Thread: A couple questions - first shaves with a straight

I more or less stopped getting razor burn when I achieved the correct lightness of touch (ie very) and got the right angle all over. That 30 degrees was less than I originally thought, think it was Lynn who pointed me towards two spine widths off the face which I found a much more useable/accurate/understandable rule of thumb (though I don't know if or how that translates to a shavette as I've never used one, it uses disposable blades, right?). Also important was a change in shaving soap, while I love Sandalwood, it's just not good on my face and a change to lavender was the way forward for me, may be worth thinking about? Hope this helps.

though I don't know if or how that translates to a shavette as I've never used one, it uses disposable blades, right?).

Yes, it uses disposable blades and I think the spine is much thinner. I'll use that rule of thumb when I switch to the straight (matter of days). Checking for a 30° angle is quite difficult while shaving---
Thanks!

Xman just posted a video of his shaving passes
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...technique.html

Originally Posted by poisonoustea

I'm sorry for the double post.
So, I stopped by that knife shop and asked them for razors. One of 'em was a lovely Dovo Solingen, brown handle, brand new. Priced 55€. I don't know if that was exactly a deal but I prefer a brand new razor from a local store than taking any risks on ebay/used razors. It's a long-lasting buy after all.
They gave me strop paste too (should I use it?)
The guy told me it's shave ready and that he can hone the blade when necessary. I'll check it out as soon as I get the strop.

Yeah, I'm in a bit of a rush :P

Edit : I've been taking a look at it. Here are a few photos.

The new Dovos are solid razors... I started with one as well, and it has been nothing but good to me. If the strop paste is in a white tube with a yellow stripe on it, it's not paste, per se, but Dovo leather conditioner and is good to use on your strop. a little goes a VERY long way. rub it on your hands first to thin it, then wipe on the strop.

not sure about the conversion rate, but those razors usually run 60-70 bucks here in the states if you shop for 'em.

The strop paste is actually a combo red/black paste. I'll buy a second strop for that (next month or so).

Anyway, I can finally get a daily shave without much trouble!
I still haven't got the strop (damn Italian posts...) so I'm still using the shavette. I strongly recommend, to those who have VERY sensitive skin like I do, to use an eudermic product -- I'm currently using an A-Derma branded one, don't know if it's available in the States. Though they're not shaving products, they help a lot in avoiding the "tense" feel and irritation. The Prep shaving soap is very nice, too. I can get great lather with it.
My face never looked this good, hehehe

I used red and black pastes for a while, but for me they were no where near as good as diamond pastes. I gave up with the red one as it was not really particularly fine but the black one did improve my edge a bit. They were quite difficult to apply evenly to the strop, and tended to create a 'wax' finish on the surface of the leather.
If you don't have anything else then I would say just use the black one, but don't put it on an expensive strop like I did! I spent hours trying to get it out when I got some diamond paste!

I got the strops and began shaving with the Dovo. I'm currently using red paste on paper (it works!) and black paste on the strop to finish; I get a very nice edge which can easily pass the hanging hair test and shave comfortably. I'm experiencing a little amount of drag since (I think) I'm still used to the shavette, which tends to be a little sharper than the straight. It's a very different shaving method, however. The blade is completely different from what the disposable is, and I'm currently re-learning everything from the basics. I'm gonna buy a Japanese waterstone soon, I'm becoming very interested in collecting and keeping knives and I'll definitely need one of those. 1000/6000 grit should work, right?

If your razor is already shave ready, you probably will want a higher grit than that to maintain your edge. Most people here use a minimum of 8k to finish.
1k/6k will be good if you are planning to hone razors from ebay, which need a lot more work on them.

A nice cheap finishing stone is the 12K Chinese one. I got mine from open_razor on ebay here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Natural-Polishing-Water-Stone-12-000-Grit_W0QQitemZ130250345461QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 130250345461&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1 301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Wow thanks a LOT! I thought such stones were definitely out of my budget. Thanks!