Hello All; New guy here on earth for nearly 50 yrs.

What fun! Finally, an OCD for me, whoopie!

First off, I AM having a great time. I have read about the importance of
proper preparation, I spend at least 10 mins. pre-shave prep;
Shower, Proraso Preshave, Proraso Lather w/ the badger... I like the
ritual very much. Many aspects to this str8 thing, all of it requiring
good form.

I have read that what I am experiencing is NOT UNCOMMON for a new guy
to have issues with. I am getting a GREAT shave but... after cleaning up w/
the DE. The razor was professionally sharpened, shave-ready. It had oil on
the blade, & some small fine hair cuttings on it when it arrived, so it was
tested before shipped. I am not bad at angles with sharp objects, & have
started out w/ 20 deg., then tried everything from 5-35 deg. Short strokes,
longer...etc... Still, have stubble & it doesn't NEARLY cut as smoothly as
I see in videos. Tugs, pulls etc...Evidence me, never having me used a str8
before, making 3 passes [I know not recommended, but...], & not one nick is
making me think that the blade is not sharp enough. [?]

Here's my Str8 kit:

* 5/8 Dovo Pearlex
* Camellia Oil
* Shavemac 177 #23 Finest Badger
* 3" Latigo & webbed strop. (Also have felt w/ .5 diamond
spray that I haven't used yet.)
* [You-name-it] Proraso this & that.
* Set of Nani's [5,8,12K] for down the road. (Not going to do it
myself right away. I'll send it in first, don't worry).
* Dia-sharp 325 for lapping.

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Below is my Shave Log for the week:

03OCT11 - [Day one]
1. HHT......failed, but not a reliable test for a newbie .
2. Shave hair on back of hand ....not really well.
3. Thumbnail test............smooth, no digging at all.
[Was shave-readied before it arrived.] Went ahead w/ shave test..
Shaved whole face 3x. Right & left-hand! No cuts! Razor seems dull.
Cleaned up w/ the DE.
04OCT11 - 25x on leather. Helped a little...but pretty much same story. My
angles are correct. Maybe more experimenting on that next time.
05OCT11 - Too much pulling. Stopped halfway & stropped on webbed fabric 25,
leather 50. Just can't get near a stubble-free first pass.
06OCT11 - Still tugs. Short strokes don't help. My beard is like iron, &
thick. Trying very shallow angles, to steep ones. Finding
the 20 deg.still working best. 20-25 deg. makes more noise.
07OCT11 - Upped the stropping to 30 webbed fabric, 60 leather. Tried keeping
lather a little more wet, hoping that would help cut better. Still,
about same performance. Only seems to mow down c. half of the hairs
in the first reduction. Maybe focus on stropping.

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SUMMATION: I do have a very thick beard. I was a 2-shave-a-day PFC many years
ago & have some follicles w/ 3 or so hairs in each. Perhaps then, this
is normal?

In any case, I am hoping that my stropping is the issue, and that it
will improve the edge as my technique improves.

What a groovy thing this str8 stuff is. Love it!

Any thoughts on the matter? All too common, right? Open to suggestions...

Sounds normal.
Relax... use a light touch on your face
and on the strop.

have fun.

You mentioned the "the thumbnail test", if you did this you have just dulled the edge of your razor. It needs to be sent back out. The razor is made for hair not thumbnails, the only time I ever use this test is at the antique store, flea market or sale to check for minor chipping. If you had a barbers hone you might be able to correct this, you may even be able to with a prolonged session on the strop. Its a live and learn world. Best of luck!

You can use the TNT to check the bevel set, but you have to hone the razor some more after that because the test itself dulls the edge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nun2sharp

You mentioned the "the thumbnail test", if you did this you have just dulled the edge of your razor. It needs to be sent back out. The razor is made for hair not thumbnails, the only time I ever use this test is at the antique store, flea market or sale to check for minor chipping. If you had a barbers hone you might be able to correct this, you may even be able to with a prolonged session on the strop. Its a live and learn world. Best of luck!

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"...Sent back out." Ouch, I'd rather cut myself w/ a straight razor...only had it a week, & look what I've done ;-0
It's all good though. Honestly true for me in life - that I do learn best from costly mistakes.

I have a Nani 12K, also some .5 diamond (unapplied yet), and felt strop for it;
I'll try the "prolonged session on the strop" first. Then, if that doesn't do it, perhaps the diamond on felt. If that
doesn't do the trick, I'll send it to SRD to use the voucher for a touch-up, rather than me laying it on the 12K Nani.

Does that sound logical?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ace

... but you have to hone the razor some more after that because the test itself dulls the edge.

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I guess quantum theory can apply to the world of Str8's too!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marcoterzo

"...Sent back out." Ouch, I'd rather cut myself w/ a straight razor...only had it a week, & look what I've done ;-0
It's all good though. Honestly true for me in life - that I do learn best from costly mistakes.

