i've been shaving with a straight razor that uses disposable blades. i just got a dovo 5/8 for christmas and i need to know if i just need to use a stop on it or if i need to purchase a hone.
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i've been shaving with a straight razor that uses disposable blades. i just got a dovo 5/8 for christmas and i need to know if i just need to use a stop on it or if i need to purchase a hone.
Well it all depends on where it was purchased. It may be shave ready and maybe not :shrug: You could send it out and have a pro hone it first because it will last a long time if you strop it right. There is also a learning curve to honing so you might not want to take on a whole lot of new things at once.
Try it first and you may find it okay. It is not going to shave like your shavette. Different technique and this may throw you off some.
I think as a general rule people should learn to shave then learn to hone later if it goes that way. There is a bit of a a learning curve as mentioned above. If you don't know how to shave it might be tough trying to decide if things are going bad because of the technique of the edge. Welcome to the tradition. Although you are starting a little ahead of the curve. There are many approaches to the next step.
Well you are going to want to strop it every shave. No question there.
As for the hone, 10Pups is right. If you got it from a vendor who sells honed straights, you should be ok for a while. But you'll forever question if it's as sharp as it can be at when you start off (if you are anything like me that is). So go ahead and buy a stone or line up someone who'll do it for you and just get that over with lol.
You could even get it honed by a pro and simply start with just a "finishing" stone to keep it in shape when you feel it tugging. By rights, you could keep your edge keen for some time before you ever needed to get to setting the bevel again.
If none of that made sense, seriously consider doing a little more reading on maintaining a blade. Its not hard, its fun really! But there is a curve-one you are ahead on being you past use of a "straight using disposables".
Welcome!!
Congratulations for great christmas present!
If you got entry level Dovo which is not sold as shave ready it will need honing. Let somebody do the honing for you because it is important to understand what shave ready means. Pay attention to learning to strop, it is all muscle memory and you have to tought it by step by step. Don't worry about nick and cuts on your strop, it is easy to repair later :)
What comes to honing I recommend too that you first learn to shave with it and then how to hone your own straight razor.
Hi and welcome. Start by readong the starter info in the library and you should have a pretty good idea of the care of your razor by the time you finish. As stated the current state of the razor is dependant on where it was purchased. More info will help us answer your questions better. Ed
You already got good and complete advice, I would just add a suggestion, put the place where you live in your profile and maybe you'll find someone living close to you that can help.
Nothing is better than live suggestions and apprenticeship.
so i figured i would give it a try today and see how it worked right out of the box. surprisingly it worked better than a new blade on my old reusable razor. i have a stop on order. thanks for all the advice everyone.
i have read a lot of the post on stopping and there is a lot of difference in opinions as to how many times to on the fabric and how many times on the leather, or if you should do it just before or just after or both. any suggestions?
My suggestions for stropping:
Stay VERY light and practice a lot and look at many stropping videos.
Always strop 30-50 times on leather side before shaving.
Strop 10-20 times before any new pass.
At the beginning avoid stropping on linen/canvas side, it's rough and you could damage rhe edge with the wrong pressure or movement.
Try to listen to the razor noise while stropping and you will learn to hear the change in sound that tells you that it's done.
To the OP:
#1 Don't shave again until your strop arrives
#2 Strop with minimal pressure (just enough to keep the spine and edge on the strop) 40-50 times before a shave.
#3 Many (including me) strop 20-30 times after you've shaved and drying your razor well (including between the scales)
#4 store it, between shaves, in a dry area (not your bathroom).
Welcome and good luck!
Yeaaaahhhh it shaved out of the box ! You will find what works for you on the strop. Just be purposeful when doing it and stay light. It is better to start doing more laps than you need but not if your doing it wrong. You will have to find your own way. The razor will let you know :<0)
Technique and the blade will dictate this,Quote:
Originally Posted by b8rboy
As Glen has stated in the past:
1st learn to do no harm
2nd learn to improve the edge.
When I first started I was doing 75+ laps on leather to maximize my stropping benefits (40-50 on linen),
now to be honest I don't count but it is less than 50 on leather.
When I get done with a shave I do a few laps on linen some where between 15 and 20 I would guess and about the same on leather.
Pre shave I do on the order of 20 to 25 on leather only and enjoy.
I really need to count again I guess as this has come up a few times.
As your technique improves your lap count can go down if that is what you want,
after you get decent at stropping you can back off the # of laps by say 5 each time until you hit a point where the edge is not as good and then add a few back on.
If your technique is good strop away if you are so inclined as it will not hurt the edge.
Everyone's technique is a little different, pressure, how taught the strop is, speed, and all of these play into how fast an edge is improved.
You will need to find the balance of these that improves the edge and works for you.
I hope this helps explain it a bit.
Regards
Pat
No one has asked where you got it? Was it honed by the vendor/seller?
If it shaves, good! Who strops between passes?? :confused: Strop it 20 laps on fabric and 40 on leather.
I hope you got a good strop.