First time today, no cuts but a few questions!

Hi All,

This is my first post on SRP, but I have been dipping into some of the threads and they have been very useful helping to decide to get a straight razor myself, so thanks very much..!

Knowing my growing interest in straight razor shaving my girlfriend bought me a shave at a barbers so I had my first shave this weekend, courtesy of Trumpers in Piccadilly. They did such a great job that I decided to bite the bullet and get my own razor, so I am now the proud owner of a DOVO Blackstar and hanging leather strop!:tu

I decided to give it a try this morning and shaved both cheeks down to my jawline and across to my mouth. I managed to get a very close shave, comparable to my Merkur DE, with no nicks or cuts, which I`m delighted about..! :y

I just had a few questions about moving on from this succesful first attempt.

Firstly, is it worth honing the razor now? I managed to get a good shave with it this morning with very little pulling or scraping (certainly no more than I get with my DE razor even with a new blade), but I have seen posts about shave ready razors and the benefits of honing new razors to get a better edge. Should I hone this razor now?

Second, I have read many posts that say decent stropping will keep a razor keen for a few months but when I do need to hone, is the Norton 4k/8k stone a good first stone to get? Is there a better first stone? Also, my stropping pattern (from reading on SRP) I used today was 40 canvas and 50 leather strokes before, then 10 canvas and 10 leather after. Is this ok?

Thanks very much guys and I look forward to swapping info and stories with you all!

Stu

Is it a factory "shave ready" blade or a Honemeister "Shave Ready" blade?

Your stropping routine sounds fine to me.

I would not worry about hones for a while except for maybe a barber hone or pasted strop for maintenance.

Just spend the $20 once or twice a year to have a pro do it. It is cheaper :)

All you want to concentrate is prep and technique. You dont want to be wondering if your problem is the razor or technique(not implying you have problems..:))

The wiki is a great source of information. So i will just nudge you that direction and stop talking....

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stubear

Hi All,

This is my first post on SRP, but I have been dipping into some of the threads and they have been very useful helping to decide to get a straight razor myself, so thanks very much..!

Knowing my growing interest in straight razor shaving my girlfriend bought me a shave at a barbers so I had my first shave this weekend, courtesy of Trumpers in Piccadilly. They did such a great job that I decided to bite the bullet and get my own razor, so I am now the proud owner of a DOVO Blackstar and hanging leather strop!:tu

I decided to give it a try this morning and shaved both cheeks down to my jawline and across to my mouth. I managed to get a very close shave, comparable to my Merkur DE, with no nicks or cuts, which I`m delighted about..! :y

I just had a few questions about moving on from this succesful first attempt.

Firstly, is it worth honing the razor now? I managed to get a good shave with it this morning with very little pulling or scraping (certainly no more than I get with my DE razor even with a new blade), but I have seen posts about shave ready razors and the benefits of honing new razors to get a better edge. Should I hone this razor now?

Second, I have read many posts that say decent stropping will keep a razor keen for a few months but when I do need to hone, is the Norton 4k/8k stone a good first stone to get? Is there a better first stone? Also, my stropping pattern (from reading on SRP) I used today was 40 canvas and 50 leather strokes before, then 10 canvas and 10 leather after. Is this ok?

Thanks very much guys and I look forward to swapping info and stories with you all!

Stu

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Welcome to SRP!

The wiki is invaluble to people like us new to straight shaving, so most of your questions can be answered there.

You shouldn't need to worry about honing for a while, assuming your razor is already shave ready, but if you feel you need to have it honed then I'd recommend going here: Home

You'll find a few different answers regarding a beginner hone, but I'd say your budget and location might come into it as some honing stones are cheaper in the US than here in Europe and I think vice versa.

Thanks very much for the advice guys! Its appreciated!

My razor hasnt been honed by a honemeister, I dont think anyways..! Would it be worth my while sending it off to have it honed?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stubear

Thanks very much for the advice guys! Its appreciated!

My razor hasnt been honed by a honemeister, I dont think anyways..! Would it be worth my while sending it off to have it honed?

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Hi,
YES! Then you'll get a razor that you know is up to snuff, and you can use it as a benchmark. You can focus on your technique and will be able to tell what is working or not.

Also, when you get it back, do not strop it the first time-- many times poor stropping technique will dull the edge, so shave with a "perfect" edge first, then strop it for your next shave and compare the results.

-Chief

Thanks very much guys! :rock:

My first shave was without cuts...with my incredible Filarmonica Barbas Duras 14 Round Point (white scales)..honed by LEON on www.Vintagescent.com ..beautifull..and my hand was shaking :)so smooth..like cutting butter:) but i didn't do it on my neck..aren't ready..but i will get there.. So i did it with a disposible razor, consequences: cuts and nicks everywhere:gaah:
The angle isn't perfect..but with practice i will achieve perfection!..I have to buy a alum block for the burns! The Shaving products were from Edwin and from Muehle - awsome ones! Can wait till tomorrow to practice more:D:D

If you're sure it's not been made shave ready, then i recommend you get it done. Steve at Invisible Edge is a member here & can apparently get a half decent edge! He's in England.

When you get it back, go with BHChieftains advice.

It's usually a good idea to have a new razor honed especially if you feel some pulling as you described.
Welcome to the forum!

Even though I'm honing razors for other people now, I'm going to be the voice of dissent, slightly.

You already got a good shave from it. It might already be sharp.

You bought the razor from somebody, somewhere. Ask them. They MIGHT be able to tell you if the razor has already been sharpened. If they tell you it came sharp direct from the factory, then it needs more work. If they tell you the old barber they have chained up in that dark corner over there in the store honed it, then it's probably just fine already.

If the razor is re-honed and didn't need it, then you're only out the cost and a very slight loss of steel, so there is no real harm done. However, if you can easily find out how the razor was prepped, then you might not have to bother.