Thread: Results.........

Originally Posted by Michael70

Harold I would agree 100% but here is what I noticed this morning trying to do a 1 day old face shave. When I took the advice of just shaving the lather there was constant tug and release by the razor and when the lather was gone......the hair was still there with hardly any removed. So I thought why is my razor doing this because I stropped it the day before to be ready. Then I thought and wondered if I got the bevel off that quick from when it was sent to me pre-honed shave ready from stropping wrong.

I read a post with a diagram that stated doing too much paste stropping would lead to a convex bevel. Well, I do just that daily after shaving. I put the razor to Dovo black paste embedded leather to get the final touches to it. This of course after a few strokes on the linen only strop to set it up.

The reason for the bevel comment is that when I finished what I thought to be a shave ready razor with at least two spine widths angle on my soft underside of forearm the hair would not cut. As I increased the angle of the razor to at least 70 degrees it cut......strange like you stated it should be scraping easily at that point. That is why I wonder if my stropping technique is wrong and ruined the bevel that needs to be reset.

When I do strop I don't hold the strop stiff but a slight lazy hold (resembling a stiff hammock profile with a slight bow) and try not to use any if much pressure when stropping or making laps. But I can tell you the spine does not contact the leather to get the razors edge to contact the leather. I have to lift the spine off the leather to get that sound of what it should sound like.......all the while on a paste embedded strop.

So I may be way off on this maintenance/sharpening from what I thought was correct. Should I when the razor is truly set up right only need to use paste embedded leather when it tugs hard and usually on a day to day basis use a plain non-paste embedded strop for setup?

Sorry to type so much but really trying to get this to working order because right now I know it is not and shaving is like pulling hairs out by the root. But I know being a newbie this is how we learn.

Any help is very welcomed.

Well I would say your edge is dead. You should easily be able shave arm hair. Also the spine should be on the strop at all times at no point should you remove your spine. Also I have no idea what dove black paste does but you should be stropping on plain clean leather. The strop should be held firm and your razor should not have any pressure on it. You will likely need to send your razor out for a honing. Once that is fixed you can return to shave and not scraping.

I agree with Rezdog....I don't know the Superior Shave, but since they offer lifetime free honing, send it back for its first. Then throw out (or put away) the Dovo Black paste and the strop material that you used it on and start over with a fresh strop of clean fabric (with nothing on it and plain leather (with nothing on it). In the meantime, practice stropping with a butter knife or some other non-sharp implement, never lifting the spine side from the strop, and flipping on it, not the edge. No pressure but weight of the blade.

Not knowing their edges, I'd say you've killed it. When you get it back, shave before stropping and see how that goes and give us a report, please. We all want you to succeed!

Originally Posted by RezDog

Well I would say your edge is dead. You should easily be able shave arm hair. Also the spine should be on the strop at all times at no point should you remove your spine. Also I have no idea what dove black paste does but you should be stropping on plain clean leather. The strop should be held firm and your razor should not have any pressure on it. You will likely need to send your razor out for a honing. Once that is fixed you can return to shave and not scraping.

HI Michael,
first, you shouldn't need pastes everyday.
Second, if your stropping technique isn't quite right yet stropping with paste will exacerbate any issues you are having.

Okay...............since those strops are impregnated with Dovo paste and will someday serve a purpose I ordered a new strop to keep plain and clean. Need to get the bevel back on the razor and finished on a 8k then see what happens. Yes I agree, I ruined the bevel or built up with stropping paste. Easilt rectified I know. Will give update once I get the razor re-honed then shave ready. Then I will shave the lather at a 2 spine width angle and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the feedback and help.....it truly is insightful and nice knowing no one here flamed me for being a newbie and screwing up. Great site here for sure with people more than willing to assist a complete mo-ron like myself!

Almost everyone does this sort of thing, or something like it, in the beginning. This forum is full of guys who love shaving with straights. Pretty much all of us want you to be successful.





In other words, we're all enablers.

Michael -- We have in fact all done it, so you should not feel bad. If I could start over, I'd have the following on a poster above my mirror: "Less _______ (fill in the blank)....angle, paste, unnecessary products, pressure, arrogance, variance shave to shave, impatience, nervousness, distraction, etc., etc., etc.! AND more _________ (fill in the blank)...peacefulness, relaxation, time spent prepping, reading the forum, watching Glen and Lynn videos, quality stropping passes, time building a lather, etc., etc., etc....!"

Enjoy!

Michael,
have a read through the beginners section, stropping section and razor section. You are definately not alone, if everyone who had made a mistake of some sort got scared off the membership would be almost non existent.

Learning through trial and error in my opinion is all the fun, that's how we learn, and when success finally comes, and you know the reason for it, it makes it all the more enjoyable.

As has been said here many times, enjoy the journey and all the different avenues that it opens up. If someone had of told me a year ago that I would actually hone a razor, from bevel set to finish, I would have laughed, said wasn't going to happen...that's where the fun is.

Originally Posted by Phrank

Learning through trial and error in my opinion is all the fun, that's how we learn, and when success finally comes, and you know the reason for it, it makes it all the more enjoyable.

As has been said here many times, enjoy the journey and all the different avenues that it opens up. If someone had of told me a year ago that I would actually hone a razor, from bevel set to finish, I would have laughed, said wasn't going to happen...that's where the fun is.

I can say with certainty that putting vaseline into your shaving cream is not a good idea (look up a thread called vaseline in your shaving cream )

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Michael,
have a read through the beginners section, stropping section and razor section. You are definately not alone, if everyone who had made a mistake of some sort got scared off the membership would be almost non existent.

Will do Ed! I guess this is part of the learning curve for sure.