I have bought a razor with the brand name of "Fromm". I have had a hard time of honeing it to be able to get my first shave. I have shaved with it twice now and my face looks like one big razor burn.... help!!
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I have bought a razor with the brand name of "Fromm". I have had a hard time of honeing it to be able to get my first shave. I have shaved with it twice now and my face looks like one big razor burn.... help!!
I'm on a free honing kick. If you'd like, I'll hone yours for free. Just send me a PM and I'll give you the information.
Also, do you know about stropping?
Also, what kind of prep are you doing?
Also, have you read or watched anything to show you how to use a straight?
Finally, have you read the section entitled Newbies Read This First?
my understanding from people who have honed a lot of razors is that these are not very good ones.
i'd suggest you get a quality razor and give that a try instead.
I would send it off to a honemeister to have a pro edge put on it. Almost any razor of any decent quality can be honed properly. Taking Utopian up on that offer is a great deal!
I don't have a Fromm so I can't speak to the quality of the razor. However, you are in a quandry. Is the bad shave a result of a bad edge, or bad technique? I think you have both conditions. As already advised, send your razor to someone who knows what they are doing. Utopian has graciously offered to do the honing for free. We also have several members who are listed in the classifieds under member services who do honing for a fee. Worth every penny of it too!! Your face will most certainly agree with that. Don't give it to someone who sharpens knives and think they can hone a razor. They can't!
Hold off shaving until you get your razor back. When you do get it back, take your time. Start with just the area between your sideburn and jawline, and WTG only. Work on pressures and angles. When you are comfortable with that, you can add new facial areas as well as XG and AGT strokes. Just add them one at a time.
I also highly recommend getting a copy of Lynn's CD. IT's worth its weight in gold. It contains over 3 hours of most aspects of straight razors, including shaving with one. Also, good face prep and correct stropping are every bit as important in getting a good shave.
I know it can seem overwhelming at first. Take your time. It's not a race. It will all fall in place for you... :gl:
I've had one done by Utopian:bow on a DA [said by some not to be the greatest ] and he put a fantastic edge on it. :rock: When he offers, take it.:gl:
said by some not to be the greatest I mean the razor
I have done a couple of the Fromm's they are about the same as a DA, I cannot answer to how long they keep the edge though....Ron, they don't really like the lower grits, get up into the 4k arena, and stay there till sharp, sharp, then just a little polishing on the uppers and yer done....
Think like a slightly harder steel DA.... :gl:
woops.....
Fromm razors are made by Dovo. I have a Fromm and have had no trouble maintaining an edge on it. It is one of my everyday shavers.Quote:
Originally Posted by gugi
Quote:
Originally Posted by dward
This is very good advice. I made that mistake once.:cen
Technique!!!
Technique!!!
Technique!!!
When I started with a straight, I had BAD razor burn. I found through trial and error it was due to TOO much pressure. I used a mach 3 in the past, and found out very quick that I had bad technique. With a nice sharp well honed razor and a little patience, you will find this is a nice way to pamper yourself.
Good luck, and happy shaving!
Steve
If you're set on honing it yourself, then read all you can on the wiki about honing and honing tests. If you can't pass the arm hair test (away from skin) at all nor the HHT, then don't even put it to the face. I understand these tests are not tell-alls, but for newbies like me starting out, it works pretty good.
BTW, it took 4 weeks before I am starting to figure out what is sharp, what is good prep, and what good stropping sounds like. These three things all come together to provide the nice shave. Mess up any one of them and you might as well be shaving with a steak knife.
Thanks so much to all for your input. I want to learn how to do my own honing but for now i think i'll send it off to the guy on this site that does it for free. Anything any one can tell me about anything to do with straight razor shaving i would love to hear it. Thanks, ron
just about everything is in the wiki.
(its a tab up top)
welcome to srp, lots of helpful fun people here
I think maybe we are talking vintage-vs-new production here...Quote:
Originally Posted by joesixpack
A vintage Fromm is a different razor than a new Fromm... Much like a Vintage C-MON is not the same as a new production C-MON....
The new production ones are a very thick heavy bladed hollow ground very similar to a Double Arrow in feel, they have a matt black tang....
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
You can get an edge on these, but.........................
Not my favorite razors to hone and I have done a ton of them.
Great deal here!!!!
Lynn
Well I can't even tell you how many of them I've done.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynn
Okay, actually I can.
I've never honed one, so that was part of my incentive to offer to hone it. Ronprice, I hope that doesn't scare you off. I should be able to get you a decent edge, it might just take a bit of experimentation to get it up to snuff.
