What's new

Sr problems

Hi all so today I shaved with my dovo best quality first shave in about 4 months. So iv had quite abit of irretatio. Around my neck area where am I going wrong.

FYI I started with a straight then moved to de only use it when I’m feeling fancey. I used a pre shave I had just honed the blade about a week ago stroped prior to shave made 100% sure I didn’t use to much pressure I’m unsure where iv gone wrong the blade does feel abit harsh against the skin as I shave but I’m unsure if that could be it.
 
How did you go about the honing process?
Could be many factors, but the honing bit is almost always off for new straight razor users. Incomplete bevel, deep scratches on the bevel ect.
 
How did you go about the honing process?
Could be many factors, but the honing bit is almost always off for new straight razor users. Incomplete bevel, deep scratches on the bevel ect.
So I ran a lapping film progression 12u 6u 3u 1u 0.5u then balsa strop then on to the leather strop
 
Do you have any close up pictures of the edge?
No not at the moment I can post some later but after I check honed I checked the edge with a loupe to make sure I had no knicks deep screeches and the polish on the edge was even
 
Alright. Did you make sure you could shave arm hair with ease after the 12u? You should really feel it grab the hair at that stage.
Could also be that you have microchipping at the edge, or a wire edge.
Too much pressure is not good or too light is not good when honing, try to keep the strokes even and nice.
 
Last edited:
Alright. Did you make sure you could shave arm hair with ease after the 12u? You should really feel it grab the hair at that stage.
Could also be that you have microchipping at the edge, or a wire edge.
Too much pressure is not good or too light is not good when honing, try to keep the strokes even and nice.
It was poping hair at 12 at 3 it was shaving the hair as in a hanging hair as I dragged it along the blade it would slice though and on an angle
 
I had a think and I think it maybe to much pressure when I’m honing as when I did 12 I was tray to leave the edge and was pushing down but the rest I wasn’t
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
So I ran a lapping film progression 12u 6u 3u 1u 0.5u then balsa strop then on to the leather strop

My suggestion is to drop the .5u film. I actually have never seen 6u or .5u film. Do you have lapping FILM, or lapping paper or polishing paper or some other thing?

You only have one balsa strop? You should have three. One each for .5u diamond, .25 diamond, and .1u diamond.

With a Best Quality, the hard part is getting a good bevel set in the first place. The entry level Dovos are a real mess. Once you do have a good bevel, you should never need to set the bevel again. How did you set the bevel, and how did you prove to yourself that the bevel was set? I would be very surprised if you managed to take a Dovo Best with a factory edge on it and set a good bevel with 12u lapping film. Did you use the burr method?
 
I did 120 Lapps on 12 u 60 on 6u 50 on 3u at 1u I did 35 and 0.5 I did 80 it was poping hairs at 12u it was shaving not well but it was yes I did the burr at 1 and 0.5 I’m unsure. when I brought the film it was listed as lapping film with a psa 3m branded used for polishing watches or clocks
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
That doesn't make any sense. You set the bevel by the burr method. You should NEVER have a burr in the progression and certainly not at 1u. Also counting laps is not the way to hone. At least not with film. Not only that, but it would take several hundred laps on the 1u film to have a burr that you can feel, unless you are using extremely heavy pressure.

Start over. Raise a burr on one side with the 12u film. Then raise a burr on the other side. Then hone it off with alternating laps on the 12u. NOW your bevel is truly set and proven to be set.

I don't know what to tell you about the 6u because I have never heard of 6u lapping film. It is not a standard grit. 12u is a common grit. 3u is a common grit. In between there is only 9u and 5u, as far as I know. But what ever. Okay so hone on that intermediate grit until you feel a distinct improvement in the edge, then go another dozen or so. Your pressure needs to be very light once the bevel is set. Also you should see that the scratch pattern has changed and that all the 12u stage scratches are completely gone. Only then should you go to the 3u film. Same thing here. When the 3u film has done its work, you should feel the razor sticking to the film. It may be 20 laps. It may be 200 laps. The lap count does not matter. And the intermediate scratches should now be completely gone and replaced with the 3u scratches. Go to the 1u film. Keep going on it until you feel it sticking very strongly to the film. The 3u scratches should be completely gone. The edge should now be very sharp and should treetop at 1/4" above the skin, getting at least 1 or 2 hairs each pass.

