Thread: Dovos red paste after Naniwa 12k stone?

Hey guys,

Im new at honing and I just did a refresh on one of my razors. I gave it a test shave and feel that the its sharp enough to shave my cheeks but I'm having a problems with whiskers on my chin and neck.

I read something about moving on to green paste after the naniwa 12k stone. My question is, would red dovo paste give me a sharp enough edge? I don't have the green one.

- Don't want to ruin my strop. Should I order green paste instead of using red?

Would be happy to get some advice from some black belt shavers out there

Hi Sir Sweden.

You may find this link useful.

What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki..


The DOVO red paste is much coarser then the 12k stone and would be a big step backwards.

The “green paste” that you refer to is Chromium oxide, it is typically 0.5 micron (i.e. finer then the 12 K stone) and is used successfully by many (not least of all Lynn Abrams) after the 12K stone to further polish the edge.


Chromium oxide is available in many places, but the quality may not be sufficient. SRD (in the USA) sells quality stuff, I don’t know of any retailers closer to Sweden (being from the other side of the world).

I have no experience with honing (I’m yet to lap my new Norton combinations stones), but from what I’ve read you should be able to get a very smooth and sharp shave from the 12K stone without using pastes.

Others will be able to provide better advice, but it sounds like the bevel may not be completely set on your razor. In that case no amount of time on stones/pastes above ~1000K will improve the sharpness.

Regards,

Neal.

I have the Dovo Green and Red pasted on a balsa board.

The Green is the coarsest, to be used on the dullest blades.

Red is to be used on slightly dull blades.

The Black (I don't have that) is the finest.

So, IIRC, you would go Dovo Green, the Red, then Black if you have it, then crox then to a finishing stone like a 12k.

I tried the paste's and while they gave results, it just wasn't there for me. If I was to do it again, I'd maybe go Dovo Red, then crox then a fininshing stone. But again, I didn't find the results consistent.

I finally gave in and got a Norton 4000/8000, I have a 12k Naniwa, and I've watched the videos. I have "refreshed" a blade using both a coticule and the 12k and it worked perfectly, on the stone, then the crox, then the strop, perfect. YMMV...

Also, the Dovo White / grey paste can be added to the linen side of your strop, it's a very slight abrasive, it's made basically of chalk, and it just gives a little boost to the linen side. I've found the Dovo White / Grey to be a good add on....but YMMV.

Thanks for not letting me mess up my strop! I'll go and check out the link you posted.

I had the same problem when I started. I found out it was my angle on my chin. after I corrected that my shave was smother. the higher angle will not only give problems with the chin but also the jaw line close to the chin or it did for me. just a thought.

This is a supply of .3 mic chrome oxide in Germany.

Chrome Oxide Green

I just got these in yesterday off amazon.

3M Polishing Papers Complete Set

Less mess and they do a great job of removing discolorations on the blade. My vintage razor had some water stains . A couple of light wipes with the Aqua paper and they were gone.
My razor wasn't very smooth on my chin either so, I did a series of strops using the mid paper all the way down to to the 1 micron. It really improved the comfort of the shave on the chin.
Still new to this , I am still a skeptic of shaving straight off an 8k or a 12k stone. The quality of the cut is fine, It just doesn't feel refined.

Originally Posted by dash8guru

My razor wasn't very smooth on my chin either so, I did a series of strops using the mid paper all the way down to to the 1 micron. It really improved the comfort of the shave on the chin.
Still new to this , I am still a skeptic of shaving straight off an 8k or a 12k stone. The quality of the cut is fine, It just doesn't feel refined.

The 1mic paper is equal to a 12k stone. Might pay simply to practice more. An 8k stone generally doesn't feel like enough till technique is down pat.

Originally Posted by eddy79

This is a supply of .3 mic chrome oxide in Germany.

Chrome Oxide Green

.3 kremer Crox is what I use too. Works great for me!

Originally Posted by DrDalton

Hi Sir Sweden.

You may find this link useful.

What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki..


The DOVO red paste is much coarser then the 12k stone and would be a big step backwards.

The “green paste” that you refer to is Chromium oxide, it is typically 0.5 micron (i.e. finer then the 12 K stone) and is used successfully by many (not least of all Lynn Abrams) after the 12K stone to further polish the edge.


Chromium oxide is available in many places, but the quality may not be sufficient. SRD (in the USA) sells quality stuff, I don’t know of any retailers closer to Sweden (being from the other side of the world).

I have no experience with honing (I’m yet to lap my new Norton combinations stones), but from what I’ve read you should be able to get a very smooth and sharp shave from the 12K stone without using pastes.

Others will be able to provide better advice, but it sounds like the bevel may not be completely set on your razor. In that case no amount of time on stones/pastes above ~1000K will improve the sharpness.

Regards,

Neal.

If when you say green paste, you mean Dovo Green paste: "Dovo Green Sharpening Paste is the coarsest blend produced by the German manufacturer with a particle size averaging 6 microns and should be used only for very dull edges."

If you're not referring to the Dovo Green, then yes, it's probably crox.

And the Naniwa 12k should be your final stone, then some crox to take any harshness away (although with 12k stone you may not need it), then linen, then leather.