Letting the razor "rest"

I bought a DOVO straight razor and was just reading the Dovo.com website. On the Interesting Facts section, I found the following:

"5. The straight razor I bought a short time ago no longer shaves properly. Do I have to whet it, and how often is this necessary?

DOVO straight razors are whetted in the factory for use (whetting on leather by hand). If you own a suitable strop, you should nevertheless take into account that the razor must first "rest" after use. After the razor has been carefully rinsed and dried, it should not be used again for at least 24 - 48 hours because the fine "fin" on the cutting edge straightens up again extremely slowly. If the razor is stropped too soon (or stropped incorrectly by moving it backwards and forwards without turning it over), the "fin" which is necessary for a close shave breaks off. Between six and fifteen shaves are possible without stropping in between."

So, with that said, How often can I use my one Dovo straight razor? Every other day? I am also hearing from others that they strop before and after each use, which goes against the thought of letting the "fin" straighten up (which is a little baffling to me that this occurs)

Can anyone shed any light on this?

i agree with this but soooooooo many people against me ? You will see they are coming and will be in here before i leave lol

I got those instructions, with my Dovo and have ignored them repeatedly, with no ill effects to my shaving experience.
However, im not knowledgable to say that whether or not its true...

Mac

"There is no generally valid rule for the whetting (stropping) of straight razors; in many cases, it is sufficient to draw the razor lightly over the ball of the thumb, especially when it has been left unused for several days between shaves."


and

" Between six and fifteen shaves are possible without stropping in between."

From what I have been reading, this just doesn't sound possible. Could i be overstropping?


Thanks for your reply!

The following phrase is laughable for me:

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Between six and fifteen shaves are possible without stropping in between.

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I will admit I have not shaved with a Dovo razor. But there is no razor I have been able to get three full shaves out of without stropping.

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Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

i agree with this...

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Sham, do you shave between 6 and 15 times with the same razor before stropping it? :confused:

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Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Sham, do you shave between 6 and 15 times with the same razor before stropping it? :confused:

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Sorry to say i never had dovo razor. i have sharpened couple of them never shaved .
May be dovo is really good and you can shave 15 times without stropping . Don't know can't say anything:boohoo: about it.:boohoo:

Ive been stropping before each shave, sometimes even in between passes...Im a newbie, I have a nicked strop and face. please, tell me that I must keep stropping!

:beer2:

you need to keep stropping but with different strop or your stropping will not stop.

Yes, steel does have a memory so if allowed to rest, then small distortions caused by shaving will relax and the edge will straighten out. Having said this, I always strop before each shave, even though my razors typically get a one week rest between uses; it may not be necessary, but it certainly does no harm.

The 'fin' is a myth, an understandable misconception which has persisted beyond the development of the microscope. No level of microscopic observation reveals any type of tooth at all.

Steel may have memory, but I'm skeptical about that with regard to our practice.

Strop before every shave. Just try not stropping for several shaves. Just try it. You won't be happy.

Some have opined that not cleaning your dulling blade after shaving will cause rust to form and that the subsequent stropping will remove this rust to reveal a better shaving edge and the myths you quote may have some basis in these or other currently unpopular practices, but in general I'd say that that article is wrong.

X

PS ... I let my razor rest for at least a day before shaving again, but I also let my beard grow for at least a day before shaving again too, so I don't worry about such things too much. :D

When I bought my first Dovo Special Tortoise, that reading threw me off and I alternated between my Dovo and my disposable straight razor. This just delayed me in figuring out how to keep my Dovo continually sharp and effective for everyday use.

I strop a little before and more after each shave with this Dovo.. Every two shaves, I added in 15 passes on my .50 micron pasted 4 sided paddle strop after the shave. This keeps my Dovo special sharp and effective to my preference. I tested this razor out for 14 shaves straight and it did well. It only rested for 24 hours before each shave.

So I think if there is a "fin" it straightens out less than 24 hours. If it didn't, my pre shave stroping made it straight.

Pabster

Okay, a lot of members here use paste to "refresh" the edge every week or so... I'm wondering, if they didn't refresh their edge, how long would it be til it needed honing? Probably only a short time.

I have no idea on this other than steel is elastic and to some degree will bounce back. But if it is BENT its bounce back will be minimal. If it is slightly displaced, it will bounce back rather quickly (95% almost instantly, the last 5% may be quite slow).

These two things being said, I think there is some merit to resting a blade. I did the following experiment:

Five shaves, shave every day, strop every day, to set a benchmark.
Five shaves, shave every day, don't strop. This sucked. A lot.
Five shaves, shave every other day, stop every day, reset benchmark.
Five shaves, shave every other day, don't strop. This was fine at first but began to suck.
Five shaves, shave only every 3rd or 4th or even 5th day, depending on when society and SWMBO determined I looked too much like a sex offender, don't strop. Honestly, I felt a slight lacking, but it was definitely workable.
Five shaves, same shave when necessary ordeal, with the strop, varying number of laps. I'm/I was a newb so I can't guarantee this but I honestly think I didn't have to strop as much.
Five shaves, same when necessary stuff, using newspaper sometimes, levi's others. The newspaper was workable. The Levi's... eh. They're a good linen strop but I feel I need the actual strop.

