Thread: First SR shave...not special

I don't know anything about a shavette, but I do know that it takes a good month for a person's face to acclimate to the use of a straight razor, and technique development takes time too. I went from a cartridge to a straight, and it took a few weeks before I started seeing decent results.

Additionally, I was gifted a Dovo Bismarck (unsure as to whether it was new or used), but it still came to me with everything it would have new. It shaved questionably until a dozen laps on the chromium oxide, followed by fifty laps on nylon webbing, fifty laps on linen, and a hundred laps on latigo leather. I may have overdone it toward the end, but now it shaves like a dream.

Rich

Welcome, Neckbone!

You want little more than weight of the razor pressure, an angle of 30 degrees on a WTG pass, 7-15 degrees on the XTG and ATG passes(though you shouldn't attempt the atter two passes until you have sufficiently accomplished the WTG pass). I speak hypocriticaly here though as I went all three right off the bat.

I recommend getting the razor pro-honed as well and consider strongly treating this razor as your holy grail/measurement standard to compare your second razor to. And, yes, you need a second razor.

Also, it sounds like you may be biting off a little to much all at once. Maybe, wait on the honing. When you do consider a hone for touchups, research a Naniwa 12K.

Stropping: lay your strop on a flat table and strop. This will reduce the chance of pulling the strop too taught or too slack or awkward angle. I myself frequently use a board strop which I think is awesome.

Also, Watch videos on every topic: Stropping; Face prep.; Lathering; Shaving; and, Honing.

When in doubt ask. Search the forum and, if you can't find the answer, ASK, ASK, ASK. You will find, as I did, a vast wealth of information at the tips of your fingers here at SRP.

I hope that helps somewhat. Again, don't be afraid to ask. Read, read and read some more

Just a short update. Getting good shaves now. With help from Obie, I am maintaining the edge and my technique has improved (actually shaving with my left hand).
I have a 12k stone on hand, unused to this point.
Have a English bridle strop on order.
Have a very nice scuttle on order (paid way too much, but it's very nice).
Looking for a second razor as a test bed for honing, while the Dovo is pro honed as a reference.
My time in the bathroom each evening rivals that of a teenaged girl. LOL

Originally Posted by Neckbone

Just a short update. Getting good shaves now. With help from Obie, I am maintaining the edge and my technique has improved (actually shaving with my left hand).
I have a 12k stone on hand, unused to this point.
Have a English bridle strop on order.
Have a very nice scuttle on order (paid way too much, but it's very nice).
Looking for a second razor as a test bed for honing, while the Dovo is pro honed as a reference.
My time in the bathroom each evening rivals that of a teenaged girl. LOL

obie is a nice guy, that time will come down, just dont rush, and when you aren't rushing, dont rush a bit more

It's great that you're on the right path now with help from Obie, who is a true gentleman. I'd just like to add a little about stropping a newly acquired razor without wishing to over burden the issue. It's true we generally don't recommend stropping a newly acquired razor when one is a beginner, and 50 laps first off may be overdoing it. However, while you might have a nice shave with a newly acquired shave ready razor if you don't strop it, if your stropping before the SECOND shave is poor all you'll get is a good FIRST shave and a sucky SECOND shave and proof the razor WAS shave ready but now isn't. If you DO strop your new razor before the first shave and your stropping is poor all you've done is put doubt into the fact that it was shave ready and not had a good first shave, so, really, it hardly matters.

On the other hand, if the razor has traveled some distance (i.e. a journey of a week or two) and suffered some moisture damage it WOULD need at least a light stropping to remove oxidisation.

The point is, take it EASY with stropping at first, less is best, and ensure you learn how to strop properly.

Good luck from here on in, sounds like you're on the right path and with a good mentor in Obie.

Carl

Originally Posted by Neckbone

I have been shaving with a Dovo Shavette for 2 weeks. I was getting along well with an acceptable result.
My Dovo 'Best Quality' arrived today and was used this evening.
The edge bevel looked surprisingly narrow and a little more narrow in the middle. This was with the naked eye, and may be normal.
I stropped it 50 passes (my first at stropping), then put it to the test.
Two things that I noticed was that it seemed to take a bit of effort, or force, to cut through the whiskers.
It also seemed to want to dig-into my face.
Is that a characteristic of a blade needed a re-refreshing?
There was more shave noise than with the Shavette.
The end result was not a close shave.
I have a Norton 4k/8k on hand, with a Chromium Oxide Paste .5 micron stick on order (should be here next week).
Until the CO stuff arrives, I'll try more stropping. Next will be strop with the CO, and then maybe the 8k Norton.
I see a 12k stone in the future.
Suggestions and encouragement is welcomed.

My first two weeks with a straight were a bloodbath. I expressed my frustration with the first avitar I used on shaving forums:

It sounds like you are doing better than I am.

I get great shaves with a Dovo Best Quality and you will with practice. I know what you mean about the razor digging into your face. When I started the razor wouldn't glide over my face. It was more like hitting a speed bump and crash landing. With practice it will smooth out.

It helps me to use a microscope to examine my edge. Other people may not need visual feedback but I do. At first I had a 100x portable I got from Amazon for about $15. Recently I got a 400x USB microscope in the $40-50 range.

Heathen! Abandoning the tests!

Take it slow and low/no pressure passes. Only a WTG pass for,,,,,quite a few shaves. I'm a hypocrite here, but I've seen enough posts to bring myself to agree.

I have three SR shaves under my belt and so far so good. It is taking much more than I thought to get this shaving technique under control!!! Although I have the face down pretty good. The neck is the tricky part, that's where my DE takes over!! Anyway the stropping helps with the digging on my part and angle!!!!

Many of us did that in the beginning, don't worry about it.
To find the angle start with the blade flat on your face and slowly increase the angle, you'll find the angle quickly that way. You'll be surprised how low it can be and shave great (much better than a higher angle) 30 degrees is about two spine widths off your face btw

Originally Posted by Aaron71

I have three SR shaves under my belt and so far so good. It is taking much more than I thought to get this shaving technique under control!!! Although I have the face down pretty good. The neck is the tricky part, that's where my DE takes over!! Anyway the stropping helps with the digging on my part and angle!!!!

Originally Posted by Aaron71

I have three SR shaves under my belt and so far so good. It is taking much more than I thought to get this shaving technique under control!!! Although I have the face down pretty good. The neck is the tricky part, that's where my DE takes over!! Anyway the stropping helps with the digging on my part and angle!!!!

After multiple months of unsatisfying results regarding my neck (bumps, irritation, redness), I just this morning unlocked the secret (for my face) to shaving my neck. All this time, I have been sticking to the general advice that ATG passes should be shallower that WTG passes - this morning, on my second pass, I kept the ATG angle close to the same as the WTG angle and I have zero redness, irritation, and bumps.

Just food for thought; every face is different.

Rich