Thread: Anticipation

On the off chance that the straight does not work out for you, please reconsider the DE razors. They work much better than cartridge razors specifically because the bits of hair do not accumulate around the blade.

First off welcome to srp. I cant agree with the above comments more. Take the advise of the members and send it out for pro honing. It will make the experience much more enjoyable. Factory edges are flat out crappy. I do hone my own razors but it took me a while to learn to do so and if i never sent out my first razor and had ordered a few pre honed i would have never known what to aim for in my own honing. I also advise a cheaper but good quality used razor maybe vintage to learn to hone on. This way you have your shave ready razor and then a good but cheaper razor to practice your honing on. If you can get yoour second razor to shave close to or as good as the first then you no you are doing it right. Also the hone you baught probably was not the best choice. As was mentioned the 1000 grit is good for bevel setting only and while the 6000 grit side may be good for intermediate honing you will want something with a higher grit rating to finish on. I dont use a norton 4/8 because i prefer natural hones and i like the ones i have but when i started that is what i learned on and it does a fine job. In my opinion that is your best bet although i hear good things about the naniwa stones. I have never used them so i cant really give an opinion but i hear good things. Either way niether are rediculously expensive and either set can get you started when you are ready for that. Good luck with your first shave and let us no how it goes.

So, yesterday I got my package

This morning I stropped the razor, wetted up my face, waited a few, lathered up, waited a few, then attempted the first stroke. I wasn't that amused--scraggly hairs still left, and the razor did not seem to glide along my skin at all. Maybe I didn't lather well enough, maybe my shaving technique is bad, I don't know, but the razor did not glide too well. Perhaps I need to get it honed to really see whether it's me or the blade.


@LarryAndro: Right, as I'm now learning, 1000 grit is basically useless to me right now unless I want to dull it down considerably and rehone it.

@jfleming: I'm antsy and want to do everything all at once , but I'm forcing myself to take it easy

@importcarguy, mjhammer: I'm glad I asked about self-honing because I can now see that I shouldn't even attempt it for a while. I'm hoping to send it in somewhere to have it honed.

Originally Posted by notfed

[B]... then attempted the first stroke... the razor did not seem to glide along my skin at all. ...

The fact that your razor didn't glide means nothing. If your first pass was on a tough whisker area, even with the sharpest razor honed on the best day by the best honer in the world, you will have very noticeable resistance. In no way will the razor slice thru those whiskers, gliding like a knife thru butter.

Your razor might be dull. But, your razor might also be acceptably sharp, and you might be experiencing normal shaving performance.

A better test in my opinion would be to shave to the stubble length, very short, with a safety razor. Then, complete your shave with the straight razor. If the blade doesn't shave well after the whiskers are reduced to skin level, it might mean more.

Great choice for a thread name.

Give this a read. http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...icipation.html

Have fun,

Lynn

First, Definitely do NOT try to hone your first razor. You'll mess it up for sure, then you will have no sharp razor to shave with.

It _is_ possible to do it yourself.

I bought my first razor at an antique shop. I made a simple sandpaper sharpening setup, and got it "shave ready" with 400 / 1000 / 2000 / 5 micron (roughly 3500 grit) paper, followed by a CrOxide pasted strop. It wasn't easy -- the guys here were very helpful and gentle with me. That razor was in way worse condition than your factory-fresh Dovo, and it's easier to use stones than sandpaper.

My second razor was a Dovo BQ from Straight Razor Designs, Lynn-honed. That showed me that my honing technique needed improvement. I have bunch of vintage blades, and I'm still working on matching Lynn's edge.

So you don't _have to_ send the Dovo out -- but if you tackle it yourself, be ready to climb a steep learning curve.

Charles

Originally Posted by Lynn

Great choice for a thread name.

Give this a read. http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...icipation.html

Have fun,

Lynn

That's great, I totally did not see that thread name before I made this one. I see a lot of truth in that post just from what I experienced this morning during my first shave.

I'm fortunate I didn't get any cuts or razor burn, but I didn't attempt to do my entire face yet, just a "slice" on either side of my face. It feels extra smooth in those places where I did use the straight razor, even when I run my hand against the grain--especially on my right (dominant hand) side.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

The fact that your razor didn't glide means nothing. A better test in my opinion would be to shave to the stubble length, very short, with a safety razor. Then, complete your shave with the straight razor. If the blade doesn't shave well after the whiskers are reduced to skin level, it might mean more.

That's GREAT to hear! I had let it grow out for about 4-5 days, so it wasn't super-short. I will try again tomorrow and we'll see if I have the same issue.

First of all welcome to SRP, you will and probably are finding that the people here are very giving of time and knowledge and it is truly a great experience for us new comers.

I am not sure if you omited some detail in describing your first trial pass for brevity or maybe I missed something. But I would like to chime in on face prep as it is as important a part of the process as anything. Unlike your disposable blades you really can not just wet, lather and go. Well at least I can't. My most comfortable shaves have come when I take the time to properly prep and prepare. This is where shaving with a straight becomes a culture or way of life rather than the 1 up 1 down and done of cartridge shaving. So for preshave prep give this a try

fill by bowl with hot hot water and soak brush
put some hot hot water in/on soap
Grab a hot shower and give face a good washing to rid beard of dirt and oils
Some use a conditioner on there beard to soften it a bit, personally I do not
step out of shower and just pat face dry
Drain water from bowl and soap
shake excess water from brush and load brush on the soap
For the soap/brush I am using I need about 1/2-3/4 tsp of water in bowl and find the hotter the water the more water I need, you will need to experiment
start whipping your lather, should start with big clear bubbles and then start to work up to whipped cream type
lather face with circles all over and it should be thick enough that you are not seeing black whiskers through it
Now take a hot hot towel (I put damp towel in microwave for a minute) and wrap face in it. Wait 2-3 minutes then remove
now relather

your now ready to shave

This is what I consider my Full Monty Shave prep. most days (monday to Friday) I skip a step or two, but on weekends when I have the time this seems to cover all the most recomended steps from the SR Members. You might as well start out with doing everything as right as possible then adjust for your beard and skin type. You may find with experience that you can skip the hot towel and just let lather sit... This just comes from playing around

Have you ever had a hot towel shave at the barber? This can be a great learning experience and you get a chance to experience the shave and how a person who has shaved 1000's does it.

Originally Posted by dyimages

I am not sure if you omited some detail in describing your first trial pass for brevity or maybe I missed something. But I would like to chime in on face prep as it is as important a part of the process as anything. Unlike your disposable blades you really can not just wet, lather and go. Well at least I can't. My most comfortable shaves have come when I take the time to properly prep and prepare. This is where shaving with a straight becomes a culture or way of life rather than the 1 up 1 down and done of cartridge shaving. So for preshave prep give this a try

I did take a shower first, used conditioner and made sure to keep my whiskers wet with hot water before and during the shave. I did not put any water on the shaving cream first, I just ran hot water over the brush until it was fully soaked, then flicked my wrist a few times. I used a bowl to lather the shaving cream, although I noticed I didn't really lather it up until it was big and bubbly (and I certainly didn't put hot water in it first), and I wasn't really sure what to expect from the shaving cream (as I've always used aerosol shaving cream). In retrospect I don't think I lathered up the shaving cream well enough, and I probably should have used more water on it and in the bowl.

I'm glad you mention the hot towel technique--I was planning to do that this morning but somehow ended up not doing it. It feels somehow odd to me that I'm supposed to lather and THEN put on the towel, as it seems as though I'm just getting lather all over the towel as well as wiping it off of my face. But I do like the idea of it and read in a few places people saying they use this time to meditate for a few minutes, which is something I'd really appreciate in the morning.