New Straight Razor and Gear...What Next?

[m1truckin]

Greetings All,

I switched to wetshaving several months ago and have really enjoyed it and, with much help from here and other sites, have managed to get my DE technique down to the point that I get good/great consistent shaves with little irritation. Well, for Christmas, my darling mother decided that I needed to step things up and, with consultation from the fine folks at Classic Shaving, got me a DOVO Genuine Olivewood 5/8 straight razor, DOVO Prima Rindleder Strop, TI double-sided sharpening strop, and 1.0 and 0.5 micron diamond sharpening pastes. Her discussions with Classic indicated to her that this is all one would need to maintain a shave-ready razor. Upon realizing that I only know what a couple of these tools were meant for, at least in theory, I’ve decided to turn to you, the experts, for some guidance.

I’ve never held a straight before this, but have experience with professionally sharpened hunting and fishing knives and I have to say that, right out of the box, this thing feels sharper than anything I’ve ever held. So, what’s next?

It seems to me that the sharpening strop and diamond paste can be used to periodically sharpen or hone the blade and that the hanging strop is used before each shave. There is a great guide on Classic’s web site that seems to explain what to do with exactly everything that my mom got me, but when it comes to the integrity of my own throat, I like to have all the information available.

Always, any help is greatly appreciated.

Kindest regards,

Randy

[Laz in Tampa]

Welcome aboard, Randy! First off, get a good shaving soap or cream. Use water as hot as you can stand, and them lather up and let the lather sit on your face for at least 4 minutes. Re-lather as needed to keep the lather moist. To start with, use only down (with the grain) strokes. Try to stretch thr skin being shaved as best you can. If you get a feeling of awkwardness with that razor next to your throat, take a break or finish with your DE.
Strop at least 30 round trip passes before every shave.
Make sure your razor is fully dried before putting it away.

Ask any more questions you have!
Good Luck!

[m1truckin]

Thanks for the reply. Any advice on how I should prep the razor given that it's out of the box? I keep reading about stones, hones, 4000/8000,microscopes, etc. What I'd like is to be able to get a shave-ready razor without, if possible, having it professionally honed, i.e., I'd like to do it myself. Is the sharpening strop and diamond paste every couple of weeks (months?) enough to keep a razor going? I have the face prep, creams/soaps/lather thing down, it's everything before that that a straight requires vis-a-vis a DE that I'm a bit in the dark on.

I'm terribly excited and a bit frightened to give it a go and don't want to start out on the wrong foot and bail on the whole straight thing because I don't have a keen razor.

Thanks again,

Randy

[randydance062449]

Apply the diamond paste's on the two sided sharpening strop. The amount of paste to use is small, about two pea sized drops and then rub it in.
Most of the Dovo's are not shave ready out of the box.
To correct this first perform a thumb test for sharpness, not the thumbnail test.
This will establish a basis for comparison.
Now perform 30 round trip laps on the 1.0 micron pasted side of the sharpeneing strop. Thumb test again. Notice the change?
Now clean off the razor to avoid contamination with the other side.
Next perform 30 roundtrip laps on the 0.5 micron pasted side of the sharpening strop ( I assume its a paddle strop or a tension paddle strop, if not then let me know). Now perform the thumb test for sharpness again.
Clean the razor off and try the Hanging Hair Test(HHT).
It should easily pass the hanging hair test. If you don't know how to do this then let me know.
By this time you should notice a discernible change in the sharpness of your razor.
If not then go back and repeat the process until you do. It might take a short amount of time or a long time but it will eventually work. There is the outside chance that you will need a coarser abrasive paste such as 3 microns and frankly it would be a good tool to have.

Finally perform 30-50 laps on the plain leather strop and then test shave. Once the razor suits you then you do not need to use the diamond pastes again until the razor starts to pull. Then simply repeat the above.

Hope this helps,

[m1truckin]

Randy,

That is perfect! Thanks for the help. Regarding the HHT, should I try to cut the hair in one quick stroke or slowly, e.g., shaving speed?

I hope to give it a go this weekend and will report back.

Randy

[Laz in Tampa]

Hanging hair test- hold the hair with one hand, and move the hair to the razor. For safety's sake, dont swipe the hair by moving the razor...... A truly keen razor will cut the hair even at very slow speed, basically by just "touching" the hair.

