Thread: G'day from Australia!

Hey chaps,
My name is Teddi, hailing from the land down under and completely new to the concept of straight razors. Being of Greek background, I have thick, tough whiskers, sensitive skin and an oversupply of olive oil After reading this mad forum from the sidelines the last 4 weeks, I decided to pick up a new Dovo 6/8 Bismarck and get cracking. Shower, hot towels, Proraso red, I used the razor right out of the box with no stropping to simply get a feel. With 12 day growth, I tackled it slowly and although there was some significant 'grab' starting off, I thankfully did not cut myself (yet). Switching to the left hand proved more tricky and I did end up with some bumping, slight razor burn and rather raw skin around left jaw and neck. Used proraso white balm afterwards which is normally awesome but stung like mad after the first time with the straight. The proraso red lather kept drying out as my face has always been accustomed to Gilette Gel that provides a more moisturised and wet glide with Mach 3, but I want to say goodbye to that from here on. I'm thinking the razor would now need a good strop as I noticed some burring in a section along the edge after use. I will definitely need to wait at least 4 days for my skin to settle before I move on to round 2. I have decided to embark on the straight razor quest and there's no turning back now haha. Any tips or advice from you gents would be awesome!
Teddi

Firstly greetings.
Where did you get the bismarck from. If it hasn't been honed by a professional then it properly needs to be as dovos are not normally shaving sharp from the factory.

Yassou Teddi!
Welcome to the forum.

I reckon that blade of yours could do with a good hone by a pro. The best in this country by all reports is Oz, who goes by the forum name of onimaru55. His charges are modest and his skills high. Actually, I'm interested to hear if you bought the Dovo locally as the biggest Australian seller (MensBiz) has been out of stock on that model for months.

Hey dmnc- I got the Bismarck from a shaving shop in my area. I know they are marketed as 'shave ready' but I don't know how true that is based on my first experience- if stropping doesn't bring it up to par, I will definitely get it honed

Hi Teddi & welcome to SRP. You are in the right place & there is a wealth of information on here. It sounds like your straight razor is not shave ready. Get in touch with onimaru55 since he lives in your country & he will fix you up. There are quite a few members here from Australia so you might find someone near you who can give you some hands on help. Your most important tool you will need is a good strop. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Beginners Guide in the Library here & go from there. You should be able to learn how to strop there. Also you can practice stropping with a butterknife so you don't cut a good strop & dull a good sharp edge. Importantly, be patient & take your time & you will be okay. Also be sure & go to Youtube & look at some of the shaving video's especially Lynn Abrams who is owner of this fantastic forum. Great to have you here.
Good luck my friend.

Hi, sounds like that sucka needs honing.
There shouldn't be any tuggin.
The strop will keep it sharp after a good honing and give it that extra touch of deadlyness.

Thanks Maladroit!- I was surprised that shaver shop Miranda in my area had the Bismarck, as everywhere else online (mensbiz etc) were sold out you are spot on there! They also had a classic 5/8 I was considering. Bismarck was sealed and wrapped new in the box from Dovo I made sure of that, but I reckon I will need to speak with OZ like you suggested- thanks for the heads up...now that I know what an 'out of the box' razor feels like, might crank it up a notch. I took a bit of punishment for my first time and still a bit confused, but I honestly thought it would be way worse. I am so tender and anything I put on to moisturise doesn't agree with me right now :s

Thanks engine46!! I feel privileged to be here

Definitely speak to oz. Also it's worth getting a quality beginners strop to start with. Most good makers do a cheaper more basic strop for beginners to cut up while learning. Auction or buying sites cheap ones are often not worth buying. Don't know any Australian strop makers, maybe someone else does. Could always ask Oz while querying the honing. Enjoy your new hobby.

Hi and welcome. As its only a factory edge you will probably note a significant increase in the edge once honed. Check to see if anyone local can help. A fair few of us hone so could help with that and show you stropping etc. Most on the shelf strops I've seen have been overpriced and small so may pau to check out the online vendors. There is a list of aussie vendors in the down under forum so check that out. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask.