First month

Hi to everybody!
This is my first post after months just reading the forum and some days as member.. OK, and one month shaving with my first razor. After 15 years growing my beard (since from I was 16! ..growing and cutting a bit sometime), I decided to reshape my beard with "ancient" mutton chops and bought my first razor: a straight DOVO Bismarck 5/8 spike point with handle in bone. Very nice and not so difficult to use. Yes.. true: just one short cut in one month (12 cuts/year?.. eheh!).

I have a small yellow coticule from classicshaving.com, that I use without slurry because I have no bout stone. During this first month I learned to stop, hone, shave, polishing an old blade from ebay, etc..

Today I had my first "serious" honing session with slurry included! I grew a milky slurry with sanding paper #1200 and made 200 laps on my Bismarck. It was shave ready when I bought it from StraightRazorDesigns, but I thing that it was not so ready.. and I never could achieve a good result without slurry during 4-5 honing sessions. OK, after 200 laps on the yellow coticule it was still impossible to pass the HHT (the only one I can perform now). I made 4 laps on the hone in "contrary motion" (like if using the strop) and then 100 laps with slurry + 100 laps with more water (let's say 6 drops every 10 laps).

After stropping (60 laps) I could difficultly pass the HHT, only if moving the hair very fast and "with some angle" (30° like if shaving). I think the blade is shave ready for me (I never had problems during this first month shaving), but I think that I could do something better.

Suggestions? The yellow Coticule is my only hone. Should I buy a BBW (:nono:) or just to learn to use in the proper way my yellow?

[sorry for my bad english and for the boring description.. it is just my first message!!]
Thanks!

Hi & welcome,
I'd be surprised if the razor from Straight razor Designs wasn't shave ready, if you bought it that way.
Are you honing new razors, or old ones?
If a razor fails the HHT that doesn't mean it's not shave ready. It's not a reliable indicator of the razor's ability to shave you. It just looks good really. It can become useful, but it's not a true test.
You can't expect to learn to shave, strop, hone & restore in a month. If you slow it down a bit i think you can concentrate on getting better results.
A BBW is fairly inexpensive & worth getting. Weather you need one right now is up to you.
You're certainly enthusiastic!
:gl:

Hi, and thank you very much for your suggestions.
..yes.. one month is a short time to do so many things (:ziplip:): I just wanted to say "I started to learn to..[etc]", because it is impossible to avoid learning.. I just do my best and enjoy very much.

Regarding my DOVO Bismarck, I had it shave ready, live I wrote, but my first honing session [with no experience] was enough to have a better shave after honing.. [..??..] My blade shaves well even if not passing the HHT, but I feel that it get worse quite fast (in 2-3 shaves!). This means that I have to improve my honing/stropping skills.

Opinions about my honing session (described above; number of laps, use of the hone, etc)? Thanks!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ben.mid

If a razor fails the HHT that doesn't mean it's not shave ready. It's not a reliable indicator of the razor's ability to shave you. It just looks good really. It can become useful, but it's not a true test.

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I think beginners should avoid the HHT like the plague. It is neither necessary nor sufficent for a good shave. It is not consistent between different people. It can lead to excessive honing and frustration when it isn't needed.

I just did a few quick tests. My straights will pass the HHT with difficulty, just like clavichord's. I opened a fresh pack of Feather DE blades, said to be some of the sharpest available. I could not get a Feather blade to pass the HHT with my hairs.

Do not lose sleep over the HHT. The shave test is a hundred gazillion times more important. Period.


P.S. Am I the only one who also finds it nigh on impossible to pull hairs from his head? Maybe I'm related to Superman? :shrug:

Thank you! ..night will be more relaxing for me, now!:bow

First, Welcome to SRP. I would stay away from the sanpaper and buy a slurry stone from Rob in Belgium or where ever's less expensive for you. Your sanding away good coticule IMHO? As expensive as they are, I don't recommend it unless your lapping it. I'm concerned about "contrary motion" Are you saying you used your coticule like a strop? Also, if I read correctly, you say you've done multiple honing sessions, hundreds and hundreds of laps with a Dovo you bought from Don and Lynn. It sounds like your gonna run out blade or coticule, I don't know which first. Read the wiki here, or ask questions. A razor from SRD, Don and Lynn should be shave ready, if not, they'll fix it for you, However, it sounds like you may have done more harm than good. It also sounds like you've done way too many laps on your coticule. Try wetting your thumb nail, and lightly dragging the blade across it, does glide across smooth? The best test it to shave with, do your prep, watch your angle. I fear your angle may be off, not your blade. but who knows. you will learn....Read the wiki and ask questions.And do yourself a favor, Have Lynn hone the blade for you so you know it's ready and you'll know how it's supposed to feel.....Good Luck
Rich

If the edge is close, then dragging a wetted thumbnail over it would not be a great idea. At around the 1200-4k stage it indicates that you've established a bevel. After that the Thumb Pad Test is a better indicator that won't harm the edge.
If you try a TPT on a DE blade, this will give you a bit of a reference as to how it's supposed to feel. I do find that my straight's give far 'stickier' feedback than the Feather DE's i've done this with. I don't think they are sharper than a Feather though. They're just really sticky!

He said he bought it shave ready from Don and Lynn, unless he tore up the edge, it should glide across his thumbnail based on the amount of honing he's done, possibly rounded, I doubt he could hurt the blade anymore than he has, ...Plus he's new, I don't think he'll know what he's feeling by dragging it across his thumb pad, nor did he say he had a DE, I could be wrong...IMO....