But the final test is actually shaving with the razor. Your beard is the toughest hair on your body, so hanging hairs and arm shaving is only an indicator, not a true judge of the shaving ability of the edge. After a little bit of experimentation, you should know when the razor is shave-ready judging from the other tests.

[JohnP]

You got it from ClassicShaving; do you know if your mother had them sharpen it? Classicshaving uses Lynn Abrams to sharpen their razors, and in the U.S. anyway I don't think there is a better known name in sharp razors. Also don't assume the razor is not shave ready. I've had 3 TI's and 3 Dovo's, and to be honest 2 of the 3 Dovo's were ready right out of the box, and one of the TI's was; try it before you throw it onto the abrasive strop...
Otherwise, sounds like you have the whole kit and caboodle,
have fun!
John P.

[m1truckin]

I'm pleased to report that I survived my first ever straight razor shave and I consider it 100% successful, but have a few more questions.

First, I used the diamond paste and paddle strop as instructed and after a couple of rounds of 30 passes on the 1.0 then 0.5 micron sides, got the razor to pass the HHT. Considering the razor ready to go, I lathered up (with the B&B soap of course) and while the lather sat on my face I proceeded to the hanging strop for 30 passes.

With shaking hands and a abnormally high heart rate, I started to shave. My technique certainly needs a lot of work, but I managed 2 passes with the grain and only one small nick under my nose. The shave was 99% as good as my DE shaves and I know I can do a lot better once I figure out what I'm doing. Since tonight is New Years, I did one more against the grain pass with my Progress to get the uber smooth shave.

Now for the questions. The razor does tug more than my DEs do, is this normal? Also, I could sense that it was getting duller as I proceeded and when I was done, the razor could not pass the HHT even with a little more stropping. Did I not do enough work with the pastes before hand?

I ordered an entry level razor from Bill Ellis that will come shave ready so I have something to base my future efforts on. Thanks for all of the advice, I very much enjoyed my first straight razor shave and look forward to many more.

Happy New Years to you all,

Randy

[Tony Miller]

Randy,
A razor will seem dull either part way through a shave or immediately after. many of us give it a stropping midway through. It assures a freshly aligned edge (and more importantly extends the time spent shaving in the morning <g>).
The razors edge consists of micro-serrations and they get out of line as one shaves. if you have a tough wirey beard it happens pretty quickly. A mid shave strop will get all in order again.

As you progress you may want a small, fine barber hone like a Swaty. You can give the razor a few quick swipes mid shave and continue on.

Even though I now make and sell shaving equipment I started with exactly the same kit you did from Classic Shaving. It has lead me to an enjoyable ath I look forward to each dat. Ray's advice got me and most here started and we all have grown and added to the knowledge from there.

You may also want to check out the other forums too. www.straightrazorplace.com is a good one along with www.shavemyface.com
You will find many of the same crew at each and gather different opinions on the different venues.

Welcome!

Tony Miller

[randydance062449]

Hanging hair test- hold the hair with one hand, and move the hair to the razor. For safety's sake, dont swipe the hair by moving the razor...... A truly keen razor will cut the hair even at very slow speed, basically by just "touching" the hair.

But the final test is actually shaving with the razor. Your beard is the toughest hair on your body, so hanging hairs and arm shaving is only an indicator, not a true judge of the shaving ability of the edge. After a little bit of experimentation, you should know when the razor is shave-ready judging from the other tests.

I agree with Laz on this one.
Hanging Hair Test
1. Hold the razor, edge up in one hand. Keep it stationary
2. Hold the hair, root end out,curve of the hair down, 1/2-1 inch
3. Slowly bring the hair down on the edge of the blade.
4.The easier it cuts the hair the sharper the blade

When its really sharp the hair will "pop" of the blade.
I use this sharpness indicator after the 8000 stone. I do not go on to the other hones/pasted strops until it passes the HHT.

Despite all this a shave is the only surefire way to know if the razor is ready.

Hope this helps,

[m1truckin]

Okay, I'm a couple of shaves in with mixed results and, of course, have a few more questions. First of all, I've been getting good shaves with minimal trauma. The straight isn't nearly as smooth as it passes over my face as a DE and I can really feel the razor doing its work. It's not really uncomfortable, but not completely comfortable either.

