What's new

HELP

Hi everyone I am trying to get into straight razors I’m done everything I know how bit I never know how much to hone, to strop or anything like that, I always seem to get a pulling sensation form my dovo. Also my strop has a few nicks is it still of to use?
 
Spare yourself any further distress and send your razor to someone here who will put a reference edge on it. That way you will know what you are shooting at.

Everyone's first strop has a nick or two... :)

Where are you located?
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Welcome to the forum. Any chance of a photo or two of your shaving gear? This might help some of the members to give you some better advice. You have certainly come to the right place to get some help.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@calebbeno1, before you go any further read this:


If that doesn't put you off SR shaving, read this:


As mentioned above, some photos of your gear and your location would help us a lot in guiding you.
 
Hi @calebbeno1 and welcome to the forum. I would reiterate the advice above and get your razors honed by an accomplished honemeister. Only then can you be sure if where your problem lies. Also, try to learn shaving first, *then* learn to hone.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but obviously the more you practise the faster you will learn it. It came very easily and quickly for me. It was like learning to ride a bicycle.
 
I just started shaving with a straight razor, also. My razor was honed by an expert and my first shave was magic. My second shave was good, but I think I didn't strop enough and I found out that the canvas side will roughen up an already sharp blade. Stropping takes more work than the videos make it out to be, it seems.
 
to add to what I said above, I gave my razor a good stropping on the smooth leather side, about 30 back and forth passes total, maybe a few more. Today's shave was as smooth as the first one.
 

Legion

Staff member
Hi everyone I am trying to get into straight razors I’m done everything I know how bit I never know how much to hone, to strop or anything like that, I always seem to get a pulling sensation form my dovo. Also my strop has a few nicks is it still of to use?
I think we need way more information.

How was the razor honed? By who?

Can we see a pic of the nicks on the strop?

Most Dovos do not come shave ready to a degree a lot of us would be happy with.
 
I'm with the folks above, learning honing and shaving at the same time can be done but it's ill advised. Get your razor sharpened by an experienced master and continue to mail for that service for the first touch up or two as well. I mailed for 10 years, learn honing when you know how to shave and want to but it's no necessity

Stropping when you start is a mixed bag. Go *sloowww*, it will take time and that's annoying but necessary. Everyone Knicks their first strop, unless you carved it up good it should be fine and useable. When you knick it though it folds the edge a little and causes it to lose its keenness more quickly so you really don't want that when learning.

I tend to suggest doing less laps when learning as you have less chance of screwing up, but you may find the blade feel demands more laps. Also be sure you're pulling the strop very taught, you want it to be giving no edge bend and you don't want pressure when stropping, you're just wiping not grinding
 
Last edited:

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
The secret to stropping as a n00bie is to strop with just the weight of the blade as pressure and hold the strop taut enough so that there is no noticeable deflection in the strop while stropping. If there is any noticeably deflection, reduce your stropping pressure or hold the strop more taut.

It's all in the instructions.
 
It sounds to me that you're trying to learn to hone and strop and shave all at once.
STOP!!!
As it's been said, have your razor honed by a pro. Then learn to strop and shave ONLY.

After a year or so then you can start to learn honing but you must have one good edge to shave with. Not a less than perfect one as that will only cause you issues. After that year you will know what a real edge should feel like on your face. Then start learning to hone. But always have one edge that was done by a pro as a reference.
And remember that a Pro Honer is not the guy downtown who sharpens knives. Stay away from knife sharpeners. That is not honing. Sure, A lot of us can hone and sharpen knives but it takes time and there are a lot of differences between the two.

BTW, When the guy sold you the Dovo he most likely said it's shave-ready. wrong! I've never seen an edge done by a machine that is really shave-ready. Never. Some may disagree with this. But most will not.
 
Spare yourself any further distress and send your razor to someone here who will put a reference edge on it. That way you will know what you are shooting at.

Everyone's first strop has a nick or two... :)

Where are you located?

Welcome! Send one of your better razors to @Doc226 for a proper edge, and then get a beater or two (or a Gold Dollar) for learning to hone. And enjoy the journey.
 
All good advice above.

Remember, we've all been through EXACTLY what you are experiencing, and we all came out the other side to be proficient SR shavers. It's absolutely worth learning this skill. Or rather this set of skills since a good shave is dependent upon:
  • the razor,
  • the honing,
  • the stropping,
  • and the shaving technique.
And BTW, I strop about 15 laps on linen and then about 30 laps on clean leather after each shave. But, I then strop about 30 more laps on leather before the shave. That's about double what you were doing if I read it right.
 
Top Bottom