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Does my blade need a refresh? I've been shaving exclusively with my Dovo since about a month ago. I shave every 2 or 3 days. I stropped 60 strokes before this shave (20 on cotton and 40 on leather).
The blade felt like it was "dragging" along....like it was scratching my face. I still got a good shave but I did get my first "cut." Not bad but definitely more than a "nick."
I'm going to get some compound and "refresh" the blade. If that doesn't help, I'll send it off for a honing.
Thoughts?
That sounds like a good idea.
I use Theirs Issard strop paste from The Art of Shaving on the canvas Strop. It helps maintain the edge. Make sure your strop technique is correct.
Most important. Was the razor professionally honed when you got it? Do you have another razor to use if you need to send it out for honeing? It's good to have a spare. Where are you located? There may be a member near you that hones.
Now you're obliged to provide photographic documentation.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnglesMatter
"Cut of the Day"...
:deal:
bouschie,
I think my strop technique is correct, working off a Lynn Abrams youtube video on the subject.
I bought the Dovo from The Superior Shave in 2009, I think (99% sure) it came honed.
No backup SR for shaving.....might have to use the electric for now.
A member offered me a free honing....very nice gesture and I will take it!
FW: LOL :p If it was easy for me to do pics I would. "Cut of the Day" would be a funny thread.
cant be to tough to post a picture for a guy with so many degrees. hell i figured it out and high school was as far as i got plus i,m almost 66 years old. so not difficult man up and get with it Tc
The length of time you get between refreshing an edge depends upon many factors: the quality of the steel, the quality of the original grind and honing, the toughness of your beard, how often you shave, the sensitivity of your face, your stropping equipment and technique, the quality of your lather, etc. Some people claim to get several months from an edge between honings. I am so critical of my edges that I keep a finishing hone on the counter of my shaving sink to touch up the edge anytime I notice the slightest tugging or irritation that can not be corrected by stropping alone. For me, that occurs every 4-6 shaves on a razor. I rotate among 25 razors, so a razor only gets a touch-up every 3-5 months, but I am touching up at least one razor every week. I could still shave with the razor beyond the 4-6 shaves, but the shave would not be up to my standards.
You indicated you have only one straight. Thus, you have several options:
1. Purchase another straight razor as a backup. The razor need not be expensive as long as it is properly honed. But if you really like shaving with a straight, now may be the time to start your collection.
2. Purchase a finishing hone for refreshing the razor edge. You do not need a full set of stones unless you need to reset the bevel. Some smaller hones can be purchased at a reasonable price for those on a budget. There are those who prefer honing using a small, hand held stone rather than a bench stone.
3. Send your razor off to be honed and use a DE razor until the straight returns to your shave den. As a last resort, you could use disposable cartridge razors. In the short term, this might be the best option, but in the long term one or both of the other options will prove better.
Actually, Jarrod from the Superior Shave insists that Dovos are shave ready from the factory and so he does not hone new Dovo razors before selling them.
His razor videos are interesting, if you want to learn a lot about alcohol.
TC,
Not about figuring it out, it's that the camera and the computer no longer work together and I don't have a smartphone. So at least until I can get the computer worked on, there will not be pics.
Ray,
At some point I need a backup razor and to get this thing honed.
Utopian,
So this thing may not have been honed other than what the factory did? I have read on this forum that Dovo is "hit and miss" in the area of honing new units.
Given what Jarrod has repeatedly claimed, to the best of my knowledge he believes that all Dovos are shave ready from the factory. For that reason he claims that there is no need for him to hone them before selling them.Quote:
Originally Posted by AnglesMatter
I have honed a few new Dovo's, none were anywhere near a true bevel.
SRD has sold quite a few Dovos and I'm pretty sure there is a reason why he honed all of them before they were sold.
Are we really having this discussion about any Factory made razor being shave ready out of the box?
I've had Dovo's that were truly shave ready from the factory but they were the exceptions. Most needed work to one degree or another. The more recent razors tend to be in shape worse than the older ones.
I've had some vintage NOS pieces that shaved fantastically out of the box but we're talking razors made in the 60s.
I guess we are having that discussion and I'm glad we are since I'm new here and equally new to straight razor shaving....if The Superior Shave doesn't hone new razors and factories do not hone then I am very glad someone pointed that out.
I seem to recall the Dovo I bought being advertised as "honed" but that's been 9 or 10 years ago before I even knew what "honed" meant. Clearly the razor does work as I've been off to what I think is a great start with it. If, however, it wasn't honed at the factory or by the dealer then I might be in for a pleasant surprise when I do get it honed. :chapeau
I should have enough growth to shave Friday or certainly by Saturday and I'll get back with everyone here on how that goes. My "cut" isn't completely healed yet but it's coming along quite nicely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnglesMatter
I don't think anyone is saying Dovos are "not" honed at the factory because they are. It is just that the factory honing may not be optimal. There is a difference between a razor you can shave with and one that is "shave ready" if you follow me. The razors that I hone for myself I can shave with quite comfortably but I would not consider them "shave ready" by the standards of a pro honed razor. I have had a couple of current production new razors that even I could improve the edge on. There are degrees of shave able edges.
You can see the honing at about the 3:49 mark in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ACJrAI3SxM
Bob
I believe, two things come into play here:
1.) A novice has to master three skills: firstly the shave, secondly stropping, and lastly honing.
While in the beginning honing can be done by someone else, most straight shavers will ultimately want to master that skill as well.
But the first two skills go hand in hand, and a novice tends to be both hard on the razor when he shaves and hard on the razor when he strops.
In short, a novice’s razor will need to be honed much sooner than an accomplished straight shaver’s razor.
And there is no need to fret over it, it’s all part of the learning process AFAIK.
There are some excellent vidoes out there (some total rubbish too, it’s after all the Internet :td ) but they can only help that much and ultimately nothing will replace the lessons one learns from practice. And razors are very good at telling you when they need some care. They just “don’t cut it anymore”. You may hear the familiar sound, but after the pass the stubble is just still there and you wonder whether by mistake you reached for the butter knife.
I feel sorry for the first razors that I abused coming to grips with shaving, stropping and honing, but they all survived the ordeal and are still today with me - in better shape than ever.
2) Regarding “shave ready” that is such a subjective term. Maybe I have become picky, but I bought very few razors that were shave ready in my book, which does not mean these razors could not have been perfectly acceptable for someone else.
In straight shaving, one tends to set the bar higher over time, and expectations in the tools (razors) one uses grow and ultimately it burns down to the very simple question “Is this razor up to my standards and on par with the razors that I already have, or does it need some work done?”
B
beluga,
Thank you for that advice and no doubt, anytime one does something for the first time, they are bound to make mistakes. As long as that person can learn from mistakes, progress is guaranteed.
I shaved last night after a shower and I changed up my stropping technique to keep the spine in contact with the strop. The razor seemed to be "its old self again." I got a couple of nicks this time but no cuts. I did miss a spot that I can catch tomorrow or let go till next time since no one can see it.