Thread: Sooo Green!

Hi folks,

well i'm very new at this and i need the advice of pro's.

I was in the US recently and took the advantage of cheap prices to get a new Dovo black star (from Vintage Blades) and pick up some antique pieces from the flea markets in the North Georgia area.

I have a full hollow Crown and Sword, a lovely bone handle Reigel and Co, 6/8 with barber notch, A De-Fi, an OLD Wade and Butcher that needs a serious re grind and some others.

Anyway, the Dovo came with a bend in the blade which Jim at Vintage Blades quickly replaced in the best example of customer service I have ever seen, he even shipped it airfreight back to me at his own cost to ensure it reached me before I flew back to the UK a few days later.

Thanks Jim, you are a true gent.

The razor came with a Lynn Abrams hone which seems to be the best thing this planet has to offer a razor, except it didn't work for me. Right now nothing does. I am honing on a Norton 4000/8000 and finishing on a linen/leather, a can get the hair test on plucked chest hairs held between my fingers ( I have short hair on my head and no woman around) on about half the razor but never all of it.

I'm honing with lather, using a good lather cream from a tube or good soapy lather but even with Lynns hone teh razor is really pulling and hurting after tehefirst cheek and half the neck is done.

I have found the best to be give a quick strop (20-40 times) after the 8000 honing and then I can get half a shave before I need to restrop linen and leather, but I can only achieve this on the old Crown and Sword, and that is so old it has a chip out the tip and the handle is made of two thick, stiff peices of leather. It was meant to be a practice peice but is the only one I can get a good edge, the Dovo does not want to play, it will remove thumb skin with a mere look but not hair.

[SIZE=2]i am at a loss over Lynn's hone not being enough, from the first it just bit into my beard and held painfully, i did give it a gentle strop and i am sure my strop technique is good enough not to kill his edge since it improves the edge every other time I do it.

I place no blame on Lynn since he is THE man for the job, I guess some things just can't be explained.

is there anyone in the UK I can see about this?
Ideally someone who can re-grind and old razor to full hollow and to make sure that teh whole edge is in touch with the hone, but also to give a ready edge to my good razors since i still haven't experienced a shave with a proper edge so don't know what the benchmark is.

Thanks guy, I'm sure you've heard this a nudred times before, trying to read through the past posts has made me dizzy, it seems every combination of every technique has been advised and half the terms I don't understand, limited internet time doesn't right now either.