Straight razor rookie in British Columbia.

Hi folks, how's things? I'm new to the group and new to straight razors. I just got a Dovo 5/8'' half HG razor. I love the idea of using a straight, I think it's right up my alley. I had my first shave tonight and it was pretty rough. The sides of the face were super easy but the rest was tough. But Rome wasn't built in a day, I understand that. I get the feeling that this is gonna be an art as much as anything else. I think I've gotta learn more about blade care and getting a super mega sharp blade. I suspect mine isn't quite sharp enough, as it wasn't gliding through too great. So, I may have my work cut out for me... but I'm stoked. Thanks fellas.

Welcome to the party. :beer1: The first and most important requirement is to start with a sharp, shave ready blade. Send your razor to Lynn or Glenn. The cost is minimal but the wait for its return seems like forever. Once you experience a well honed razor's shave your journey will be more enjoyable. Enjoy the ride.

Remember that starting out is the most difficult part, with many variables to get right. It's a little like learning to drive a car except that your early attempts at driving didn't leave you with razor burn unless you flipped your car.

Welcome to SRP. Where did you get the Razor? Tell us about your shave prep. Sounds like it may not be honed up enough, but it could be just your technique.

Welcome to SRP!

If you have been reading around the site very much you will already have figured this out, but I thought I'd mention it just in case. The reason we're suggesting sending a brand new blade out to be honed already is that they never come truly shave-ready from the factory. That is also why TrilliumLT asked about where you purchased it as some vendors will hone the razor to perfection before sending it out while others do not. This also ties into what ace said about removing variables: right now you probably have no idea whether it is your razor, your prep, or your technique that led to a rough shave. But by having it honed properly, you can at least eliminate that as a variable.

Good luck!

Hi there Trillium. Well, I got the razor from a store called "House of Knives". They sell all types of knives and such. As for shave prep, I put a hot towel against my face for a few minutes, then used a shave cream. I used my hanging strop beforehand, first the canvas side then the leather. Do you use both sides often? I've heard some people rarely use the canvas side. (I wanna make sure I've got this right: the white canvas side is for light sharpening and the leather side is to be used every shave. Correct?) Thanks a bunch. Good talking to ya.

Cangooner, I certainly see what Ace said about variables-there's a lot. When you say "honing" I assume you're talking about a wetstone? Or something else? Is this something I can do? (or should do?), rather than sending it out. In order to keep a sharp blade does one need more than just a strop? I've seen video of a guy holding a hair between his thumb and forefinger and was able to cut the hair easily with the razor. I tried that and my blade wouldn't even come close to doing it. Wouldn't cut the hair. Is this a good test? How do I achieve this? Thanks for chatting. Take Care.

(one last question: how do I customize my profile pic like you've done?)

Yes, honing as in applying steel to stones. :) This, in my opinion, is something that you definitely don't want to start doing yourself until you have dealt with the other variables simply because until you know what a shave with a truly shave-ready blade feels like, you'll never really know if you've got it right! There's an absolute wealth of info on this site regarding honing so by all means check it out. But my advice would be to put off doing it yourself until you're more comfortable with the rest of the process.

Honing a razor is a completely different beast from honing knives. So even if you maintain your own knives through sharpening and honing them yourself, don't make the mistake I did and assume that the same principals apply to razors. :gaah: Also, although they offer a knife-sharpening service, I would not send a razor to house of knives for honing. Odds are they won't have a very good idea what to do with the thing! For specialist razor honing, start here:

Member Services - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

I have not used the services of any of the good folks there as I learned to hone before I joined SRP, but I do know that by reputation, none come higher than Lynn and gssixgun.

The test you're describing is the hanging hair test. Some people swear by it, others think it is bunk. Ultimately the only true test is to shave with the thing and see for sure how it works. I wouldn't worry about it too much though. :)

To add a pic, click on settings at the top-right corner of the page, then on Edit Avatar. There you can upload a pic that will appear by any of your posts.

Your razor is not shave ready,100% for sure. And yes you will have to send it out to get honed, do not try and hone it yourself in the beginning.Small steps.::gaah:

Send that razor out to get it Honed up (sharpened) by one of the many members in our classifieds. Stropping i only use the canvas after ive honed up a razor. There are others that may dissagree with that, but thats what i do.

Hello Abraham, and welcome to SRP!

All good advice here. The hanging hair test is only useful to you after you calibrate it to your own hair and develop a feel for what it says about the blade. When you get your honed razor back will be a good time to try. Here's how I made it meaningful for myself.

It is no substitute for actually trying out a shave (the "shave test") because some hones and honers will give a glorious shaving edge that cannot pass the HHT. Strange but true.

The shave test should answer two questions for you: How sharp should my razor be, and How much pressure should I use? I expect the razor to remove whiskers with no more force or pressure than it takes to scrape away the lather. That is all the force or pressure you should use anyway; more than that and you risk razor burn. If it takes more pressure, adjust your blade angle a little (30 deg or less for easy spots like your cheeks, maybe a little steeper where the whiskers are stouter, like your chin) and see if it cuts better. Try relathering if you're working through drying lather. If you find that the only solution is to press harder, then it's time to touch up the blade.

You can also tell a dulling blade because it tugs at the hairs instead of severing them.

And blah blah blah. I'll stop now. Best wishes and happy shaving.

Hi, Abraham, and a hearty welcome to SRP from another B.C. boy!
+1 on all the great instruction posted above: get it honed by a professional. Right now you should be focusing entirely on your shaving preparation and your shaving technique. After that comes stropping. Stropping is the most important razor maintenance skill to master. There are many vids here that show excellent stropping techniques to help you out.
See you in the trenches, buddy! :beer1:

Thanks for the advice. Boy, to a newbie like myself there's a lot of information. This is an amazing site. And yes, my razor tugs rather than severs, clearly my blade needs improvement. By the way, I like your profile pic. "Your arm's off! No it isn't!"
Thanks again.

Thanks friend-o, that sounds like good advice.

I see... thanks for the advice. I will certainly look into that. After a razor is honed and shave ready, can it be kept that way for a long time with proper stropping? Or is honing a semi-regular routine? And finally, I often go a week or more without shaving, what's the story on blade oil? Should I be using it? I hope I'm not burying you with questions. When I take up a new hobby I have a tendency to jump in with both feet...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AbrahamSandwich

I see... thanks for the advice. I will certainly look into that. After a razor is honed and shave ready, can it be kept that way for a long time with proper stropping? Or is honing a semi-regular routine? And finally, I often go a week or more without shaving, what's the story on blade oil? Should I be using it? I hope I'm not burying you with questions. When I take up a new hobby I have a tendency to jump in with both feet...

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Abraham, you may ask as many questions as you wish; we're all here to help one another!
Proper stropping can keep a well-honed blade going for a long time. Obviously, variables such as how often one shaves, beard toughness, water hardness, and type of steel all make for differing durations. However, proper stropping makes a world of difference re: edge longevity. In the past, I've been able to go as long as 12 months between honing sessions, and that was shaving 3-4 times per week. Most shavers here usually hone their blades much more often than that, however. It seems that every 20-30 shaves appears to be the norm.
Oil: some do, some don't. If I don't plan on shaving for a few weeks or a month (i.e. hunting season), I coat mine with mineral oil (NEVER GET IT ON THE SCALES!!!). Others use other oils -- eucalyptus oil is popular with the Aussies. I've even read of one member using WD-40! In short, oiling your blade does help. If you plan on doing so, NEVER GET IT ON THE SCALES!!!
BTW, pics of your gear are always welcome here! We call it "razor porn"!
See you in the trenches, buddy!