Thread: another new guy

howdy folks

well been reading alot of stuff here. I am not new to straight razor shaving becuase i have been shaving with a disposable (changeable, whatever you want to call it) since i have been in the army. you know, those $12 plastic straight razor that you can change the blade....anyway I got some R&R and I am in Austria and I see mens store selling straight razors. So I buy the cheapest one i see= Dovo stainless olive wood handle. So I take this puppy for a test drive an it tears up my face. I am thinking, damn i thought these are supposed to be better than the disposable crap. Anyhow I am back in CONUS with my family and I call Dovo to complain. Talk to a guy name Jergen and he tells me some stuff about returning it and what not and to email him (still have not heard squat from him). I tell him i dont have time for that and if he could direct me to someone in the states that can help me. He says to look around at his trading partners on the website.

I do that and end up calling a great guy in MA (vintagebladesllc) I told him myt situation and he advises me about where to sharpen my blade.

At this point I just want a good honed razor without having to send mine anywhere. So I buy a lynn-abrams prehoned stainless dovo.

Well I can't not compliment Mr. Ayers enough at vintagebladesllc.com. He knows how to take care of a customer!

Well I get my prehoned razor and it doesn't cut as well as the disposbale blades i use.

SO after this whole lengthy background (sorry if i bored ya) ---how do i get my abrams prehoned razor to get as sharp as my disposable ones i am used to?? FYI--i have the strop and the 4000/8000 stone so i am prepared.

I know some people here are going to tell me to just look in the forums but I have until Thursday before I have to return to my unit. So any direct advice would be much appreciated.


later

Are you stroping the razors before each use?
If so, How are you doing it?

Hi RaZor,

Welcome to SRP and thanks for your service!!!

It might be helpful if you tell us a little about your beard prep (how and what you use) and your shaving technique.

Are you stropping? how much pressure on the strop? at what angle to your face is the blade (30 degrees??)?

If you can give us some more info, there will be plenty of people who can/will help.

SR shaving is different that disposables and will take some time to learn and become comfortable with.

We're here to help make you addicted to this style of shaving

yeah I am stropping.

as to how I am doing it, lets just say not so good. I got the abrams DVD so that is the only example I have but I still feel I am not doing it correctly.

I am gonna be honest here, I am not a genius or very smart for that matter but i have always learned from "hands on training" and unless a real person is showing me what to do, it is gonna take awhile before i understand any concept whether written or on video.

so that is my dilemma--but hey--when you got lemons make lemonade right??

@ steve--this is what i amm used to http://bestgroomingtools.com/product...b36ec64aa97398

this is what i have now
http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...28.htm#image_1

and

the abrams prehoned--http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=74&cat=131&page=1

i exactly what Mr. Abrams and Mr. Ayers told me do to when it comes to prep--ie pretty much i mirror the video from Lynn Abrams

and I use the products I bought from vintagebladesllc.com---do not know them off the top of my head but if you HAVE to know just post again and i will dig up my receipt

as for stropping i really do not know i just try and emulate what i see on the DVD--which i do not know if i am doing right

hope this anwsers your questions

It sounds like you may be dulling the edge on the strop. I don't have a Monsieur Charles but I've got a Shavette which is a similar razor that uses half a DE blade, and my Lynn-honed razor will shave circles around it.

Originally Posted by raZor

the abrams prehoned-- http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vsho...cat=131&page=1

I really like the Micarta scales; I have it on some of my pocket knives, and there's just something about the feel and look of it that gets to me.

It's all in the stropping. A well honed edge is great, but won't get you too far without proper stropping (stropping is king ).

1) use a good quality, broken in hanging strop (preferably untreated except for strop dressing on the leather) securely fastened by it's hardware. Preferably to a wall stud, undersink cabinetry, or other solid anchor point. Placing a cord or string between the strop and it's anchor point is really not the best set up. The cord allows too much bounce. The less your strop moves while stropping, the better.
2) keep strop taught - minimal sag.
3) keep razor flat on the strop - focus on the back, or spine, of the razor. Whatever you do with the back, the rest of the blade will follow.
4) Use enough pressure while stropping to feel resistance between the razor and strop. (See #1 above and reference to "bounce.")
5) use slow, even strokes. If you start with a down stroke, end with an up stroke to get equal time on both sides of the blade.
6) learn to check your edge with the ball of your thumb. When the edge feels "sticky" it is ready to shave.

Edit: Hint - warm up your strop with a palm rubbing before stropping. This time allow the strop to sag and really work the strop for a good 10 seconds of rubbing.

Good luck and have fun,

Scott

Originally Posted by honedright

(stropping is king ).

Where have I heard that before

Great advice from Scott. You won't go wrong following it. Don't forget the linen side of the strop. I've found that a good stropping on the linen can help re-keen an edge if it isn't too far dull yet.

But then so will stropping on a chrome-oxide paddle strop or the sunday funnies