Thread: newbie needs help

Thank you all for your replies.

Today, I found a very fine wettstone in the house which i have bought in Japan a few years ago. It has a very smooth working surface and the other side is just natural unprocessed rough rock surface. I don;t know the grit size of the stone and i have no other stone to compare. But it is smooooooth. I bought it from a Japanese traditional knife maker. Anyway...
I watched Lynn's dvd again on the section about honing. And I tried honing the razor for about 5 strokes each side. Afterwards, I shaved with the honed razor and i could tell the difference immediately. Although it was still not 100% BBS but the improvement is obvious. Before, it was like i haven't shave for 24 hours even after shaving with the razor. It is like only 8-12 hours now. Or it is more like after shaving with an electric razor.

I was using the same technique and prep as I have been using for this test shaving. Thank you guys again for your suggestion in doing a proper prep. This is what I have been doing as, like i said, i have been following Lynn's dvd to the details.

Now I am much convinced that the razor is not sharp enough. How do you guys get in contact with Lynn to have him sharpen your razors? Or do you guys think i can do it myself?

Thanks again.

I would first work through Classic Shaving, by giving the vendor the chance to correct things, it definately builds trust. CS is an excellent vendor who stands behind their products from every experience I've had with them.

In regards to contacting Lynn about honing, he is a member here but you can also contact him through Straight Razor Designs. Again, I would recommend reaching out to CS first, give them the opportunity.

Enjoy,

Joe

Hi and Welcome, I don't know. Your first post, I was positive it was technique. A common newbie mistake is holding the blade incorrectly and/or improper preperation.
It's extremely rare that a guy new to to the art of straight shaving gets BBS right off the bat. When Classic sent you the note, they might have meant, that Lynn already sharpened it, and they don't need to send off to him first, then you. Lynn probably sent the razor to them. I still think you should read up here on the WIKI on proper technique and practice. Normally, if you tell a Seller or Vendor that you've been "Honing" on the blade with some stone you found around the house that used to sharpen knives, They might not take it back, I wouldn't. As far as honing goes, You can't just use any stone you find. You need to determine what condition the blade is in, Your's may only need a touch up, if anything. If Classic say's it's shave ready, it probably is, they're a great vendor. If you want to be sure the blade is AOK, PM Lynn and tell him what happened. Have him at least look at the blade for you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Heck, he may remember that one.....

I just want to add one thing into the mix. I also got a razor from classic shaving. All of their razors are sharpened by Lynn Abrams. But, one thing that can be very detrimental and was a problem for me was the strop. Two things, is the trop of good quality? Are you stropping properly? A nicely honed razor can loose its edge if it is stropped wrong and that may be one of the first things that I looked at.

I have purchased two shave ready Dovos from CS in the last five months and they were shave ready.