Grretings from a straight newbie
Greetings all,
After growing tired of spending lots of money on disposable cartridges that only last a short time, or throwing away disposable razors that only feeds our wasteful disposable lifestyle, I thought it was time to learn the art and skill of old that is straight shaving. I have yet to put straight steel to my face but thought I'd put up a quick post and get some advice.
I now have a new Dovo Special on the way (my wife tells me I have to wait for my birthday, which is only a few days away), with a Dovo canvas/leather strop. I have been practising my new lather technique for a few weeks now with a pure badger brush (silvertip will have to wait) and Proraso soap. I have also purchased a Kasumi Japanese 3000/8000 whetstone (Norton are very hard to find in Australia, and I've these stones are good anyway).
So, I figure I will soon have all the tools I need to get me admitted to the facial injuries ward in the local hospital.
Am I right in thinking the Dovo will not really be 'shave ready' and will require a light honing on the 8000 followed by a strop? I purchased it new from an online e-tailer. I'm not averse to giving the honing a go - I've been using hones since a kid and have done chef's knife sharpening courses over the years (I know there's a difference with razors), and there's also plenty of advice on here and on the Net - so I figure I would at least give it a go. The worst that can happen is that I will be seeking out the help of a honemeister...
Or would I be better off doing a full hone using the 3000 and 8000 in a pyramid pattern, followed by a strop? Or is it a case of take it out of the box, strop and give it a go?
Appreciate any advice.