First shave... not Good

well I went down to the post office yesterday and picked up my package from Tony Miller (it was around 4 p.m.) went home opened it up and there it was.
my new 4 sided pre-pasted, 3 in red latigo strop and Tony's last dovo special
straight which he pre-sharpend for me.Beautiful like everyone says!! well I got in a steaming shower for about 20 min, splashed some more hot water on my face, used some pre -shave oil over my stubble and proceded to lather my new spice from St charles. as soon as I finshed putting the lather ,I began to strop on the linen side 20X and the the smooth leather side 20x. I put the blade to my face while stretching my skin over my head and the blade just got stuck and pulled on my beard for about an inch, it was not comfortable it was like shaving with my mack3 without wetting my beard, I was also a bit worried I was going to get sliced, :eek: I was just not comfortable doing this,I tried several other spots and expierenced the same uneasyness. :mad: I was going real slow ,the lather was disapearing, so I re-stroped re-lathered and tried again. after about 20min I stoped. I guess I have to do a little bit each day, what am I doing wrong? :shrug:
have others gone thru this? could I have messed up the blade stroping? I went slow and layed the blade flat. really confused right now. :shrug:

One possibility is you may have lifted the spine of
the razor while stropping and rolled the edge.

Do a hanging hair test on the edge or test against
the hairs on the side of you arm.

Other than this I'm not sure where the problem may
lie. I am sure that with the help of the more experienced
members that the problem will be resolved.

Best of Luck,

Terry

could be,,so what do i do to fix it?
Thanks ,Caesar

Caesar,

If thta's what it is, one of the members can re hone the razor
for you. Do let some of the more experienced guys respond
first though. I've only been at this a month myself and I
could be dead wrong.


Terry

Caesar,

Terry might very well be right. However here is another posibility what angle did you have the blade at relative to your face? It should be about 30 degees, about twice the width of the spine. If it was too upright it would also pull the hair.:cry:

You have a pasted strop, if it's just a little off, I'd suggest a few strokes on the paste in order to bring the edge back perfect. Strop as normal, just making sure to clean the razor thoroughly between sides of the strop to ensure you don't cross-contaminate your grits.

Who knows if the razor got knocked around in shipping or whatever. If it was a bad stropping error, though, and you took the edge off, you might need to re-hone the razor. Try the pasted strop first, though, that usually gets things all fixed up.

Yes, and watch that stropping. If you're using a hanginf strop to finish make sure that sucker's pulled taught and use a very gentle motion with the razor. It could be your angle too. A slight cutting angle can help you, even 5º. You can read about it here under Shave With Extreme Predjudice. And remember, safety first!

X

I had the same problem with one of Tony's new Dovo's in a package deal. The blade just wasnt sharp enough for me. After butchering my face for about a month, I finally sent it off to Lynn to make sure it was as sharp as a new blade should be. Still waiting for the DOVO to return from Lynn.... in the meantime, I bought a used package of razors, pasted and hanging strop, from one of the members here. I found that the pasted strop probably was the key to getting the keenest edge on an "almost" shave ready razor. Hang in there. With a lot of patience and practice, it gets better.
Jason

I would say stropping with green paste until it passes the hair test. Seems to me that the razor just is not sharp enough. My DOVO (Astrale 5/8 half hollow) from the store was in fact sharp enough, but I often read that DOVOS sometimes leave the factory not really sharp - perhaps they have not enough time to sharpen properly ...

I am sorry that your first shave was not as convincing as you probably expected it, but with a real sharp razor you will instantly see and feel the difference!

Good luck!

Thanks all, I think it may have been my stroping, I may have applied a little if any pressure without realizing it,I went slow but who knows, As far as shave ready goes, I know Tony said he sharpened it for me, I'll have to ask to make sure, as well as see if I should use the paddle first before sending it away for honing. The angle on my face was good ,I tried several, then again I was a little nervous and felt a bit uncomfortable since this was my first time.Have to gain more confidence. what is the turn around time for a blade to be honed by Lynn?

I think you did the right thing by stopping the shave. I see others have given some good advice here, the only thing I would add is to get yourself an inexpensive ebay razor and a strop that you don't mind getting a few nics in, to practice honing and stropping with. It is a great way to learn the ins an outs of honing and stropping without messing with the Dovo...

Emil

If the razor is honed by just about anyone you should be able to get a decent shave from it, maybe not great, but atleast passable. I would try a few things before sending it to Lynn, mostly because he can work out whatever you screw up, sans, a wicked nick. I don't see how his turn around time makes any difference if the razor isn't shaving. I think you should worry more about the time it'll take you to learn how to strop, its longer than Lynn's turn around time.

True. I need to get a used one on EBAY and practice. Thanks

That is a good idea, I inadvertently did that by getting such poor quality sutff (pre being and SRP member obviously) that it was only worth practicing with (and cutting insulation off wires). Dont be worried if you stropped it badly, many of us have done that before, just send it to one of the honemeisters and work on your technique while its away.

Although, the angle can make a real difference. When I first started, that was what took the most getting used to for me. Maybe its worth another go on the sideburns as theyre the easiest to shave, taking care to get a 30 degree angle. If it still pulls then stop immediately and finish off with the backup of your choice.

Caesar,
Sorry that shave did not go well. I do sharpen all the razors before sending but I do not shave with them as a test. I do a thumb test and hanging hair test but without a test shave I cannot assure you it is as sharp as it should be.
I would work on that pasted strop a bit and am sure that will quickly get you where you need to be. Start again on the 3.0 side, go 20-30 passes slowly, keeping the blade completely flat to the strop. Move to the 1.0 for 30, the 0.5 for another 30 and again on the 0.25 and try it again.

Tony

Its hard to give you real effective advice because there are so many possibilities here. It could be the razor, the stropping, your inexperience or maybe evil spirits.

When I first shaved with a straight I was very careful to read everything I could and I bought the best creams and strops and hones and a new TI razor. Of course I really didn't know to use any of the stuff but I sure thought I did and I expected my first shave to be textbook perfect. Boy was I wrong. My first shave left me with nicks, massive burn and a very poor shave.

So the moral of the story is that before you spend more time ruining you nice new razor by trying to hone it or improperly strop it consider it just might be your inexperience. If thats the case each shave should get better and better. Some pick it up much faster than others but eventually everyone does. Its true that most new razors never shave to their potential out of the box and this varies from razor to razor and brand to brand but you still should be able to get a passable shave from any new one unless you got one honed by a drunk or something. Since tony hones them before sending them out thats probably unlikely so my advice is to go slow and start with just the basic strokes at first and watch the angle of the razor to your skin. Expect to have to finish with a DE or disposable at first.

Most of us here shaved perfectly on our first try ;). :rolleyes:

Be careful once you do get it to the right angle and right sharpness. I had my face pulled tight while shaving with the Cattaraugus from Lynn and barely touched my chin at the wrong angle and a nice sized slice opened right up. Didn't even feel it at first. hadn't even started shaving. just noticed the red popping out at the razors edge.

I understand that feeling so well because it was just a few weeks ago for me. It almost feels like you are playing Russian roulette. My first shave was also with a dull razor. I did not know this sight with all this help was here until about five weeks of trial and error. My wife still thinks I am crazy, but the scars are starting to heal and the doctor said I should look normal at some point. :D

Don’t give up it really is a great pleasure when it is right.
d

Great..slicing off a chunk of chin, I know , I was very uneasy putting the straight to my face,so part is fear and of coarse inexpierence. i don't believe the straight needs to go away for honing,i will do what Tony is recommending
and paddle strop. the hanging strop (when i used it the first day) may have not been taunt enough, I went slow and flat, But it was my first time.And I will practice on my sideburns for a while and finish off with a razor.
all of your input has been reasuring and I will not give up. Its good to hear that some have felt or done the same, so I have faith and trust on SRP
Thanks again,
Caesar

Caesar -

My wife bought me one for X-mas, no strop, no hone, no cream, nothing - just a 5/8" DOVO. I guess that's what happens when you mention “hey, I’d really like to try that” and actually have a wife that listens to you…

So I looked at it for a few days, got some material off the web on how to shave with a straight, and one evening while she was at work I poured myself a small Scotch and then headed into the shower to get ready. Yes, I was nervous – removing a part of my face was not what I wanted.

Like you I did all the prep and then I couldn’t cut anything with this razor… I didn’t know I had to sharpen it before I used it...

So look at it this way, you are way ahead of me – I am now (two months later) at a point where I feel comfortable putting a sharp razor to my face.

Do I still nick myself occasionally, yes, but in general things are getting much better every time I shave.

Hang in there – it takes time.

