie: don't go ATG for now (Lynn still doesn't)

I did most damage to my face while trying to get to close to quick.
I'm by no means an expert but this things I've learned over the last few shaves help make it a more enjoyable comfortable experience. I look forward to getting the close shaves that these guys get. (someday)

Well I tried it shaving again even though I said I was gonna wait until tomorrow but oh well(stropped my Dovo alot of times 15-30); no major scars today but alot of nicks; I tried agianst the grain and i just couldnt do it. Just going down is not enough for me it still looks like i did not shave cloe enough;

I am not sure this is for me :( but will keep on trying until my face has no more space for nicks or scars lol


I have read in the forums that keeping the blade completely flat while going up against the grain is the best method for going against the grain

any advice is welcome

If you're really cutting yourself up, you might want to ease off the pressure and possibly prep your whiskers more. Each pass should remove a little bit of stubble so that by two or three passes, little or no stubble remains.

Dude, take it easy! You'll never be able to convert anyone to straight razors in the future if you have a bunch of scars on your face! jk

Sorry to hear your woes - if it makes you feel any better, everything that heliguy said applies (at least for me) - years ago I can remember wondering what I could be doing wrong, how could the razor possibly still be dull after 10,000 strops, why my face burned so bad and there was still stubble... etc. It might or might not be the razor. You get better at everything with practice, both sharpening and shaving. I was really, really bad at both for a long time. I have several big scars that infuriated me, almost made me throw the razor across the bathroom when I felt it cut me. Wish I'd had this site when I was learning.

The scars lessen up and go away after time, I think you'll find that people will kid you about it right up until the part where you tell them you did it with your straight razor! Let them heal up and keep the straight away from those areas for awhile. Sounds like they were deep cuts that will lead the blade right back into that spot again, trust me, I know. Use a safety razor over the scars for awhile.

The advice in this thread pretty much how I kept going at it - take your time on the next shave and really figure out where you're getting razor burn, where you're leaving stubble and, most importantly, where you're actually getting a good shave from the thing. There is (hopefully) at least one spot on your face where the razor is working very well. For me it was the middle part of my neck by the throat.

Pay close attention to exactly what you're doing on that "good shave" area, as well as the other problem spots. Then the next time you shave, first do the areas you're natually good at and pick one other problem spot, try to copy the "good shave" motion to what you're doing at that spot (razor angle, stroke, feel). DON'T rush or get discouraged; if it doesn't work then stop until tomorrow. Finish your face with a trac II or whatever. Take your time, it's not a big deal. After 10+ years of straight shaving I still sometimes finish up my chin and touch up with a disposable if I'm in a hurry. It's no big deal, this takes time to get used to.

You'll get better at both sharpening a blade and shaving really quick, you're doing all the right things. Good luck!

I still think your razor isn't sharp enough.. If you want, I'll hone it for you (gratis) and you'll experience the difference. PM me if you're interested.

again thanks for all the advice

I thought I would be doing a decent job by now but I will have to take a break from the straight. I am a teacher so I will have plenty of time to work on my shaving skills in the Summer.

Thanks
bladessss

I am new here but not to straight razors. just reading down he forum and your situation about the scar on the face is similar to my first experience with a straight razor. I was 17 and I didnt have not even 30 bucks for a straight edge so i went with a disposable straight edge and i cut my face real bad--12 years later and i still have a scar--nothing major but i am a latino so scars show easily--i do not know if you are a white, black, chinese or whatever but i suggest you really take care of that cut. because the way you make it sound it is a pretty good one---i am also struggling with my blade not being sharp enough---i even got a lynn abrams prehoned razor and that was not as sharp as what i am used to but from what i have read in other parts of the forum the blades to get sharper after use--anyway goodluck man

thanks for your info..I guess lol

Well I have been putting some arnaca on my cut and it is healing better than I expected. Haven't shaved with my razor as of yet. Going to wait until the Summer and see what happens then. My kids are a bit weary when they look at me and I tell them not to worry that once daddy's got it figured out this kind of stuff won't be happening to them.


In the mean time, how should I take care of my razor??

Thanks again

Mineral oil. Just take a q-tip, dip it into the oil, and rub it onto the blade. This will keep it from rusting while in storage.

I am glad that you are still keeping with it, and I hope the summer is one of great success.

Matt

Vitamin E cream or oil is meant to do wonders to help healing and for preventing obvious scars.

Nick