Thread: Another Hello from England and a bit of frustration too

Hi all - lovely forum here. Have been lurking for a while but ought to introduce myself.

I have acquired an introductory kit from theinvisibleedge.co.uk. Very nice. Had a good first shave with it (I used to shave with a replaceable blade straight razor so had a bit of an idea). However. Then I thought I would strop the thing. I watched all the vids and read all the wikis and then had a go.

My lovely new Dovo strop now has about seven nasty nicks in it and my new Dovo razor won't cut hair on my arms let alone my beard! Arrrgh. Anyway I'm sure you've heard it all before... I'm off to practice.

David

Welcome to SRP!

Two things right off the bat. First, you've probably pooched the edge on your razor and now it's time to send it off for a touchup. Secondly, don't become too attached to your first strop...you'll have that thing physically destroyed in about six months.

Take a deep breath...it's not the end of the world. Once that razor is honed back up, you won't be able to see any additional wear and tear on the razor...it's not like you're only going to get half a dozen honings before having to throw out the razor. While your razor is away, take a butterknife and practice your honing. You'll still destroy your strop this year, but at least it will keep you from, hopefully, pooching the edge on your razor. When you're happy with your honing skills, start thinking about a second razor. It doesn't have to be a big expenditure, just something that you can use while your other razor is off for honing.

David,

Welcome and hello from Hastings.

As you have found, there are a few things that are part of the 'rite-of-passage' for straight razor users

When I started, my poor Wapi went back to Mr Dempster quite a few times for re-honing (rolled the edge, dinged edge on sink etc) !

Keep at it, and in quite a short time all will be well with your shaves and stropping !

Good Luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Thanks for the support. I like the idea of wasting a strop and probably a razor while I build some experience. I also love the term 'pooched' where does that come from?

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunatley, some of your equipment will suffer while you learn, especially strops. You can actually practice on an old leather belt. A barber hone will help keep your blade sharp, and you really don't need to be an expert to use it. They're meant for touch up's. Check the classifieds, read the wiki and ask questions...

Rich

Originally Posted by LeNeause

I also love the term 'pooched' where does that come from?

pooched - Wiktionary

It's American for something made unusable. In the UK, you would say 'buggered'.

I would indeed or even something worse!
(Having never heard this before I assumed it was specific razor talk!)