Cheers,
Keith

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FUD

Most of us here shaved perfectly on our first try ;). :rolleyes:

Be careful once you do get it to the right angle and right sharpness. I had my face pulled tight while shaving with the Cattaraugus from Lynn and barely touched my chin at the wrong angle and a nice sized slice opened right up. Didn't even feel it at first. hadn't even started shaving. just noticed the red popping out at the razors edge.

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That is the truth, and the problem with a Lynn honed razor. It is so sharp if you are not paying attention you can be standing there with your lips in the sink. :eek: Boy can he get a razor sharp!!! I am envious. He sharpened one almost a year ago for me and it is still my sharpest razor. Way to go Lynn!!:)

I"m going to send him one this week. My limited edition dovo...its time to have it ready for that special day!!! :D

Well I did it. I followed Tony's Direction on my 4-sised paddle, the dovo was sharp and ready to go, i did the right side of my face great, the left was a bit akward but with more practice i know it will get better, overall excellent expierience and I definetly noticed the smooth difference..Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nunz4

Well I did it. I followed Tony's Direction on my 4-sised paddle, the dove was sharp and ready to go, i did the right side of my face great, the left was a bit akward but with more practice i know it will get better, overall excellent expierience and I definetly noticed the smooth difference..Thanks!

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congrats!

Follow Lynn's shaving show and shave with 2 hands. It's strange at first if you're a one handed shaver but believe me, you can get a really sweet shave with 2 hands.

Believe me FUD I am really trying. I did a little and was surprised i did not cut myself, i'm just going to keep practicing...(never have used the left much).
But I agree with you, you really need to use both hands for the closest shave!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nunz4

Well I did it. I followed Tony's Direction on my 4-sised paddle, the dovo was sharp and ready to go, i did the right side of my face great, the left was a bit akward but with more practice i know it will get better, overall excellent expierience and I definetly noticed the smooth difference..Thanks!

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Congratulations and way to go! Sounds like you pulled through okay.

Razors should come with warning labels about sharpening them before you shave, for those of us who find the razor before these forums. :)

Thank goodness for the internet, though, or I'd still be shaving with a mach3.

Keith,
Caesar's razor was actually sharpened by me before sending but without actually shaving with it I could nt be sure it was really ready. I gave him some instructions on using the pre-pasted paddle he bought and all is well now.
This is exactly why I always suggest a paddle strop for a beginner. If your razor is not ready when it arrives they will already have the tool they need to get it there. If a beginner goes the hanging strop route first he would already need to go out and buy more gear. I try to get them started with the minimun needed to have sucess and figure they can build from there.
Tony

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Keith,
Caesar's razor was actually sharpened by me before sending but without actually shaving with it I could nt be sure it was really ready. I gave him some instructions on using the pre-pasted paddle he bought and all is well now.
This is exactly why I always suggest a paddle strop for a beginner. If your razor is not ready when it arrives they will already have the tool they need to get it there. If a beginner goes the hanging strop route first he would already need to go out and buy more gear. I try to get them started with the minimun needed to have sucess and figure they can build from there.
Tony

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Yeah, the four-sided strop I got from you really increased my shaving pleasure. :) I think that's really good advice about getting a paddle strop with one pasted side.

i cannot even see any beguinner without one of Tony's 4 sided pre-pasted
strops. it is essential. last night I shaved my whole face not to good around the chin and some little spots and I used both hands!! :D went out with the wife and another couple to an italian restaurant and I was faceturbating at the table all night!.....almost got kicked out. :eek:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nunz4

last night I shaved my whole face not to good around the chin and some little spots and I used both hands!! ....an italian restaurant and I was faceturbating at the table all night!.....almost got kicked out. :eek:

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Ok, now THAT's a problem! ABSOLUTELY NO FACE FONDLING IN PUBLIC!!!! :nono:

;)

I managed without a paddle strop. though I had a sharpened razor from Lynn so that really helped :p. I'm still a n00b but now that I can hone half decent I can probably live without pasted strops.

Make sure that you're doing plenty of face prep. Do you put a hot towel on your face before hand? I use two applications of a hot towel, then I lather up my face, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then put the hot towel on it again (over the lather), then I re-lather, and then apply a hot towel again, then lather one last time and then shave. You've really got to soften up the hairs and get them standing up well. Also, pulling the skin really tight helps tremendously, especially when doing your neck. After a couple of weeks, you'll know your way around your face much better and you'll also get used to the razor and you won't be so worried about cutting yourself. It just takes time.