My concern is that I don't think I'm geting the razor sharp enough. I've been using the 1 and 0.5 micron paste paddle strop with an x-pattern (blade 90 degrees to the strop, heel to toe, turn over the spine, repeat) then leather strop and, despite several rounds, can't get the razor to consistently pass the HHT. I purchased a razor from Bill Ellis as a baseline and when I got it, found that it wasn't any sharper than I've been able to manage on my own, i.e., it won't consistenly pass the HHT despite a few 30 trip rounds on the pasted strop. I haven't shaved with it yet, but will tomorrow morning.

I don't know if I just haven't worked enough at it, have bad stropping/honing technique, or need coarser paste or a stone to get it right. I am determined to get it right and again thank you all for the guidance. Since I don't know what a straight should feel like, I'm finding it hard to know what I'm striving for.

Any thoughts? Thanks again.

Randy

[rtaylor61]

Randy,

Don't let the failure to pass the HHT be an issue. Many gents have posted about razors that wouldn't pass the test, but shaved nicely. If you got a razor from Bill, it should have been top notch. I'll let some of the more experienced straight users chime in, but the proof is always in the shave.

Randy

[m1truckin]

Randy,

That exactly my thinking re: the razor I got from Bill. I look forward to trying it out tomorrow and will post my results.

Randy

PS - There seem to be an inordinate number of Randys on this board...gotta be a good sign

[rtaylor61]

[QUOTE=m1truckin]Randy,

That exactly my thinking re: the razor I got from Bill. I look forward to trying it out tomorrow and will post my results.

Randy

PS - There seem to be an inordinate number of Randys on this board...gotta be a good sign [/QUOTE]

Absolutely!

Randy

[randydance062449]

The next step would be for you to obtain some 3.0 micron abrasive paste and use that on a paddle strop in your honing routine.
Please be aware that a straight feels differnet than a DE. They will never sound or feel the same.The full holow ground blades will make noise while you are shaving and tha can contibute to the sense of "pulling". A wedge grind sounds very different as does a 1/4 or 1/2 hollow grind. Check out razor central to see what the profiles of the different grinds are. Now you have an excuse to buy some more stuff!

[straightman]

Randy,

Two things I'd like to mention...1. Make sure when you strop or hone to use no pressure on the razor, just the weight of the razor with the spine against the strop or hone at all times. Just use a feather touch.
And, 2. (I saw this on another board but I think it bears repeating for the sake of safety for all straight razor users)...NEVER shave in the buff with a straight razor, whether in the shower or in front of a sink. If you drop it, that thing will pass cleanly through ANYTHING it meets on the way down and then pin your foot to the floor. A sobering thought and a good way to ruin an otherwise perfectly wonderful shaving experience. So, don't shave in the shower with a straight razor (DE's are OK) and wear clothes and leather shoes for some degree of protection when shaving in front of a mirror and sink.

Tom

[zaphf]

And, 2. (I saw this on another board but I think it bears repeating for the sake of safety for all straight razor users)...NEVER shave in the buff with a straight razor, whether in the shower or in front of a sink. If you drop it, that thing will pass cleanly through ANYTHING it meets on the way down and then pin your foot to the floor. A sobering thought and a good way to ruin an otherwise perfectly wonderful shaving experience. So, don't shave in the shower with a straight razor (DE's are OK) and wear clothes and leather shoes for some degree of protection when shaving in front of a mirror and sink.

Tom

I was just doing researching for a jump into trying a straight.. I think I'll stick to my HD.

[woodbane]

Randy,

Two things I'd like to mention...1. Make sure when you strop or hone to use no pressure on the razor, just the weight of the razor with the spine against the strop or hone at all times. Just use a feather touch.
And, 2. (I saw this on another board but I think it bears repeating for the sake of safety for all straight razor users)...NEVER shave in the buff with a straight razor, whether in the shower or in front of a sink. If you drop it, that thing will pass cleanly through ANYTHING it meets on the way down and then pin your foot to the floor. A sobering thought and a good way to ruin an otherwise perfectly wonderful shaving experience. So, don't shave in the shower with a straight razor (DE's are OK) and wear clothes and leather shoes for some degree of protection when shaving in front of a mirror and sink.

Tom

A quick 'bobbiting' in the morning anyone?

I think I'll stick with my DE, especially as I do shave in the buff in front of the mirror!