As of today I can call myself a true straight razor shaver

Woohoo! Just got my first good shave off a Genco razor I bought on eBay and honed myself. Notice I said first good shave :D I got my hone about 2 weeks ago, a DMT 8k and have been working at honing every day since. I've been frustrated quite a bit but about 4 days ago I started getting my razors shaveable but not comfortable and tonight, after hours of work, study, video watching etc. and the addition of a 1 micron pasted strop between my 8k and the .5 Cr3O2 I got a very smooth, comfortable shave. I know it could have been better because it wasn't buttery smooth as I know it can be but it was leaps and bounds over what I had been experiencing and was cause for me to celebrate. Just wanted to share to give the other newbies hope.

Ebay Genco razor $15, DMT hone $77, TM aprentice strop $35, 2 homemade balsa paddle strops $15, the feeling you get from honing your own razor and shaving using a centuries old method with a great piece of history, Priceless.

Good stuff!

I'm in a similar situation. Still a newbie, but getting good shaves off razors I honed myself.

What a great feeling!

Mike

Yeah, I gotta admit I was getting very frustrated for a while because I thought I was doing everything right from all the reading and video watching but I think it mostly came down to consistency with my strokes and developing that feather light touch. I probably spent 12 total hours trying to get proper honing down and finally my razors are passable but I still have a long way to go.

My "eureka" moment came courtesy of Josh Earl. I bought a shave-ready razor from him to use as a benchmark, and we corresponded about it afterward.

I was having a tough time getting my razors anywhere near as nice as the one he sent me. I figured I needed a finer hone, a lighter touch, some diamond paste... whatever. He suggested just the opposite: probably need to get rid of the factory edge. Cut a new bevel and start over.

Exactly right. I was worried about finesse, when what I really needed was a fresh start. Thanks Josh!

Mike

Grats, Backpacker. I'm sure the paste helped loads; a shave of an 8k can be pretty rough. I think you'll also find that after you've honed a razor it needs plenty of time on a plain leather strop, so it should get better with time...until it get's dull again.

Congrats on the first good shave! It feels good when you finally get a good shave out of a razor that you honed yourself doesn't it??

Congrats on your shave!!! May it be the first of many...!

I just want to point out that the DMT hones come initially kind of rough. Only after some wear will the hone "settle in" on a finer finish, so what may have been happening was that you were polishing a rougher finish when you initially went to the 0.5. If you want to improve the results from your hone, get an "Old Hickory" carbon steel knife and practice freehand sharpening a knife on the DMT hone. After you get the hang of freehand sharpening (which takes a while to get truly good results), go back to your razor, and you should find that you achieve much better results.

Ben

Yeah I read that they are a bit coarser at first but wasn't sure how much coarser they are at the beginning. I do know that it's nearly impossible to get a razor HHT sharp on a brand new DMT 8k though until it's smoothed out a bit.

Not so fast guys.

Didn't anyone tell you about the SRP Straight Razor Test?

First you have to contact Don for registration and then he sends you a 35 page questionnaire to complete and if you qualify you have to report to a secret location for a 3 hour written test covering all aspects of shaving and honing. If you pass that you have to have a certified honemeister come to your house for a practical exam demonstrating shaving, stropping and honing. If you pass all this then you can call yourself a novice shaver.

Don't ask what you have to do to be considered a journeyman straight shaver.