He said he bought it shave ready from Don and Lynn, unless he tore up the edge, it should glide across his thumbnail, no....Plus he's new, I don't think he'll know what he's feeling by dragging it across his thumb pad. I could be wrong...IMO....
Today 03:19 PM


zib, from xman's post in the Wiki, it shouldn't glide. It should be smooth, & cut slightly. He also explains that this can damage a shaving edge.
Sharpness tests explained - Straight Razor Place Wiki
I didn't think that clavichord would know how the TPT should feel. That's why i suggested he try it on the DE blade.
xman's sharpness test explainations are pretty good. I've found them very helpful. I'm nowhere near the level of expertise that many of the contributors to the wiki are, so i rely on them somewhat.

Based on the amount of honing he did, I thought he may have rounded it....IMO...:shrug:

He may have done, mate. We're only guessing what stage it's at & what's required to get it shave ready again. I just thought that if it was close to shave ready the TNT might set him back a bit.

Agreed ! You never really know unless you have the blade yourself, All we can do is guess as to what we think may have happened.

1_ Hi, and thanks to everybody! Really thank you!!!

2_ I think I will need 2 days just to understand the exact meaning of your answers, and I really want to understand it. So, please consider that now I am reading a lot to understand your suggestions.. eheh! I will be back in 2 days with more descriptions. Now I say only this: a) the razor now shaves very very well (but I do not know if it will get worse soon or not); b) my 4 laps in contrary motion were just to be shure than I did not over-hone before (..probably a bad reading, but I read that to reestablish a good starting point, I could try that "contrary motion" like when stropping). Now everything seems work with my stright, but I need to read more to understand how to perform the tests you suggested.

Thanks one more time!

1. NEVER EVER swipe the hair quickly to perform the HHT. You learn nothing and endanger yourself.

2. Get a BBW.

X

TNT: Should the blade leave a mark? In my case I have only an imperceptible mark. And I had to make a little effort to move the blade across the nail. OK?

Tomorrow the TPT [I am an harpsichord player.. give me the time to accept the idea of using my thumb in this way!]

Thank you!!

It should cut the nail surface if it has a bevel. There should be some bite, as it digs in. If it took some effort with you applying no pressure, that sounds pretty close. Back to the hone now mate, but you'll need the TPT, so wait till you're ready.
No one wants to put a straight razor into their thumb, whether they play harpichord or not! It's a safe test, just be gentle.

Thanks, ben.mid!

TPT: I think I am between 1 and 3 (not 2), as described in the wiki page. Most probably 3, but I found difficult to understand the difference between 1 and 3. In my case the thumb runs "gently" across the blade.

1. If the edge has a faint tickling sensation and just starts to grip onto your thumb pad then you are in the right neighbourhood for a shave test.
3. If the edge tickles your thumb and feels like a very sharp knife with a good cutting edge then you are not sharp enough. This sensation is usually felt coming off a medium hone like a 4,000 grit water stone.

Now should I come back to my yellow coticule? How? no slurry? How many laps? ..and I think I will have to do the TPT while honing..

Thanks!!

..up.. :confused: Suggestions about the honing required [just ideas]??

thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by clavichord

Thanks, ben.mid!

TPT: I think I am between 1 and 3 (not 2), as described in the wiki page. Most probably 3, but I found difficult to understand the difference between 1 and 3. In my case the thumb runs "gently" across the blade.

1. If the edge has a faint tickling sensation and just starts to grip onto your thumb pad then you are in the right neighbourhood for a shave test.
3. If the edge tickles your thumb and feels like a very sharp knife with a good cutting edge then you are not sharp enough. This sensation is usually felt coming off a medium hone like a 4,000 grit water stone.

Now should I come back to my yellow coticule? How? no slurry? How many laps? ..and I think I will have to do the TPT while honing..

Thanks!!

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Use your coticule with water (no slurry) as a finisher. Don't be too concerned about over honing. Many people say that you can't overhone on a coticule. The actual number of laps is hard to say... every razor and coticule is different. My particular coticule is very slow. I usually need 150 laps on it. Yours might be faster, and require less. The nice thing about the coticule, though, is that you can go ahead and do, say, 200 (or more) laps on it without worry about overhoning.

Hi everybody,

I started only few days before: one month and half in total.
To my personal discredit, my dovo was broken and fortunately the vendor gave me a new one.
I would like to believe I am leaving the low part of the learning curve: although today it has been really good I have had to finish my chin with the disposable: my job requires it.
Still looking (here in Europe) for the perfect soap/cream. For the aftershave, I mix myself a very good moisturizing crema with an aloe vera product both from my wife's personal apotheke.
In short, still learning and certainly proud of it!
I would like to be so brave as some fellows that are already honing!
For newcomers this site is simply perfect, you find almost all the information you need, many thanks!

J Rizo

Thanks, FloorPizza! ..I will go on with my coticule. I think mine too is slow: it seems that after my 300 first laps (at the beginning of this thread) the blade needs more.

What exacly is overhoning? ..I think I have to look around for more info..

I am quite relaxed with honing. I like it and consider it not just an "homework" to be able to shave well, but the 50% of my passion for straight razors. The sound produced by the blade+stone is so relaxing, movements too.. eheh! And I like the idea of working weekly to build up my honing skills.

thanks for helping!