Thread: Ok i need some eyes on this one.....

Ok guys been shaving a couple months with straight razor i bought on EBAY. Its a DOVO, says "Carpe Diem" on the blade. Anyway shaving with it was nice till recently. It started getting to the point where it needed a honing. I bought a 4000/8000 grit Norton waterstone and watched a bunch of youtube vids on honing. I honed it and the end result is sharp, it will peel the hair right off of my arm but HURTS like hell to shave my face with..... Its like its pulling and extremely uncomfortable. I had noticed when i got it that there was something funny about the edge. I may have to take a pic of it to show but, in the best words i can describe it here goes. The edge of the blade, the bevel itself, is not even from one end of the blade to the other. Its like the bevel is deeper on the ends and very shallow in the middle. When you flip the blade over its reversed.... deep bevel in the middle and shallow on ends. My questions are....

1. Is the blade bent??
2. Is honing really that hard to get a smooth shave?

Thanks for your time in reading this guys =)

The evenness of the bevel itself has little to do with the shaving. It's the very edge that matters. Your condition is really very common. As to honing, it's an art and a skill that requires practice to get right. my advice is send it out and get yourself an eboy special to practice honing with. Don't take a chance messing up a good razor.

Of course I'm basing this on your description but a picture is what we really need to see what's going on.

Sounds like a warped blade. Not impossible to hone but not easy either.
I'd suggest sending it out too as you may create a bunch of wear from inexperience but if you insist on doing it yourself, bit of a guide here:
Honing: Troubleshooting Guide - Straight Razor Place Wiki

As you may have guessed, honing is an art form in itself. The x patterns you should be using will compensate somewhat for a slight bend in the blade. I would suggest sending it in to Lynn for a pro hone, and learn on another blade that is straighter....

Its warped, either check the classifieds for a pro or keep trying!

Appreciate the advice gentlemen, Think ill send this one off to someone to put the finer touch to and ill look for another one in the time being. =)