I don't know anything about .5u film. I have never heard of .5u film. Something is not right here. Drop it. It is not a standard grit so something funny is going on.

You can max out the 1u film by honing with shave lather on the film. Start with normal light pressure and gradually decrease pressure even more. It will feel like the razor is not even touching the film. NOW you can count laps. Go at least 200 laps as you continue to lighten the pressure to nothing.

EVERY STAGE must do its job completely before you can advance to the next stage. This is extremely important. If you do not do this then you are simply wasting your time.

Setting the bevel is the most important step. Without a good bevel from one end to the other, you will NEVER NEVER NEVER have a good edge. It is not possible to get a good edge without a good bevel. The bevel IS the edge. The progression simply refines and polishes the bevel.

PSA type film is not what you want. You should have the plain back film. This is not a complete deal breaker but never again buy the PSA film. It is not the correct film for honing razors.

I gather that English is not your native language so I know this is difficult, but go back to the lapping film thread and read it completely, from beginning to end. Make sure you understand it. Also read the thread on setting the bevel with the burr method. Read it completely. Understand it. If you don't fully understand it, read it again. Read it a hundred times if you need to.

At the end of every stage, you should do a half dozen pull strokes, and then about 10 more regular laps. This helps to ensure that there is no fin edge.

Don't worry about the balsa until you can get a good shave off the 1u film. You are not helping anything with the balsa if the 1u edge won't shave. You cannot improve the edge with one grit until the previous grit has done its job. Some things simply are not possible. Don't waste your time trying to do impossible things.

Step one. Set that bevel. Know that it is set. Do not guess that it is set. Forget about how many laps you think you should use. Set the bevel. Do not waste your time. If the bevel is not set then you are doing nothing at all.

You need three balsa strops. You need three different grits of diamond paste. You need .5u, .25u, and .1u. But none of them will do you any good at all unless you have a well developed 1u edge. You cannot get a good 1u edge unless you have a good 3u edge. You cannot get a good 3u edge unless you have a good ??? edge. And before that can happen, you need a good bevel that is proven without any doubt to be good from one end to the other. This is fact. This is a basic law of honing. There is no way around this. If you do not believe this then you will never have a good edge even if you hone your entire life. You MUST get your ducks in a row here and go step by step and be absolutely certain that you are done before the next stage.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
That doesn't make any sense. You set the bevel by the burr method. You should NEVER have a burr in the progression and certainly not at 1u. Also counting laps is not the way to hone. At least not with film. Not only that, but it would take several hundred laps on the 1u film to have a burr that you can feel, unless you are using extremely heavy pressure.

Start over. Raise a burr on one side with the 12u film. Then raise a burr on the other side. Then hone it off with alternating laps on the 12u. NOW your bevel is truly set and proven to be set.

I don't know what to tell you about the 6u because I have never heard of 6u lapping film. It is not a standard grit. 12u is a common grit. 3u is a common grit. In between there is only 9u and 5u, as far as I know. But what ever. Okay so hone on that intermediate grit until you feel a distinct improvement in the edge, then go another dozen or so. Your pressure needs to be very light once the bevel is set. Also you should see that the scratch pattern has changed and that all the 12u stage scratches are completely gone. Only then should you go to the 3u film. Same thing here. When the 3u film has done its work, you should feel the razor sticking to the film. It may be 20 laps. It may be 200 laps. The lap count does not matter. And the intermediate scratches should now be completely gone and replaced with the 3u scratches. Go to the 1u film. Keep going on it until you feel it sticking very strongly to the film. The 3u scratches should be completely gone. The edge should now be very sharp and should treetop at 1/4" above the skin, getting at least 1 or 2 hairs each pass.

