Not getting an ideal finish on my edge?

[Legion]

Aye, that does make sense. The wear far back on the shoulder was already there when I bought the razor (open box) and is in some part due to rubbing on the handle scales. The wear further down the stabiliser towards the edge is flaking gold plate rather than contact with the stone. The top of the stabiliser was entirely me. My technique is still pretty rough and as you mention it isn’t really possible to try get at the heel without riding the stabiliser. Sighting carefully down the cutting edge certainly does reveal a very slight U grind on the labeled side of the blade.

I do think the blade probably needs reasonably aggressive grinding. One of the reasons I am inclined to send it out is that I am currently separated from the great bulk of my stones (I am in COVID lockdown in Victoria, Aus) which are stored at my workplace. Without any rough diamond plates I’m not particularly enthused about removing a fair amount of hardened steel.

Besides, I’d rather learn to play surgeon with something a bit cheaper than this fella. I’ll let a real doctor take care of this one.

Pick up a gold dollar or two and beat them up for practice. Mailing your razor about in lockdown is going to take forever anyway

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Do this simple test.

Place the razor on a stone with the stabilizer touching the stone, see how the heel half of the razor does not touch the stone.

Now place the razor on the stone and slide the stabilizer off the end of the stone and see how the whole edge lays flat on the stone.
You must take the stabilizer out of play by moving the corner forward.

Yes, you can hone it on the edge of a stone, but you will only create a heel hook. It is a simple fix.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this, send me the razor, pay the freight both ways and I will correct it and hone it for you. PM me

 

[Slish Fish]

Pick up a gold dollar or two and beat them up for practice. Mailing your razor about in lockdown is going to take forever anyway

I’ve got one on the way! Much like everything else in my life it’s stuck in a sorting facility next to the airport…

 

[Frank Shaves]

For what it is worth I have four new Dovo razors each with very even grinds - all bought in the last year.

Some people love stabilizers. I do not. My recommendation is to get a new Gold Dollar P81/1996 or sub $50 vintage razor without a stabilizer with a blade shape like this Cape 1000 to remove the stabilizer from the equation. And learn/practice on this.

 

[global_dev]

Set the bevel with the side of your hone. A narrow hone will be able to set that bevel.

Normally I’d agree, but this requires a bit more of coordination, though OP you got nothing to lose except steel and you’ll gain some skills

 

[Slish Fish]

Do this simple test.

Place the razor on a stone with the stabilizer touching the stone, see how the heel half of the razor does not touch the stone.

Now place the razor on the stone and slide the stabilizer off the end of the stone and see how the whole edge lays flat on the stone.
You must take the stabilizer out of play by moving the corner forward.

Yes, you can hone it on the edge of a stone, but you will only create a heel hook. It is a simple fix.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this, send me the razor, pay the freight both ways and I will correct it and hone it for you. PM me

That makes perfect sense. The heel has already formed a pretty nasty point and is ground noticeably thicker than the rest of the blade so it needs to be taken off anyway.

You’ve convinced me to have another crack at it. Problem is, I only have these Shapton stones on hand and I really don’t want to do gouging work like that on them because they’re so thin. Honestly I’m not the biggest fan of them which is why they’ve been left at home in the first place. I’ll wait until I’m reunited with my diamond plate and coarse stones and have a go then.

Thanks for the offer to fix the razor for me, I’m grateful. Maybe it’s a strange sentiment, but I’m a bit ticked off with this blade and I’d rather bully it with a diamond plate myself as opposed to sending the wonky little thing on a trans pacific return trip.

 

[RayClem]

Remember that when honing with natural stones, ever stone will be different. Because Escher was careful in grading their stone, their might be less variation between them. I understand they all come from a single quary. I do not have one.

A stone can be called a Thuringian if it comes anywhere within Thuringia. That is an area covering over 6000 square miles, which is slightly bigger than the state of Connecticut. Thus, while Escher hones are Thuringians, not every Thuringian hone is an Escher.

I have a "modern Thuringian" from Timbertools. It is a decent hone, but I have several hones that will produce a better finished edge. I figure my Thuringian finishes out around 10K grit, which is around 1 micron, but I really prefer 12K and higher.

