After 2 weeks of shaves

I shave every other dat with my Dovo bismarck straight edge, but it's not as sharp as I would like it to be. It came "shave ready" and did seem relatively sharp, and I'm stropping with pretty good form I think, but it seems about mid shave every time, the razor starts going dull, where it gets a little rough and doesn't shave as close. Is this from bad honing or possibly bad stropping? I put nearly no pressure while strop, slightly X cross pattern to get the full blade, about 40-50 passes.

Also, some small black spots are arising on the blade, I didn't think it would happen so soon. What should I buy to prevent this. I dry the blade with a clean cotton cloth. Is that fine?

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by csmullin

I shave every other dat with my Dovo bismarck straight edge, but it's not as sharp as I would like it to be. It came "shave ready" and did seem relatively sharp, and I'm stropping with pretty good form I think, but it seems about mid shave every time, the razor starts going dull, where it gets a little rough and doesn't shave as close. Is this from bad honing or possibly bad stropping? I put nearly no pressure while strop, slightly X cross pattern to get the full blade, about 40-50 passes.

Also, some small black spots are arising on the blade, I didn't think it would happen so soon. What should I buy to prevent this. I dry the blade with a clean cotton cloth. Is that fine?

Thanks!

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I experienced the EXACT SAME THING my first two weeks of shaves. I was blaming the blade. I was convinced that my blade was not shave ready and it was dull. In fact, I sent a perfectly sharp blade out for rehoning because I was certain it was dull. Guess what....it was my technique. Give it a few more weeks before you come to any conclusions about the shave readiness of your blade.

As far as the "black spots," you need to be careful to dry your blade thoroughly after every shave. I first rinse with hot water than dry on a towel. I then THOROUGHLY dry with a tissue and then leave my open blade out as I get dressed. I then dry under my bathroom heater for 10 seconds and store the razor. This has worked well for me and no problems so far.

If you bought the Bismarck from a reputable dealer, then it's going to be your technique that needs improvement. If you bought it from someplace else, the likelihood that the blade is actually shave ready is pretty slim.

As far as the black spots go, the should clean off with some metal polish. In the future, make sure to clean the blade thoroughly and then add a coat of mineral oil to the blade...it's cheap insurance.

technique of the shave or the stropping?

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Originally Posted by csmullin

technique of the shave or the stropping?

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While I cannot answer this question definitively for you, for me, it was my shave technique. My angle was too steep, I was using too much pressure and I just was not comfortable.

Honestly, stropping felt natural to me from day 1 while straight shaving did not.

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Originally Posted by csmullin

technique of the shave or the stropping?

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Shave technique. IMHO, strop technique is easy enough for just about anyone to get right...tight strop, flat razor, light pressure. The only thing about stropping is that you'll likely destroy your strop in the first six months...don't get attached to it. Shave technique is going to take between three and six months depending on if you're using a Mach3 or DE as a crutch or if you're going cold turkey.

Here's some requisite reading for you:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...beginners.html

Shaving made easy; what the man who shaves ought to know ..

Welcome to SRP!

Shaving with a straight is much different from using a double edge or cartridge razor. It's going to take some time to develop your technique.

Who did you purchase your razor from?
Namaste,
Morty -_-

I believe it was RoyalShave. Its a mix between good shaves and bad. I guess it's just irregular because I'm still learning. I've finally found some good hand positions and that has helped. Thanks

I checked RoyalShave's Web site and found this:

"Ready Shave:
All of our razors are factory certified “ready to shave,” all they need is to be stropped. But we understand that some of our customers may wish to have their blades made sharper then factory standards. So we offer a honing service. This may delay your order for one to two weeks. By honing the razor the factory warranty would be voided as well. Please call 1-800-801-0769 if you have any questions."

Razors sharpened at the factory are not yet sharp enough to give a close, comfortable shave, unless someone has exceptionally soft facial hair. And it simply is not true that having your razor honed would void the manufacturer's warranty as RoyalShave states on their Web site. Dovo's warranty against manufacturing defects is for two years and a straight razor used every day would need to be honed every two to three months on average. No razor will stay sharp for two years with just stropping.

Did you pay RoyalShave extra to hone your razor? If you did not, then your razor is not "shave ready." Consider sending it to one of the honemeisters listed in the Member Services directory of the SRP Classifieds.
Namaste,
Morty -_-