I don't know anything about .5u film. I have never heard of .5u film. Something is not right here. Drop it. It is not a standard grit so something funny is going on.

You can max out the 1u film by honing with shave lather on the film. Start with normal light pressure and gradually decrease pressure even more. It will feel like the razor is not even touching the film. NOW you can count laps. Go at least 200 laps as you continue to lighten the pressure to nothing.

EVERY STAGE must do its job completely before you can advance to the next stage. This is extremely important. If you do not do this then you are simply wasting your time.

Setting the bevel is the most important step. Without a good bevel from one end to the other, you will NEVER NEVER NEVER have a good edge. It is not possible to get a good edge without a good bevel. The bevel IS the edge. The progression simply refines and polishes the bevel.

PSA type film is not what you want. You should have the plain back film. This is not a complete deal breaker but never again buy the PSA film. It is not the correct film for honing razors.

I gather that English is not your native language so I know this is difficult, but go back to the lapping film thread and read it completely, from beginning to end. Make sure you understand it. Also read the thread on setting the bevel with the burr method. Read it completely. Understand it. If you don't fully understand it, read it again. Read it a hundred times if you need to.

At the end of every stage, you should do a half dozen pull strokes, and then about 10 more regular laps. This helps to ensure that there is no fin edge.

Don't worry about the balsa until you can get a good shave off the 1u film. You are not helping anything with the balsa if the 1u edge won't shave. You cannot improve the edge with one grit until the previous grit has done its job. Some things simply are not possible. Don't waste your time trying to do impossible things.

Step one. Set that bevel. Know that it is set. Do not guess that it is set. Forget about how many laps you think you should use. Set the bevel. Do not waste your time. If the bevel is not set then you are doing nothing at all.

You need three balsa strops. You need three different grits of diamond paste. You need .5u, .25u, and .1u. But none of them will do you any good at all unless you have a well developed 1u edge. You cannot get a good 1u edge unless you have a good 3u edge. You cannot get a good 3u edge unless you have a good ??? edge. And before that can happen, you need a good bevel that is proven without any doubt to be good from one end to the other. This is fact. This is a basic law of honing. There is no way around this. If you do not believe this then you will never have a good edge even if you hone your entire life. You MUST get your ducks in a row here and go step by step and be absolutely certain that you are done before the next stage.
I’ve been using The Method for two years. You taught me to successfully hone a razor and I still read your posts religiously. My question is do you wear a habit when you write them?
:em2200:
 
Hi all so today I shaved with my dovo best quality first shave in about 4 months. So iv had quite abit of irretatio. Around my neck area where am I going wrong.

FYI I started with a straight then moved to de only use it when I’m feeling fancey. I used a pre shave I had just honed the blade about a week ago stroped prior to shave made 100% sure I didn’t use to much pressure I’m unsure where iv gone wrong the blade does feel abit harsh against the skin as I shave but I’m unsure if that could be it.
Does it treetop? I dont think that razor is sharp.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Only on Mardi Gras and Halloween.
Went back to film and had much better results than with stones. May as well stick with what works for me. I’ll just use the stones for knives. Film is hassle free and simple. Suits my lifestyle. A priest asked his Monsignor if it would be ok to kiss a Nun. The Monsignor said it would be fine so long as he didn’t get into the habit.
 
I’m glad you found something that works, I tried lapping film several years ago and gave up as I had better results with a 1K and quality JNAT
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I’m glad you found something that works, I tried lapping film several years ago and gave up as I had better results with a 1K and quality JNAT
If I did more honing I would likely go with naturals since they feel so good. Film is the same idea as a synthetic stone but in some ways superior IMHO.
 
Top Bottom