first shave, only 4 cuts or so

[shaver47]

well today i got my Dovo stainless razor. the first thing i noticed was: it was impossible to cut free hanging hair with it. tried on my arm 5mm or so above the skin, nothing. so i figured i had to strop it and i did. but still it does´nt cut free hanging hair. maybe the strops are too coarse?

it definitely removes metal, i could never imagine leather removing so much material from the spine (well much and much, but still) i made the strops myself. how fine is fine enough? the strops i made are not ultras-mooth, they got some texture but not much. should they be ulta-smooth?

i shaved myself anyway. first i was a little afraid, like i was holding a laser-sword. its difficult to shave against the grain with a straight (i usually do this with my mach3 to get the closest possible shave). it was some spots i couldnt reach really, (just in front/below the ears etc) i have to work on that. i feel kinda sore in my face now

now to the very important question. how dull is a razor if it does´nt cut free hanging hair? or the hair of my arms above the skin?

and how do i fix this problem / mike

[shaver47]

i think i probably didnt pull the strop tight enough, is this a usual problem?

[mparker762]

whaaa? leather should not remove metal unless it's coated with some abrasive substance.

If the razor pulls then it's not sharp enough, no matter what the various tests tell you. But in general a shaving sharp blade should cut free-standing hair on your arm mid-stalk (e.g. not by shaving against your skin, but just waving the blade through the hairs a millimeter above your skin).

You fix this problem with a hone or by mailing the razor out to someone with a hone and the knowledge to use it. The Norton 4k/8k hone is widely recommended if you opt for the first approach, and there are a variety of guys on the forum suitable for the second approach.

[mparker762]

i think i probably didnt pull the strop tight enough, is this a usual problem?

It's a common problem for new guys to experience. I dulled my first razor that way. Pull it taught and strop lightly.

[shaver47]

could i possible solve this problem by doing more stropping or should i hone first and then start stropping, i have a Spyderco UF-hone, just need to make it a little smoother, before i can use it. i can feel its not quite perfect yet.

[mparker762]

Stropping will not sharpen a dull razor, it cleans and aligns the cutting fin on an already sharp razor so that it will shave properly. If 20-30 laps on the strop doesn't get a razor so it shaves well, then more laps won't help.

The spyderco ultrafine will work to get your razor shaving sharp, I don't use it but a few others on this forum do. Just remember to use no pressure at all on the hone, just the weight of the razor is enough. If you use more pressure it will remove metal faster but won't produce the fine edge that's necessary, so you'll just grind away your razor for nothing. If the razor is actually close to shaving sharp then a few laps should be sufficient.

[FiReSTaRT]

You may want to check other threads here or in the honing/stropping forum. There was a similar thread recently. After that, read through the help files.

[AFDavis11]

Welcome,

I think your jumping a little too fast into the shaving. Please consider purusing our files section and reading up on straight shaving. You can do some pretty significant damage if you don't know what your doing, why, how, or simply using a dull razor. You can even just ask a lot of questions, we'll answer them.

Take the time to learn all about sharpness testing and don't shave with a dull razor. Learn when and why to strop and hone. Study up a little on shaving strokes as well. One of the barbers manuals, say the 1961 version, in the help files would be the minimum reading before you begin stroking a razor to your face.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/compo...d,19/Itemid,3/

[FiReSTaRT]

I didn't listen to that advice originally and I've got the scars to prove it.

[shaver47]

Welcome,


http://straightrazorpalace.com/compo...d,19/Itemid,3/

im going to do some reading before i try it again