Ok the excitement builds, I have my 1st real SR and 100 more questions

I was given a very nice gift from a friend. I was given a SR from the Art of shaving. It is a DOVO 5/8" blade. The paperwork reads "new stright razors are factory honed and ready to shave" So 1st question is can I trust this a shave with this razor? The paperwork also reads that "after a few initial uses the razor must be stropped" Is this true? How many times can I shave with it before I strop it?

What else do I need? I am not new to wet shaving I had been using safety razors for a long time and just started using a shavette and now can't wait to go to the SR. So I have the soap and brushes but what do I need to takecare of my SR
A STROP, blade oil?, is that all ?

jim

WELCOME Jim!

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Originally Posted by JimW

I was given a very nice gift from a friend. I was given a SR from the Art of shaving. It is a DOVO 5/8" blade. The paperwork reads "new stright razors are factory honed and ready to shave" So 1st question is can I trust this a shave with this razor? The paperwork also reads that "after a few initial uses the razor must be stropped" Is this true? How many times can I shave with it before I strop it?

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NO! A factory edge is NOT truly shave ready.

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Originally Posted by JimW

What else do I need? I am not new to wet shaving I had been using safety razors for a long time and just started using a shavette and now can't wait to go to the SR. So I have the soap and brushes but what do I need to take care of my SR
A STROP, blade oil?, is that all ?

jim

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Strop and Oil are good.
Eventually you will want a hone to keep it sharp.
Unless you don't mind sending it out.
ALSO I would suggest ANOTHER SR for when yours is out being honed.
Plus you can "practice" all you want on a fleabay razor without worry of ruining your NEW one!

Check this out also:First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Most any question you have you can search for in the top right hand corner in the Advanced Search Box.

Maybe. Some factory honed razors are good enough and some aren't. If the razor doesn't 'cut it' that is easily remedied. You can send it out for pro honing, see our 'member services' in the SRP classifieds. At minimum I would say a strop. Chances are you have soap/cream and brush that you use with your DE ? Check out the beginner's guide in the SRP Library here for more info.

My first new razor, an AOS DOVO, was not shave ready. My second, a Thiers Issard, was shave ready. However, I have had other Thiers Issards that were not shave ready. Who knows? Luck of the draw. Anyway, like others have said you can send it out to get it sharpened. Of course, the DOVO could be decent but not fined tuned. You could shave with it and think it is ok. However, the edge could be improved but you would not know the difference. Eliminate one variable by having it honed.

Generally not shave ready. Strop and oil will get you started. Stopping is after EVERY shave. As mentioned another razor and a hone will help in the future.

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Originally Posted by eddy79

Generally not shave ready. Strop and oil will get you started. Stopping is after EVERY shave. As mentioned another razor and a hone will help in the future.

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So wait now I need a second SR? This is becoming a very expensive hobby.

So as for stropping what's the deal with the oxide sprays and pastes how do we use these?

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Originally Posted by JimW

So wait now I need a second SR? This is becoming a very expensive hobby.

So as for stropping what's the deal with the oxide sprays and pastes how do we use these?

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No you don't NEED a second SR... It just helps to have one.
Don't know about sprays and pastes, I don't use them...

Sprays and pastes are not used for daily stropping there used when the razor starts to lose its edge to touch up so you can go longer without going to the hone. They can be used on various mediums and come in various grits. They aren't required to start. And this is an expensive hobby especially once the addictions take hold. Most people develop at least one to many

Factory new razors are often not truly shave ready despite factory claims. It is important to start with a shave ready razor so that you will know what one feels like. New SR users will be spending time learning to strop, touch up, and eventually hone, and will not know how to judge their degree of edge maintenance success unless they have 1st experienced a true shave ready edge.

You will also need to strop on an unpasted linen/leather strop after every shave, good shaving with a SR is mostly about the quality of the SR edge and ones shaving technique. This is why various methods to get and keep a true shave ready edge is the major topic of discussion on SR sites. Any reasonable quality new or vintage SR will shave well, if it has a shave ready edge. The finest SR made will not shave without a shave ready edge.

A second SR is good to have for comparison while learning to strop, touch up and eventually hone. It is also good to have as a backup for when you send a razor out for honing, or if you accidentally damage your 1st SR by striking a faucet, dropping it, or rolling its edge through a misstep while stropping.

For a SR user, an unpasted strop is indispensable for SR shaving and a pasted (dovo paste, TI paste, CrOx, 0.5 u diamond spray or paste etc.) paddle or bench strop (balsa, felt, linen/cotton, or leather mounted on wood) is helpful for touching up edges which are no longer responding well to stropping on the unpasted strop. The unpasted strop should work well again after touching up a SR.

Finishing hones (8K and up) are an alternative to pasted strops for touching up SR edges. Bench strops are less expensive than fine finishing hones, and can even be home made. Touching up usually is divided into two basic camps, those who prefer to use pasted strops and those who prefer to use honing finishing stones.

At some point, a SR edge will no longer respond to touching up and will have to be re-honed. This tends to occur earlier for newbys and may happen only after months of use by experienced shavers.

HTH