Thread: Questions about strops, pastes, and honing

Welcome to the group!

Your plan on using the belts is just fine. Just be sure to lay them on a flat surface when using them. Do not use them as a hanging strop.

The order to use them is
1. Premier
2. Red
3. Black
4. Plain leather strop

Use the Premier, Red and Black only until your razor is shaving you well. Then stop using them and only use the plain leather strop. Use the Pyramid method on the Premier until it passes either the thumb test (not thumbnail test) or the hanging hair test. Then move on to the red & black pastes.
Be sure and clean your razor after each of the pastes so that you avoid cross contamination.
20-30 laps sounds about right for a starting point.

Wet honing. Use either water or lather. Use the X pattern. See the help files for some graphics that demonstrate the movement.

Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by rgsccr

I have a question about stop pastes and hones. I have a DOVO razor that seems to shaving reasonably well (as well as it's operator is capable of). So far I have been stropping it with an Illinois 827 stop - first the linen side then the leather (which I have treated with strop dressing). I have the red and black stop paste from Classic Shaving, and, per the advice of someone on this forum (can't remember who), I was planning on using the paste on an old leather belt - cut in half, each half for a different paste. Is this a reasonable plan? If so, at what point do should I use the pasted stops, and in which order. I also bought a hone - Premier hone - when should I use this. The hone apparently comes with dry hone instructions but I assume it can be used wet as well. If so, where can I find wet hone instructions and which is preferable? Whew - lots of questions - thanks in advance. Rich Greenberg