Eight months and still nothing . . .

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10-08-2006, 04:44 PM
jfrancisco

Eight months and still nothing . . .

After eight months and lots of $$ spent on trying to shave with a traditional straight, I'm about to throw in the towel. I've been shaving successfully with a feather straight since Februrary and to be honest, it has totally ruined DE's and most GEMs. Nothing comes close to shaving my face like the feather. When I try a traditional straight, it hurts. No cuts to my skin, but hair being yanked out of my face rather than cut. The last straw is a beautiful Dovo which was sent shave ready. OUCH!

I can't afford any more time or money into this. I'd love to be able to enjoy a traditional straight, but I'm at the end of the line.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

- Jeremy
10-08-2006, 04:47 PM
FiReSTaRT

Who sent it to you shave ready? They say that the new ones out of the factory are shave-ready but chances are 9/10 that they won't be. Send your DOVO to one of our honemeisters. The service will cost you about IIRC $20 and then you'll know the difference b/w DOVO's marketing and real honing. It just looks like you never received a blade that's sharp enough to shave with.
10-08-2006, 05:07 PM
urleebird

In order to save a jumper, I'll hone it for you no charge. PM me for my address.

No... the rest of you can't suddenly say you are a jumper. :nono:
10-08-2006, 07:12 PM
Billy

Quote:

Originally Posted by urleebird

In order to save a jumper, I'll hone it for you no charge. PM me for my address.

No... the rest of you can't suddenly say you are a jumper. :nono:

SRP SWAT enroute? :y

I'm just a newb, but I would have to agree, if it was yanking hairs like that its not shave ready. I haven't even gotten one of my razors to pass the HHT yet and I have still gotten it to shave half decently for at least one shave. Im still waiting to see what an actual shave ready razor feels like. Right now I use a Ebay special I've been trying slowly trying to hone up and a dovo shavette which typically does most all the work.

Theres still hope! Let Bill get that blade up to snuff for ya!
10-08-2006, 07:39 PM
jfrancisco

A big thanks to BIll. The reason I have not sent a razor out to be honed yet is that I purchased my two straights from SRP members who know how to hone. And from what I have read of other member's comments they do a darn good job at it too. So I assumed that the razors I have are well and good and that the problem lies else where . . . me. So after eight months, my patience (skin) is wearing thin.

They will be in the mail to both Bill and Lynn, so being honed by theses two HoneMeisters will hopefully solve the problem.

:hmmm:

Thanks for the advice.

- Jeremy
10-08-2006, 08:10 PM
FiReSTaRT

I'm a jumper as well, Bill, look at me jump :y
Jeremy, if you bought your razors from people who know how to hone, here's a couple of tips to make sure your blades will shave:
1) Gentle on the strop and let the whole blade lie flat. Slowly and no pressure.
2) Keep the blade angle at about 30 degrees.
Try these again and if it doesn't work then take Bill up on his offer. It's a very generous one.
10-08-2006, 08:25 PM
harold

FiReSTaRT: you forgot to say "how high?!" ;)
10-08-2006, 08:25 PM
icecow

Quote:

Originally Posted by urleebird

In order to save a jumper, I'll hone it for you no charge. PM me for my address.

No... the rest of you can't suddenly say you are a jumper. :nono:

very cool to read
10-08-2006, 08:53 PM
Sec162

I am pretty new (newer than you) also, I get frustrated at times. It helped when I got a paddle strop, with paste. 1, I can freshen up the blade on the pasted sides. 2, I can strop (on the plain side) on a flat hard surface. I think this helped my stropping because its hard to screw it up when its flat. I am having better luck now. I am sure you do not want to buy more gear, but you could try lying your strop flat on a table or something. This could help you perfect that skill and help preventdamaging the edge.

Its getting better and once I get a hone I think it will get even better. I feel your pain though. I got closer shaves from my Shick Quattro, so sometimes I wonder why I am spending all this time and money trying to "make" this work. But I had a really smooth shave a few days ago with a straight and it was very satisfying because I am learning something and getting better.