You can always look at the use of pasted strops to further improve your edge. I like my edges very sharp, yet very smooth, so I finish up on 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 micron abrasives.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Here is how I correct a heel with a diamond plate.

Mark the radius that will move the corner forward of the stabilizer about ¼ inch with a sharpie.

Make a 45 degree cut, removing most of the steel, it is thin there and cuts quickly, I am using a 140 grit plate, but any diamond plate will work or even a 1k or lower stone. Cut to your line.

Now cut off the sharp corners. Lastly blend all the cuts to a nice radius.

The heel corner is now move well forward of the stabilizer and the razor will now sit flat on the hone. 5 minutes work.

 

[Empire straights]

I think you might be on the money. I certainly don’t have a shaving edge off of 1k and as H Brad Boonshaft suggests, that’s probably because my apex isn’t as clean as it should be. I do have some visible unevenness in the grind towards the stabilisers but as the entire blade is furnishing me with a similar feeling shave so I think it is more my fault than Dovo’s. I’ll upload some photos of the razor later today.

To be clear, I am still getting okay daily shaves without irritation but they really aren’t as smooth as they should be. I am stropping on leather a few dozen times as well. I didn’t feel like linen was doing me much good so I tend to leave it out.

I’ll have another bash at it today starting at 1k and update you all. Thanks again for all the advice. This is a very welcoming community.

Make sure you aren't using any pressure while stropping and just skimming the leather you could be rolling the edge. I use the flesh side of bridle strap and smooth side of a gun leather strap. Try more stropping. Once you think you're done on the 1k keep going until it'll shave arm hair *easily* and don't go to the next stone until you've gotten every thing you can from the current one.

 

[2bit_collie]

Here is how I correct a heel with a diamond plate.

Mark the radius that will move the corner forward of the stabilizer about ¼ inch with a sharpie.

Make a 45 degree cut, removing most of the steel, it is thin there and cuts quickly, I am using a 140 grit plate, but any diamond plate will work or even a 1k or lower stone. Cut to your line.

Now cut off the sharp corners. Lastly blend all the cuts to a nice radius.

The heel corner is now move well forward of the stabilizer and the razor will now sit flat on the hone. 5 minutes work.

View attachment 1338508View attachment 1338509View attachment 1338511View attachment 1338512View attachment 1338513View attachment 1338514View attachment 1338515View attachment 1338516

I’ve done the same thing using coarse grit W/D on a granite plate. I agree, no reason to risk gouging a whetstone for this type of activity.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I’ve done the same thing using coarse grit W/D on a granite plate. I agree, no reason to risk gouging a whetstone for this type of activity

Don't even need the plate to be flat. In fact, this is a good use for tthe $9.95 set of diamond plates from Harbor Freight, if you don't have or don't want to use power tools.

 

[Frank Shaves]

What about just removing the inner stabilizer like @musicman980 did with this Le Grelot:

Le Grelot - back from the dead

Vintage Le Grelot by P. Hospital. Immersed in the devil’s spit you can see the model - Le Roi Soleil. As a newbie to French straights, I was hunting for a reputable one at a good price.

www.badgerandblade.com

Does anyone else have good experience doing this?

 

[Slish Fish]

I got a little bit tired of attempting to hone the Dovo, so I came up with a design that combines the ingenuity of the Aztec macuahuitl with modern precision engineering: that’s right, I have crafted a straight razor from nothing but a double edged blade, a rubber band and a straight razor. I call it the ‘Flayette’. No longer do I need to hone a wobbly straight razor, now I can simply source eBay’s finest quality blades - each one hand forged by master Indian craftsmen.

Obviously stoked by my resourcefulness and penchant for design, I went for a shave right away. I am pleased to announce that this puppy left me BBS with only one pass! By removing not only the hair but also the underlying skin and follicles, I have also prevented any regrowth occurring!

I will admit, feedback from the alum block was stronger than I am used to, but with a little bit of aftershave, I think I ended up looking quite dapper:

Happy shaving, folks!