Ok Already, whats wrong...

The_Hun · Post by **The_Hun** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:19 am

Hi everyone, im new here and already frustrated with straight razor shaving. I have a German Straight razor which i purchased new. looked unbelievalably sharp but i gave it a light stropping before i began. i have shave with this straight razor 2-3 times now. however i am getting frustrated and have some questions. Should you hear the blade like cutting the hairs off the face? kinda like a scratching sound? cause i lightly ran the blade on my arm and it cut the hair off totally silently and really easy. but when it comes to my face, it seem too feel kind of like a pulling on the hair as it cuts, not to mention it doesnt shave too close. but thats not even my main problem, the cheeks and side of my neck i can shave pretty decent, but when it comes to my chin and and directly under it down teh middle of my neck, there is no chance. the blad just gets stuck in the hairs, every which angle, pulls on the hairs and it really hurts. I lather my face quite a bit and stretch the skin alot. is there something im missing here? why is this so impossible? please help me out. thanks

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:00 am

New straight razors aren't ready to shave with, so it will be pulling out hairs rather than cutting them. You'll need to get it honed - this is why I'm always telling people their first straight should be a shave-ready old razor from a good honer. There are one or two vendors who hone the razors they sell, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Depending on where you live you may have someone fairly close who hones and will fix it up for you. The best place to ask that is on straightrazorplace.com/

Chris

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:34 am

Well, Chris really knows his straight razors, so go with whatever he advises. I will, however, say this, from my very limited experiance; even properly honed, shave-ready straights, will 'pull' more then something like a DE, if that's what you're used to. It's a different 'feel'.
Regards,
Gordon

The_Hun · Post by **The_Hun** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:42 am

im used to a crappy mach 3 turbo. lol i just started into the straight razor shave. here is my razor, tell me if its crap or not thanks
http://www.cachebeauty.com/Razor/flamingo_razor_150.htm

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:51 am

Well, if it really is a Solingen made razor, then it should be okay ( I hear there are some fakes around, but I don't know enough about straights to pass judgement on that one ). Anyway, as Chris said, hardly any straight is shave-ready right out of the box. Everyone agrees on that point. They need to be honed up by someone who knows what he's doing. Interestingly, you will probably have an easier time transitioning to a straight from that M3 then if you'd been using a DE for ages, as I have been. You're more used to a bit of 'pull', and you're probably not used to getting excellent shaves easily, so you're likely to be a bit more patient ( chuckle ). But, it's imperative that you get that sucker properly honed before you try and shave with it.
Regards,
Gordon

xChris · Post by **xChris** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:25 pm

Your razor appears to be a re-branded Giesen & Forsthoff 5/8 straight razor from Solingen. It will be fine as a daily shaver once it is honed properly.

The_Hun · Post by **The_Hun** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:55 pm

so what do u guys think? should i go out and buy a dovo razor? and if so, how do i tell if they are real? and one more thing, where can i find a 4000/8000grit honing stone? cant find any here so far. Manitoba Canada...
Edit/Delete Message

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:08 pm

No, there is no need to buy a Dovo at this point. Apparently, the one you have is decent, it just needs to be honed. That is the first order of business. If there is no one competent to do it where you live, then go to straightrazorplace.com There are experianced gents there who can help you out; get your razor honed up for now. Time for you to get a Norton stone, or whatever, later. First things first. Decent honing is a skill that takes time to learn.
Regards,
Gordon

The_Hun · Post by **The_Hun** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:11 pm

so what does someone usually charge for a service like this?

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:34 pm

Some of the gents at straightrazorplace will do it free of charge, you pay only for the shipping back and forth. Sometimes an elderly barber in your area can help one out, if you ask. Classicshaving.com offers the service for a reasonable fee, if you want to check their website. The fact of the matter is that it has to be done, and done right, if you plan on getting any decent shaves with that razor that you bought.
Regards,
Gordon

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:11 pm

You can ask around the barbers in your area, especially the older fellows. Many of them won't know either, but it's worth a try.

But don't hand your razor to someone if you don't trust him to do a decent job.

ead · Post by **ead** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:03 am

Why won't he hone it himself?

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:26 am

ead, Honing is a learned skill, and most say that it isn't that easy to get good at it. One thing at a time. First he wants to learn to shave effectively with his new razor. This too is a learned skill, and takes time. One can easily enough, ruin the edge of a straight, if you don't know what you're doing, and good wet stones ain't cheap. When I tried straights, I made sure that the ones I experimented with has been recently honed by someone competent. Messing around with simple stropping was quite enough, at that point.
Regards,
Gordon

ead · Post by **ead** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:35 am

bernards66 wrote:ead, Honing is a learned skill, and most say that it isn't that easy to get good at it. One thing at a time. First he wants to learn to shave effectively with his new razor. This too is a learned skill, and takes time. One can easily enough, ruin the edge of a straight, if you don't know what you're doing, snd good wet stones ain't cheap. When I tried straights, I made sure that the ones I experimented with has been recently honed by someone competent. Messing around with simple stropping was quite enough, at that point.
Regards,
Gordon

I totally agree with you

But
Whouldn't he need to learn to hone one day? if someone want to use a straight, eventually he will have to have this skill (or he is very rich and can buy some razors and send each one to someone to hone it for him every time)

ScottS · Post by **ScottS** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:37 am

Also, there's so much going on at once, you need to eliminate variables. If the shave reeks, is it because the technique is bad, or the blade isn't properly honed. If you have the blade professionally honed, at the very least you know that the blade was sharp before you started stropping it.

timc · Post by **timc** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 10:48 am

ead wrote: I totally agree with you
But
Whouldn't he need to learn to hone one day? if someone want to use a straight, eventually he will have to have this skill (or he is very rich and can buy some razors and send each one to someone to hone it for him every time)

If you don't have your blade professionally honed, how would you know what a properly honed blade should feel like? If you don't know what it should feel like, how can you tell if you have honed it properly?

The_Hun · Post by **The_Hun** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:09 pm

hi, so anyone willing to hone my razor for me then please? and in the mean time i will look for a nice Dovo

prism · Post by **prism** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:22 pm

Hun, why don't you go to straightrazorplace.com? All your questions about cost, etc. will be answered. You've received excellent advice from Chris and Gordon, by all means follow it. Like you, I went right from a cartridge (Atra) to a straight. The shaves were terrible because the blade had never been properly honed. I ruined it by dragging it the wrong way across an Arkansas stone; I had no idea what I was doing. Of course, this was 25 years ago, there was no internet and therefore, no Chris Moss and Gordon to turn to for advice. Patience is a priori when it comes to straight razor shaving. There are no short cuts. Trust me, you will be rewarded!

The_Hun · Post by **The_Hun** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:15 pm

thanks for the input guys, ill try to find someone to hone my razor, and possible look into getting a Dovo

Racso_MS · Post by **Racso_MS** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:16 am

Hun, (You are gonna have to give us a name to respond to your threads. I just can't stand beginning a response with Hun!!!)

Am I missing something here. I believe you were told that the straight razor you have is an acceptable razor and that purchasing a Dovo is not necessary. You were also given several locations where you can get your straight razor honed by experienced personnel. Think about the advice you were given before spending money unnecessarily.

Next obtain an old straight and the necessary tools to sharpen it and start practicing. Someone on this forum can either send you a link or tell you the correct methodology and provide you with a list of the necessary equipment.

OH AND BTW, WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

And as always...

Enjoy your shave...