Alright,
Who jinxed me...........dang.......I just got in a new Fromm to hone. Bad enough that it's one of the new ones, but the shoulder is flattened to smitherines..........:shrug:
Lynn
I've tried doing it myself on 200/1000,4000/8000, and a arkansaw stone, and still don't have an edge that i can shave with. It is pretty sharp but i can't cut a hair by the hanging hair tec. Where can i learn how to get that right edge? ron
Lynn, what kind of razor do you recamend i buy and one that i can hone myself. What are some good shaving soaps to buy? do you recamend useing a preshave oil along with the soap? ronQuote:
Originally Posted by Lynn
Check the wiki for recommended razors as well as razors to avoid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RONPRICE
You'll have to find somebody who is willing to teach you how to hone. May be if somebody organizes another CA meeting you can join them, or see if Ross Cutlery would be willing to teach you.
Lynn's DVD could be quite helpful as well - there's a sticky on the top of this section, and I believe it's listed in the classifieds as well.
The easiest way to learn honing is to buy a razor that is already honed. Cut a piece of cardboard few times and it won't shave anymore, bring it back using the pyramids.
If you haven't found it on your own yet, start at the honing FAQ index.Quote:
Originally Posted by RONPRICE
Novice to novice. This advice is based on my recent experience of what not to do.
I would not even be shaving until you can pass some tests. Until you have experienced a good shave and know what good prep/soap/stropping is, you should rely on some kind of sharpness test. The reason is that you will always second guess everything and in reality, everything is probably wrong. Once you have everything in order, then you can probably rely less on HHT and more on shave tests. You need a good shave first so that you know how all things should be done.
Read all you can about honing. Work in stages. My first and only hone was not bad, but it never touched 200. I only used 1000 and up. If you have touched 200/1000 with you razor, then I think your job is harder. You should read the wiki and learn what kind of tests you should pass before moving off each level. I think you shouldn't get past 1000 until you can shave arm hairs at the skin level properly, but you should double check that from the wiki.
When you get that far, then pyramid on the 4000/8000. I think I ended up doing more strokes but I am not sure it is necessary. If you have access to a microscope, make sure that you have a nice straight edge before going to 4000/8000 pyramids. I don't know how you can even learn to hone without a microscope, but I suppose it can be done with much time.
I think that at a minimum, you should:
a) Make sure your edge is straight off the 200/1000
b) Make sure you can shave arm hairs at the skin level off the 1000
c) Make sure you can shave arm hairs floating above the skin off the 4000/8000 (many and easily)
d) Strop and make sure you can pass HHT. If you can and its poor do some more on 4000/8000, then strop again and retest.
In my limited novice experience, I found I am getting better shaves just after many weeks of touch-up honing and stropping. I now feel like I am close to a well honed razor.
Takes the same time. You just have to access the edge condition in some other way - running it over a thumbnail is quite popular.Quote:
Originally Posted by spoulsen
Message From Another Ron Price....I feel a certain kinship with the initiator of this thread. There are over 2000 other Ron Prices on the internet and so it is not surprising if 'RonPrice' here at 'StraightRazorPlace' receives a reply from another Ron Price.
I began shaving with a blade sometime in the years 1957 to 1960 at the age of 14 to 17. That's some 50 years. I may write about the experience later.-Ron in Tasmania:boohoo:
do yourself a favor ron and take the advice of these guys and get the razor honed. Dont give up you will not regret it. I was lucky and the razor i started with was sharp as hell and is still one of my best shavers. get the razor honed buy yourself a cheap starter strop and start learning. Most important try to enjoy it. If you make it a task yiou will not enjoy it.
Hey ron it sounds like you have a bad edge like the rest of these guys said. Take the free honing job you wont regret it. I understand wanting to hone your own razors as i do my own also. What i did right in the begining is to get one honed by lynn and it gave me a great example of how a razor should look, feel and shave. I took that razor and tried to make the rest shave as well. I have learned a lot here as will you but definately let a pro do it first.
Hey, Man, I'm A Happy Shaver....I shave with a blade with a little plastic handle in a shaving container and when it gets dull I throw it away and take another one out of the pack. My wife buys a pack--the cheapest I've everpaid--and I get enough shaves for about two years or more.....I'm as-happy-as-larry with the process and it will take me to the grave in the next 1 to 40 years, depending on how long those mysterious dispensations of Providence dictate....for no man knoweth what hisown end shall be....Ron in Tasmania:boohoo: