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  1. #1
    j03
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    Default Disastrous First Shave.

    I posted previously how i made the mistake of bringing my new Dovo razor to a knife guy who said he could do it, and everyone here said he did it wrong on some electric mill thing. I then sent it off to a straightrazorplace member to fix it and I got the razor back two days later.

    I showered, lathered, etc., but when I ran the razor across my face it wasn't even close. The blade scraped across my face, and left a lot of hair.

    Is this normal on the first shave? There was a bit of oil on the blade i wiped off, was that the cause?

    His instructions on his site were to not strop before i used the blade and I didn't.

    Honestly, the blade felt dull.

    Opinions?

    Edit:
    I was just wondering if there was other factors than the honing before I emailed the guy that honed it; such as the oil on the blade (that I did wash off under hot water). Or maybe there's previous damage from the knife guy, or maybe i should have stroped.
    Last edited by j03; 01-18-2009 at 03:29 AM.

  2. #2
    comfortably shaving chee16's Avatar
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    check out the wiki article on sharpness test and try some of them. no matter what it should pass the hanging hair test and the TPT (which might be a little scary or now). don't do the thumb nail test though. check it out and see what you can find out. after that i would talk to floppyshoes and see what he says.

    sorry to hear about the misfortune but i'm sure with the help of the guys on here you can get things figured out.

  3. #3
    Senior Member jszabo's Avatar
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    that member has an excellent record as far as i know it was more than likely your technique as for the sharpness test there are many people whose razor will not pass the hht but gives a great shave the only real test is the shave test. pm him so you can discuss it in private
    Last edited by jszabo; 01-18-2009 at 03:05 AM.

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  5. #4
    The original Skolor and Gentileman. gugi's Avatar
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    i very much doubt that dan sent out a dull razor, as i believe he tests them before mailing them like most of us.
    the wiping off the oil seems like a possible unknown, how did you wipe it off?
    the best way is to rinse it under hot water so that there is no risk of damaging the edge.

    does it shave arm hair?

    if i were you i'd check with floppyshoes.

  6. #5
    The Shell Whisperer Maximilian's Avatar
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    Jo3,

    before giving out any names I would have contacted the person involved and asked some questions first. I doubt that the honer in charge send you a dull razor. He's been honing razors for a very long time and is a renowned person to deal with.
    The problem will probably be your technique or whatever you are doing wrong but it's difficult to pinpoint exactly the problem at this point.
    Last edited by Maximilian; 01-18-2009 at 01:38 PM.

    əˌfisyəˈnädō | pərˈfekSH(ə)nəst | eS'prəSSo | düvəl ləvər

  7. #6
    j03
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    I removed the name. I didn't mean to call anyone out. I was amazed at the two day service, and was happy i found someone i could use frequently. I was just wondering if there was other factors than the honing before I emailed him; such as the oil on the blade (that I did wash off under hot water). Or maybe there's previous damage from the knife guy, or maybe i should have stroped.

    But it doesn't pass the hanging hair test. i have to literally chop at the hair to cut it.
    Last edited by j03; 01-18-2009 at 03:31 AM.

  8. #7
    Senior Member blabbermouth jnich67's Avatar
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    The hanging hair test doesn't mean anything. Many of us shave with razors or hairs that don't past that test.

    Technique, angle, having a feel for the blade, etc, etc. all impact your first few shaves. It is not at all unusual for the first shaves to less than great. It takes some persistence and patience. Try just shaving your sideburn area. Then expand as you get more comfortable and confident. If you can get the blade to shave there, it's sharp.

    Jordan

  9. #8
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    Looks like you've had a run of bad luck with your entry to the straight razor world. Sorry to hear that, but hang in there, you are in the right place to get help.

    Re the sharpening service, you would have to speak to the person you dealth with, discuss how you are prepping for the shave etc. maybe he can work out how to improve things.

    At the risk of confusing matters, I'll advise you not to put too much faith in the hanging hair test. I honed my own Dovo razor. At times it passed the HHT but gave a bad shave. Later it failed the HHT yet gave a good shave. Later still I cut my hair short so had no hairs to test with, but by doing plenty of stropping before shaving I get great shaves now.

    My first few straight razor shaves were very bad. While that may have been due to my poor first attempts at honing, there were other reasons too. The more I take notice of the advice I read here, the better my shaves get. Little things really do make a difference:

    Showering before the shave=better results.
    Washing beard before starting=better results (for some)
    Hot towel before shaving=better results
    Quality shaving soap/cream=better results
    Making lather to correct consistency=better results
    Spending time brushing lather into beard=better results
    Stropping enough before shaving=better results
    Holding blade at correct angle=better results
    ...and so on.

    All those individual "better results" add up to give one huge improvement.

    Also, it takes a few shaves to gain confidence. It takes practice to make smooth confident strokes that maintain contact with the skin without applying pressure. It is possible that your bad shave was partly due to being overcautious. If you start a stroke too slowly, expecting it to cut you, you will find the blade keeps stopping. You might then overcompensate by applying force, which is risky. You shouldn't consciously try to make fast cutting movements, but as you learn what is safe you will instinctively make faster, smoother movements that glide over your face. The skills do kick in. Practice shaving just the cheeks to begin, only use the straight razor elsewhere once you're happy with how that goes.

    Don't give up.

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  11. #9
    j03
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maximilian View Post
    Jo3,

    before giving out any names I would have contacted the person involved and asked some questions first. I doubt that Floppyshoes send you a dull razor. He's been honing razors for a very long time and is a renowned person to deal with.
    The problem will probably be your technique or whatever you are doing wrong but it's difficult to pinpoint exactly the problem at this point.
    it really pulled and scraped across my face. There's a lot of hair still on my face. It was like a shave with a really dull regular razor.

    I won't jump to any conclusions though. I'll wait until i go home tomorrow and strop this time before I shave.

    But I followed all instructions to a t. I got out of a long hot shower, wrapped a hot towel around my face, lathered up, and then shaved. I noticed a bit of oil on the blade I rinsed off.

    About a week ago I took my blade to a knife guy who sharpened it up on some electric wheel, and everyone here said that was incorrect and would damage my blade.

    I don't know if it had anything to to with that. Otherwise I don't think i did anything that would cause that.

    My face is an irritated red mess since.

    At this point this has been the most frustrating thing, as evidenced by my previous posts in the archive.

  12. #10
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    Were you stretching your skin? Also how thick was/is the beard?

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