I have a Nani 12K, also some .5 diamond (unapplied yet), and felt strop for it;
I'll try the "prolonged session on the strop" first. Then, if that doesn't do it, perhaps the diamond on felt. If that
doesn't do the trick, I'll send it to SRD to use the voucher for a touch-up, rather than me laying it on the 12K Nani.

Does that sound logical?

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That would be my advice 'cause, unless you have a shave ready blade to compare it to, you could be doing more harm than good.
Just my $0.02

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marcoterzo

"...Sent back out." Ouch, I'd rather cut myself w/ a straight razor...only had it a week, & look what I've done ;-0
It's all good though. Honestly true for me in life - that I do learn best from costly mistakes.

I have a Nani 12K, also some .5 diamond (unapplied yet), and felt strop for it;
I'll try the "prolonged session on the strop" first. Then, if that doesn't do it, perhaps the diamond on felt. If that
doesn't do the trick, I'll send it to SRD to use the voucher for a touch-up, rather than me laying it on the 12K Nani.

Does that sound logical?

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0.5 micron diamond will not sharpen a dull edge
or dull a sharp edge.

I would splash some water on the Na12k quickly
run a DMT lap over it then run a set of circles up and
back, some back and forth strokes then two dozen
smooth normal hone strokes and then strop.

If you want to apply 0.5 or 0.25 diamond on
the canvas side go for a LIGHT application.
By light I mean that a single spray bottle
from SRP should last YEARS and years and years
unless you are honing 20+ razors a day.

The Na12k is a great touch up hone.
With a little slurry from a DMT lap to get it
started it will resolve modest issues all
by itself.

My Na12k recipe is:
After lapping half a sheet of paper or less...
I find myself walking circles up the hone in
both directions then I give some back and
forth "japanese" hone strokes on each side to the point that
the slurry begins to go light grey. Then I would switch
to smooth normal hone strokes (20) and
then quickly rinse the surface clean and finish
with some very gentle normal hone strokes (10).
Elapse time: five to eight min....

i.e. I would use my Na12k a couple times and see if I could
improve the edge. If not the voucher for a touch up
is still sitting there.

Strop smoothly and with care. Speed on a strop
is not an advantage in terms of 'sharp'.

Mahalo niftyshaving for detailed help;
Think I'll use the voucher. Though I have the materials, & am tempted to fix myself... I think sending in to 'the man' will
give me that standard to go by. I will embark on the honing journey the next time as I will eventually need to anyway (I look
forward to it actually).

Your words were not wasted however....As I mentioned, I greatly appreciate the detail you gave to me & will save the
post for future reference!
Aloha

Update:

Yep, turns out I dulled it. Probably by the TNT you guys pointed out to me before. [sigh]
I know this because I rcvd another razor today ;-} Dovo Bismark of sorts, without the "Bismark" from Superiorshave.
It didn't tug, nor feel like I needed to apply more pressure, etc...

Couldn't live w/ the idea of going w/o the fun for a week, so I had to get another
blade before I sent it in for the touch-up.
What a nice shave I have!

Excellent. Sounds like you're going well (apart from the TNT at the wrong time, I think that's a common mistake; I made it too). You definitely need more than one razor; and now you have a benchmark razor that sounds like it is sharp. It'll be interesting for you to get the first one back after honing, to see how it shaves when sharp. They all have their own personalities, you know...

Send out the dull razor, use your new razor.
And buy a grappy razor for 1 or $ 2 you can use it to practice on your stones.
The feeling of ....yes ...".I sharpened it myself" is almost as good as a good shave. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marcoterzo

Think I'll use the voucher. Though I have the materials, & am tempted to fix myself... I think sending in to 'the man' will
give me that standard to go by. I will embark on the honing journey the next time as I will eventually need to anyway (I look
forward to it actually).

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All respect to newbs who keep their hones in check :rock:

Definitely need more than one{two,three,four...} I can see it now!
Yes, anxious for my botched one to come back too. The new Bismark has a little more weight & ,definitely, a different personality.

Imagine you're right about that feeling. Fits my style.
Good idea on the practice razors too. That will be the game plan.

That new 6\8 Bismark definitely has it's own idenity! Use with care as it is different from a full hollow German vintage blade and can bite you very quick. When you get used to it you will love it. As for pasted strops, I have never used one in over 40 years of straight shaving. What I do use is .50 and .25 diamond spray on balsa as a finish. I use the linen, or wool on the strop soley for cleaning the edge before going to leather. Best Regards and happy shaving, wildhog

I love the Bismark already, wildhog! Can't believe I never did this earlier in life. I have the diamond spray, too, with a felt strop for when the time comes. Another day, and smooth again ;-}