Introduction and enquiries

Hey all,

First off ill introduce myself.My names Ian, and im a 25 year old Londoner, who is now looking in to the noble art of straight shaving.I have ordered my equipment perhaps a little hastily, only really going on my own vague knowledge and had not yet discovered places such as this fora.

My first question is , have i ordered wisely? Im beginning with a Dovo Bismarck that i have purchased and am awaiting delivery of from King Barber (Luke Leadbitter trading as) > Cutthroat razors, shaving cream, after shave and accessories.
The prices on that site for this particular razor were more than competitive, so along with a basic strop, shaving foam and entry level brush i have taken a risk.

To simplify my questions into a coherent, easy to reply to manner ill put them below concisely.

1.Is the bismarck a decent starter blade?

2.For a strong beard resistant to mach 3, is 6/8 enough?

3.I have purchased a cyril r salter narrow hanging strop.I understand how to strop it, but is this strop good enough to start? Will a careful pair of hands (im very steady handed) and a calm approach allow me to pick up stropping quickly? Or is it fairly routine to dull your first blade in the learning process.

4. Ive ordered a cheap brush until i establish my shaving routines and feel i have the techniques down.Will i notice a big difference physically?

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read, as a Londoner i have access to some fantastic barbers, and very much look forward to becoming involved in this very specific community.

welcome to srp

yes, the bismarck is a good razor, however in all likeliness it won't be very sharp when you receive it, so i'd recommend mailing it out for honing. that'll probably end up costing you slightly more and taking longer than had you picked one up already good to go, but at least it's a good razor.

not sure about the strop, the col. conk razors are not very good ones, hopefully the strops are decent.

brushes can vary a lot in price and the quality isn't always commensurate with the pricetag, but i'd think any brush would do an ok job. i swear by my high end brushes, but they're definitly well into the diminishing returns price range.

I didn't see anything mentioned about the shave readiness of the blade. As such, it may have to be sent out for a honing prior to shaving.

The Bismarck is an admirable razor and I have it myself. The Col. Conk razors are rebranded Dovos, so YMMV.

Regarding the strong beard:

I too have pretty stiff whiskers and found that good prep made them a lot easier to manage. I would read over the stuff the pros have recommended, but I shower, finish the shower with the water all the way towards hot on my face for several seconds (I actually really like that feeling now), and use a dab of conditioner on my beard, then shave with a good lather made from a shave cream. I don't know which steps are most beneficial because I started them all at once, but combined they have made my beard much more manageable.

Also I have a 5/8th inch and it seems to do fine, just make sure you get it well honed and strop it properly.

Well, it arrived this morning.First of all the bismarck looks great, i usually go a bit more understated and will do on my next purchase, but to start im happy.

I was told it was honed before transit, so i shaved right off the bat with a couple of inches at a time, starting with the sides.I kept my mach 3 handy for the moustache which i did end up needing to use as i got hurried towards the end.

First thing id say, the blade didnt feel as sharp as id expected considering it was supposedly honed and stropped in advance.I had to press kinda hard, and the blade didnt glide smoothly, more like carved the hair off a bit, the pressure was necessary.I did nick my skin a tiny bit, but this was more due to having to really apply unnecessary pressure at times, as the razor got a bit caught in the hair.

My shaving angle seemed decent, and overall technique wasnt bad, and my face in the areas i have shaved now has never felt so good.Upon cleaning the blade afterwards i did the hanging hair test.It kinda pushed the hair forward rather than cutting it, so i thought id have a go at stropping myself fairly quickly, after watching a weeks worth of youtube videos.

Well, first of all, im sure i improved it.I felt my motion and pressure was good, turning on the spine with an even 30 draws.I still view this as my practise razor so picking this up is possibly the most important thing to me.I caught the leather twice, in a very minor way, not so much a big dig as a tiny slice, i have since adapted and slowed down and i think im getting it.
Now when i try the hanging hair test it cuts 2 times out of 3, but seems dependent on how high up the hair strand i cut.Is this ok? Should it always glide through and cut the hair effortlessly as it hangs, or is this acceptable?

Anyhow, im a bit of a cowboy, but for a first go, very little blood spilt, and a great feeling afterwards, and all this with a razor that i believe is nowhere near its peak sharpness.Im pretty happy, i think ill get this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by westcott84

Hey all,

First off ill introduce myself.My names Ian, and im a 25 year old Londoner, who is now looking in to the noble art of straight shaving.I have ordered my equipment perhaps a little hastily, only really going on my own vague knowledge and had not yet discovered places such as this fora.

My first question is , have i ordered wisely? Im beginning with a Dovo Bismarck that i have purchased and am awaiting delivery of from King Barber (Luke Leadbitter trading as) > Cutthroat razors, shaving cream, after shave and accessories.
The prices on that site for this particular razor were more than competitive, so along with a basic strop, shaving foam and entry level brush i have taken a risk.

To simplify my questions into a coherent, easy to reply to manner ill put them below concisely.

Ian,
Welcome to the community. There is a vast array of information here, in the forums and the Wikis. Use as much of it as you can and don't be afraid to ask questions.

1.Is the bismarck a decent starter blade?

I have honed several Bismarck's and they seem to take an edge very well. This should work just fine as your first razor. It is important, as others have pointed out, that you get this razor professionally honed to start out.

2.For a strong beard resistant to mach 3, is 6/8 enough?

6/8 will work for your tough beard. I would, however, advise you to be on the lookout for a wedge, as your next aquisition. The wedge seems to be more adept to tough beards.

3.I have purchased a cyril r salter narrow hanging strop.I understand how to strop it, but is this strop good enough to start? Will a careful pair of hands (im very steady handed) and a calm approach allow me to pick up stropping quickly? Or is it fairly routine to dull your first blade in the learning process.

