Need some help please !!

I have a Ti that I started with and was supposed to be shave ready , came with a signed seal saying it was honed, stroped and shave tested.

I got a strop with it and use it before every shave. Now I figured it was just me learning and maybe it still is but it really seems to tear and pull a lot and not really shave smooth. I cant shave more than a days growth with out pre shaving first with a DE.

I have since purchased a Dovo and that is no way shave ready , it is ten times worse than the TI

I assume this is not normal to really tear and pull to the level of uncomfortable and I can still shave way closer with ta DE

Second question, I have gotten a Norton 4/8k stone but now have read like everyone else that it needs to be prepped before I can hone a blade on it. I just ordered a DMT Dia-sharp 325 will this DMT work ok to prep the Norton ?

I have a 3" black latigo and white linen strop from Vintage blades. I ordered some .5 micron diamond spray, can this be used on the linen side of my strop or do I need something else for really fine edge work ? Should I have gotten a 12K stone ?

Sorry for all the questions, I really want to do this the right way and get a smooth shave I don't need to touch up.

First it's not supposed to pull and tug. Probably needs to be honed. Check the classifieds here for honing services. Dovo is known for being good blades but needing honing as the factory edge isn't good enough.

The norton is a great stone but yes needs to be lapped. Most guys use that same plate to lap. Check out the JaNorton thread for more info.

If you use the spray on that strop do it on the inside of the linen so you still have the clean outside for normal stropping.

You will find a common piece of advice here is to learn to hone a great edge off an 8k stone before spending more money on higher grits. If you can't get it good from there the higher stuff won't help.

Enjoy!

Thanks JB,

Sounds like i'm on the right track at least , I cant wait to get a good shave with a properly tuned blade. This forum is great for research and real world advise, thanks again !

Hey mainiac,

JB has some good advice and observations.

Another piece of the common puzzle is prep and technique. To save a lot of typing the shave test video by Glen might help a bunch.

Regards,

Howard :)

What is "The Shave Test" for a Straight Razor - YouTube

You're welcome! Good luck and smooth shaving!

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Originally Posted by mainiac

Thanks JB,

Sounds like i'm on the right track at least , I cant wait to get a good shave with a properly tuned blade. This forum is great for research and real world advise, thanks again !

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Hi there, definitely sounds like those blades need a professional hone. If you're new to this you may have damaged the edge when stroping which is a skill in itself. Put your location in your profile and some kind soul near you may offer some help.

Just a question, were both factory fresh or had the TI been sharpened by someone who knows what they are doing? Do yourself a favour, get them done by a shaver off the forum.

The first thing you need to do is determine if your razors were prehoned to begin with. If you don't feel comfortable stating where you bought them shoot me a pm. If it turns out that they weren't properly honed then send them to someone who knows what they are doing ASAP. Now if they WERE honed properly then it's a technique issue, but we can save that conversation for later :)

Next, yes your Norton should be lapped and the DMT 8C is a fine choice for a lapping plate. But I would highly recommend that you park the hone until you get your shaving technique nailed down. When it comes time to refresh the edge (what we call a touchup around here) your Norton hone and spray will keep you going for a very long time. You don't NEED a 12k hone but when HAD kicks in you'll probably end up with one at some point LOL.

Thanks for the advise,

The first one I purchased from vintage blades, its a Thiers Spartacus. The note it came with said it was pre honed. The second I purchased off flea bay and I figured it wouldn't be shave ready out of the box.

With my last order I went through SRD and added another Dovo to the collection. Its the lower end but its the only one they had in white and I wanted to add a white one to the collection. This one was pre honed so I will be able to judge a true shave ready blade.

Sounds like I have all the tools in place now to be on the right track, I have no doubt I will get the honing down and they will all be in rotation very soon.

Thanks all for the advice and suggestions. What the hell did we all do before the interwebs and forums :)

In my experience, if Vintage Blades says it is shave ready, it is. They are stand-up folks!

Yes I have no doubt it was when I first received it. I am sure it was something I did when I got it. The dovo I received off ebay after I had been shaving a month or so and I know it wasn't even close to the TI .

I just shaved with a Dovo from SRD and it was great. That one setting the bar so to speak for me I would have to say the TI was in the same shape when I received it. Its not too far off the mark now but definitely could use some touch up.

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Originally Posted by mainiac

What the hell did we all do before the interwebs and forums :)

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Bled a bit more :)

Some solid advice above so I will defer at this point but Welcome to the forum.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mainiac

I just shaved with a Dovo from SRD and it was great. That one setting the bar so to speak for me I would have to say the TI was in the same shape when I received it. Its not too far off the mark now but definitely could use some touch up.

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Very discerning!! :tu

From VintageBladesllc.com site: "Vintage Blades is pleased to provide you with a straight razor honing service for all the razors in your shaving rotation, whether you bought them here or not. As with all the new professionally honed straight razors that we sell, this service is provided by Lynn Abrams, one of most renowned “Honemeisters” in the world. Lynn has experience honing every type of quality razor made today as well as all vintage razors. This is not a grinding service. Each razor is hand honed by Lynn on the best stones available."

Regards,

Howard :)

if the user is an experienced shaver the issues you have would be a dull razor for sure. However when it is someone starting out that complicates things because bad technique can have the same symptoms. The fact 2 razors seem to be bad would be an indicator to me the fault may not be with the razor and the fact it was honed by a reliable person further goes in that direction. So, I would be paying attention to your whole shave routine. The usual culprits, angle, pressure strokes, etc.