FWIW the natural skin thing is true. After my dad sharpens knives he sometimes strops with his thumb. He says its to get rid of burrs and smooth the edge. I tried it. Its a pain cus our bevel is more delicate and your hand is small, but it works. I honestly prefer my bicep or inside forearm. It does work but a strop is so much easier.

I currently have a seven day rotation, and more often than is kosher I don't strop. Or, even less Kosher, I give two or three laps on the swaty edge leading, and one spine leading. Works for me.

Having to rest the blade is a good thing to tell your wife when you want an excuse for the six other razors that just arrived in the mail.

IME, when steel is bent, it will either flex back to its original shape, or take a set immediately. I do not believe the rest theory.

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Originally Posted by Leighton

IME, when steel is bent, it will either flex back to its original shape, or take a set immediately. I do not believe the rest theory.

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I will agree, but I think there is a minor minor factor where it hasn't sprung back fully and will recover a *little* bit.

Also, as a disclaimer to my above experiment and results,
Without stropping and rest was PASSABLE. I would rather strop, and I usually do. The times I don't strop are: OH **** I have to leave in 2 mins and I look like a grisly, time for a one time WTG with a quick crappy lather or no-lather cream.
Another factor could be after not shaving for a few days, any shave will feel smooth. If you shave everyday and are used to being cleanshaven, you have a different concept in your mind. That was my thought behind setting a benchmark.

Though it looks like there are several thoughts and opinions on the matter, these thoughts at least help me make up my own mind for my situation. Currently I have one razor and can get away with every other day shaving. So, I will keep doing what I am doing, and remember "let the fin rest" excuse to tell the wife, when I want to try a new straight.

I have another question though, how do you strop with your thumb? If done wrong, it would be very painful!!! Anyone have a youtube post on the matter?


Thanks for the info everyone!

I don't have youtube capability, but there's two parts you could use. The first joint, and you would just do a very exagerrated x, like wiping the blade, or the muscle down on your palm, which is slightly bigger. I happen to be lucky in that I don't have a lot of body hair, so the inside of my forearms and bicep are smooth, and so if I strop on skin, I use either of those surfaces. Typically the bicep cus even though its feels wierd putting that stroking pressure on my veins. I don't suggest this method. I use it when I'm shaving (at home the strop is in my room, not the bathroom, at the frat even if I wanted to I couldn't keep it in the bathroom) and have to strop, or the first two or three weeks when I was stropping on newspaper. I recommend a strop. Lots easier.

I don't have scientific knowledge either way so this is just more "opinion" and well we all have those so I'm not offering anything new here.

I will say I have numerous razors not as many as some but over 20+ and yes when I don't shave with a blade for a few days or a week or two it feels great. Like today I shaved with my wapi I hadn't used her in weeks. It could just be that she is indeed a great shaver and I left her in great condition when I put her away. I don't think its the 2 weeks of lying dormant in her coffin that made her as smooth as a shaver as I got today.

I have let a few razors sit for days n days, and they shaved with them only to realise one of two things, either the blade needed some further stropping or honing to get the edge I wanted or that it just wasn't "My" kinda blade and she went up for sale.

I think ultimately it's just an application of an old addage you don't appreciate what you got when its right in front of you everyday, until you don't see it or use it then suddenly it feels great.

You can try this with you car, go drive your wife's car or a friends for a day then trade your car back, trust me that steering wheel and brakes wont feel as loose as they did when you drove it everyday in heavy traffic.

Again just a IMHO response so NO science here.

Cheers
:beer2:
D

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Originally Posted by Sirshavesalot

I think ultimately it's just an application of an old addage you don't appreciate what you got when its right in front of you everyday, until you don't see it or use it then suddenly it feels great.

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I think this reason does have some weight to it, and regardless of the science/fact/etc. I think "letting the blade rest" is justified, because even if it gives you the above placebo-pleasure, thats still a great feeling! Plus it justifies RAD. So even if you don't HAVE to... who here doesn't "need" a seven-day set? Or how about a month set lol....

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Originally Posted by Leighton

IME, when steel is bent, it will either flex back to its original shape, or take a set immediately. I do not believe the rest theory.

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The memory properties of steel and its ability to relax back to original position after displacement is well established. It is not a theory.

I do know that like a spring (for obvious reasons) most (like 95%) of the memory happens instantly. However, you get things like work hardening and stuff where there is a tiny bit of plastic displacement that the SECOND time around is elastic. But this is at the very very high end of the stress/strain curve. I am NOT certain at all but it MAY be possible that when we shave off a freshly honed edge we are pushing the newly honed steel to the tip of the elastic region on the s/s curve and work hardening it. I doubt this though, and if we were I doubt it would help to rest it. I also doubt we as humans have the sensory capability to notice (we're talking minute percentages of an already microscopic scale). IMO, it feels better if I don't use the same razor two days in a row, but I'm not gonna guess THE reason. Could be a few things, including a placebo. I'm just leaving it at that.