Although I am not familiure with this strop, I would think it should be ok to start out. Just remember to take your time and go slowly at first. This is not a race. Speed will come as you get better. No one cares how fast you are. Stropping is, as you have implied, the area where most beginners dull their freshley honed razor. Sometimes before they even get to use it.

4. Ive ordered a cheap brush until i establish my shaving routines and feel i have the techniques down.Will i notice a big difference physically?

Cheap brush will work just fine to start out. Better brushes do feel better and work differently. Boar brushes seem to work the lather into a tough beard very well, and soft badger seem to be smoother on the face and work the lather in the beard but mostly in the base of the brush. There is everything in between so do your homwork before putting out the Euro's for one.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read, as a Londoner i have access to some fantastic barbers, and very much look forward to becoming involved in this very specific community.

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Learn how to maintain you razor now, and you should get maybe 3 or 4 months use out of it before you need to have it honed again.

Good luck,

Ray

Welcome to SRP, Ian!

As others have said, it's unlikely your razor was shave ready when you received it. I too bought a razor that was "pre-honed" when I received it, but when I tried to shave with it I found it pulling and catching rather than cutting cleanly. I then sent it to Home and when I got the razor back ( about a week ) I could feel the difference as soon as I started to shave with it again. You could also try www.strop-shop.co.uk - hand made straight razor strops, razor pouches, shaving accessories, vintage razors, razor honing and restoration they are both reputable people who will put a nice edge on your razor.

Ok, i have come to the conclusion you are absolutely spot on with that.The second shave happened this eve, after 1 and a half days suprising growth i decided to try it on the shorter stubble.

It really did catch a bit, and at time started to skip down my face jumping off a little, and i checked my technique and i really couldnt see anything in my motions that would cause this.

Could my stropping technique be wrong? It doesnt feel wrong, but are there any common microscopic problems im likely to be doing? Im turning on the spine and gliding it gently along the leather as studied.

Anyhow perhaps the supposed ready-honed nature of the purchase should indeed be called in to question.I needed about 4 passes in some sections and my face felt like fire when i applied the balm.

I will look into these sites, although i suppose my chances of getting it back pre christmas may not be very good.Which is a shame, was very much looking forward to a pre -christmas party shave.

2 questions.

Are there any telltale signs on the razorblade visually of a blade that hasnt been honed? It looked pretty straight from the factory, should the effects of honing be visible under scrutiny?

If my stropping technique was off, is there permanent damage to the blade possible when you dull it, or can this be fixed when honed and restropped correctly?

Thanks again.

Ian (Sore)

Welcome to SRP Ian,

Incorrect stropping can 'roll the edge' and that can be corrected if you send it out or if you know what you're doing.

Have you looked at shaving and stropping tutorials in the SRP Wiki here ?

There are also sharpness tests that you can do in the honing section. Stay away from the TNT (thumb nail test) unless you are setting a bevel on a razor you are honing. You could try the TPT (thumb pad test). To get an idea of what a sharp blade would feel like you could practice on a DE (double edge) razor blade.

Here is an excerpt from a 1961 barber manual in the SRP Wiki help files, the last couple of pages deal with correct stropping technique.

Read my sig below to avoid nicks.

:gl:

Ian, I'd be very surprised if there's any kind of permanent damage to your razor unless you've dropped it. As you've probably realised by now, a razor that is not shave ready is still incredibly sharp, the term shave ready means a level of sharpness beyond what most straight razor novices can really comprehend. It's unlikely you'll be able to just look at the edge of your razor and tell if it's been honed to a shave ready state. I know it must be disappointing that you might not have your razor to shave with over Christmas, but you will be grateful in the long run that you took the time to have it honed properly.

I think I've read that Trumpers can hone razors, but I've never had any direct experience with them. You could always call them and ask as you would at least be able to take it in and have it back that day.

Geo F Trumper - Contact Us

Any London members who have had a razor honed by Trumpers want to chime in here?

Ian,

Just ordered a Bismark myself so was interested when I saw your post about it not shaving well.

As others have said, it might be that the razor was shave ready from the manufacturer, but I think from what I have read here and on another UK site that sels Dovo's they may not be.

Might be an idea to send it out to be re-honed and see if there is a big difference.

Hope it sahves better.


Stuart.

Welcome, Ian!

I would have to agree with everything that's been said here. It sounds like the blade, though very sharp, was not "shave ready" and should be honed by a pro.

I would imagine, unless you have to send it over seas to get honed, you should be able to have it back by Christmas. If not, you will still thank yourself that you got it properly honed and will be amazed at the difference.

Again, welcome, and keep us posted on how it goes.:gl:

Funny you should mention it, i was in Geo F Trumpers yesterday on Jermyn Street.I dropped in briefly to see what they have but since i had only shaved once with the bismarck before going i wasnt yet aware there was a problem (im convinced its not honed).

The assistant seemed knowledgeable, a gentleman in his late 40s, but when he asked what i was after seemed very suprised i had such a good razor.(Seemed to sell alot of safetys whilst i was in there)
Whilst he knew his stuff, he was nowhere near as particular as the guys on here, and although he was a straight razor user, i dont think he had ventured as deeply into the ceremonious variants that are spoken of on this site.(This site really does strike me as an absolute gem).
Whilst i was there i couldnt resist trying one of their soaps.Went for the Geo F Trumper coconut in the wooden bowl.Even though my shave wasnt perfect tonight, the scent is subtle and very refreshing.Id favour it over the eucalyptus one i bought with the razor so far.

Going to send the razor for honing as soon as possible.

I'm embarrassed to admit I have yet to try any Trumper's soaps. Something I must rectify soon.

Let us know how you get on with having your razor honed, Ian.