Thread: New Dovo on 8k?

I have never had to set the bevel on a razor beyond what a 4/8K Norton will do, and I have never taped the spine either. Since the blade on this razor is stainless steel (probably a 440 or one of its modifications) I would recommend that you start with the 8K. Stainless tends to gall when sharpened and this can cause the loss of relatively large chunks off of the edge if passed across a course stone. You can probably get away with 4K if you really need it, but I would start with th 8K first just to be safe.

FYI, if it is a martensitic stainless like 440 it will be magnetic, if it is not magnetic it is probably austenitic steel and this will not stay sharp for very long.

Well the first shave was kinda strange. I stropped it well, it passed the HHT, popped some hairs off my arm, and felt very sharp on the thumb.
I did the first pass but found that it kept getting stuck and the shave was not very close.
I'll try the 8k in a short while but not too sure how I'll test it since it already passed all the tests before! One of the few times I wish beard growth would be faster

edit: it is magnetic.

My first good shaves happened when I stopped returning to the hones after each test shave, and instead did 60 laps of stropping before each shave. Over the course of several days things just got better and better. Just something to consider. No point wearing the blade out excessively while you are still developing the new shaving technique.

Originally Posted by MisterZadir

Hmm well I haven't failed in honing anything yet. More accurately, I haven't honed anything yet

I love that. My wife says often when asked if she can perform an unfamiliar skill, such as playing a saxophone: "I don't know"
Following up the inquisitor's puzzled look with: "I've never tried"

Just thought I'd update this. I used the 8k but my honing technique wasn't that great at the start so it failed the HHT. I then practised and did some pyramids (4k/8k) and finally had it pass the HHT.

It now shaves but not as well as my wapi. I guess, as has been mentioned, practise makes perfect.

I also don't have anything higher than 8k and I always read guys on here going from 8k to 12k and some even to 16k! I have ordered some 0.5 chromium oxide paste to help give me a better finish.

Overall I'm pretty happy since at least I'm going the right way on the learning curve

It sounds like you are getting there. I too am fairly new to honing and feel great that I have brought some butter knife dull razors I got at an antique shop to one of them shaving scary well after about an hour of playing with the norton pyramids. Have fun!

Originally Posted by MisterZadir

Just thought I'd update this. I used the 8k but my honing technique wasn't that great at the start so it failed the HHT. I then practised and did some pyramids (4k/8k) and finally had it pass the HHT.

It now shaves but not as well as my wapi. I guess, as has been mentioned, practise makes perfect.

I also don't have anything higher than 8k and I always read guys on here going from 8k to 12k and some even to 16k! I have ordered some 0.5 chromium oxide paste to help give me a better finish.

Overall I'm pretty happy since at least I'm going the right way on the learning curve

You don't really need anything finer than 8K, a good stropping will smooth out the edge. Finer stones are nice to have, but not really necessary. The difference in shave quality between your stainless Dovo and the Wapi (carbon steel) is pretty much typical of the different steels. Spend some more time on the strop with the stainless blade and it will smooth out.