Hang in there ;)
10-09-2006, 02:30 AM
thebigspendur

I think like with many skills when people learn bad habits its very difficult to relearn to do it the correct way. If your blades came from honemeisters here they are probably shave ready and you probably need to look at what your doing maybe a pressure problem or an angle problem. Or maybe your ruining them on the strop. There are many possibilities. Once you get you razors back then you'll know for sure what's going on. I would suggest when you get them back when you initially shave with them do not strop them. See what happens then strop them and compare. Thats the first step. Let us know what happens.

We'll get you through this even if it kills you. Just kidding!
10-09-2006, 05:10 AM
Aussie

How are you prepping your face?

Even the sharpest razors will pull if you have not prepped properly. If you are not doing so already try having a shower and washing your face straight away. when you get out do not wipe or pat your face. Get yourself a nice thick lather with a brush and work it into your beard for about 2 minutes then shave.

See if this helps, my 2 cents
10-09-2006, 10:15 AM
AFDavis11

I'm a jumper! I'm a jumper! I really think I'm going to leave this whole straight razor business unless I can try a professionally honed CUSTOM straight razor! HELP!

:-)

Well I had to try!
10-09-2006, 04:44 PM
urleebird

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I'm a jumper! I'm a jumper! I really think I'm going to leave this whole straight razor business unless I can try a professionally honed CUSTOM straight razor! HELP!

:-)

Well I had to try!

Hey Alan...

I really like the new smilie that Joe added.

";"
10-09-2006, 04:48 PM
Lynn

How do you guys get those great smiley's????

Lynn
10-09-2006, 04:51 PM
FiReSTaRT

They are all over the place but be prepared to get bombarded with viruses and spyware when you download them. It's safer to steal them from the forums. I actually stole :eek: from here for my msn and I've been using :y adn :w before they were made available on this forum.
10-09-2006, 05:41 PM
Bobbo

Sounds like your stropping technique is suspect.

Your shave technique should be OK if you can do it OK on the shavette.

Let Bill hone it and then shave with it before stropping. Shave the next day after stropping it and see if it has gone dead. Hopefully it won't have.

Hey Firestart, how do you "steal" a smilie? I can copy and paste it as a picture but can't get the animation.
10-09-2006, 06:50 PM
superfly

Quote:

Originally Posted by adjustme69

How do you guys get those great smiley's????

Lynn

Lynn, Joe has added them to this site. They appear at the smiley meny now :y :tu

Nenad
10-09-2006, 11:37 PM
Lynn

I'm not very savy at this stuff. I have a smiley menu at the bottom of this box, but the same two lines as usual. Don't see the new stuff.

Dang......hahahaha

Lynn
10-09-2006, 11:42 PM
AFDavis11

Don't feel bad Lynn, I've been trying to figure out how to add a smiley to my text lines since the site started. I can put them on the title bar but thats it.
10-10-2006, 12:10 AM
jfrancisco

Thanks for all of the advice; it's amazing how much technique goes into this. I am indeed taking Bill up on his offer and in thankful for his kind assistance. I'm not jumping - yet. :w and am determined to make this work. I'm am getting tired of going to school (I teach high school and attend University) with my face a patchwork of blood and scruff. After shaving yesterday, I'll be cutting WAY back until I heal up.

:nj
10-10-2006, 12:38 AM
TTnb

Hello fellow jr member,

I'm a newbie in more ways than one as this is my second attempt at writing this.

Haven't been here in a while and showed up to give report. Upon my purchase of "shave ready" TI's and Dovo, I was informed by the members of this site that I would REALLY want to have them honed by one of the honemeisters here first. Lynn did the honors (Thanks Lynn!) and I have been careful to strop correctly (Thanks Tony Miller!).

With the exception of some cuts (or gashes) because of stupidity on my part for the first couple of shaves, I have gotten beautiful shaves. I generally have what I suppose would be a tougher beard. (I also purchased my first ever stypic pencil because of those first shaves).

I'd take up the offers granted you and have a honemeister hone your razors for you, and to also make sure that you whet them on the strop correctly. I really like my 7/8's the best over the 5/8's because I have more momentum in my strokes and also because getting the hang of stropping was much easier with it. I'm now capable of stropping at a decent speed keeping everything flat and lite.