Hi All,
Just finished a DFS with my Hart Steel 5/8....thanks largely to this great site and all the helpful people here. I shaved most of my life with crappy 4-"blade" reloadable razors, but when my wife got me a good brush and some soap last Fathers Day, it was GAME ON. Curiosity sent me looking for DE razors, and after using some good ones of those (ATT, RazoRock Wunderbar are my favorites) for ~6mo, I realized what I was missing.
My 15yo son was also hooked when he made his neck bumps disappear by using a proper shaver. He then challenged "us" to straights. We started with a Feather DS, which he still loves. Kid can knock out a kickazz shave in ~5 min with that thing. This prompted me to buy a "real" straight razor. Never one to pay for something I can do myself, I also got whetstones and was determined to make the thing shave- ready myself. I destroyed it. I then bought a Gold Dollar and read like crazy (mostly this site) and watched a lot of YouTube videos. After a LOT7 of honing practice (and frustration), I've finally GOT IT!!! I'm sure that if experienced members here used my finished products, they'd likely find them "rough around the edges". Every razor I hone now, however, is capable of giving me the best shaves ever. What a cool and useful hobby.
The biggest issue that I rectified was MAKING MY WHETSTONES FLAT. I was honing until my arm nearly fell off, with utter futility. Finally, a post buried here somewhere basically stated that you will spin your wheels in the mud if your sharpening stones are not level. I also read someone singing the praises of the Atoma 400 for achieving this expeditiously. Bought one, lapped all my stones (man, were they crooked), and VOILA!, I finally got a straight to give an acceptable shave. I've since refined the techniques that work for me, and can get wicked sharp, yet smooth results reproducibly. I even got a new Dovo stainless to give great saves every time.
Once again, hello from Michigan (home of Maggards!), and thanks everyone here for your dedication to this fun and interesting craft, and for facilitating beginners like me to achieve success.