Thread: Honing Steps

Say I have a brand new Dovo Prima Silver Steel 5/8 Full hollow, factory edge.I want to make it shave ready, Which grit do you start with? Currently I have Norton 220/1K, 4K/8K, Naniwa 12K, Shapton Glasstone 16k. And also can I jump right from the 8K to the 16K or should I use the Naniwa 12K in between? Please someone help me! Lol ...Thanks

If I have to set bevel I first protect the spine with tape.
Set bevel on diamond hone 200-300-400-600 grit.
6,000 grit Waterstone
12,000 oil stone
1/2" glass plate with Theirs Issard strop paste
Strop on canvas with Theirs Issard strop paste
Finish on leather.

None of my hones is expensive. Don't have a collection of hones. Still put a fantastic edge on every razor I hone.

The least amount of grinding is where you will want to start, try the 12k first, but really you don't know what a shave ready edge is till you have had one. So first step would be find someone near you to help or send it out till you learn to shave and strop on a proper edge. Tc

If you are not satisfied with the shave from the factory edge, it then depends on what the edge needs to bring it to shave ready. If you are unsure what it needs to bring it to shave ready then start with a bevel set and work up from there. If you have not honed a straight razor before, I'd say send it out to be pro honed and save the learning to hone experience for when you have an old beater razor to experiment on. That could possibly save you from dorking up a brand new razor.

Bob

My new word for the month when I Get back to site and see a worm screwing up, " quit dorking it up son or my foots in your dorking butt!" Thanks Bob. Tc

Originally Posted by bouschie

If I have to set bevel I first protect the spine with tape.
Set bevel on diamond hone 200-300-400-600 grit.
6,000 grit Waterstone
12,000 oil stone
1/2" glass plate with Theirs Issard strop paste
Strop on canvas with Theirs Issard strop paste
Finish on leather.

None of my hones is expensive. Don't have a collection of hones. Still put a fantastic edge on every razor I hone.

600 diamond to a 6k? That’s a huge jump!

I would recommend putting one layer of tape on and trying about ten laps on the 12k.

Alright, so I will probably send it off to be professionally honed first, because I'm almost certain from what I've been reading the factory edge from Dovo is NOT shave ready...is this true or not?

It’s a definite maybe. You never know with the newer Dovo’s. Some come with a great edge. Many do not.

Originally Posted by Kkeeton53

Alright, so I will probably send it off to be professionally honed first, because I'm almost certain from what I've been reading the factory edge from Dovo is NOT shave ready...is this true or not?

Once in awhile a Dovo will be shave ready from the factory, mine wasn't. It also depends where you got it. Straight Razor Designs hones their razors first, others may or may not.

Before sending it off maybe try and find someone close to you that will give you some lessons, I think there are many Florida users and many will mentor a new person

I'm a bit wary on this issue.

Every new out of the box Dovo where I've broken the seal myself has been 'shave ready'.

But not a very good 'shave ready'.

I've been able to shave for a week or so with one of them before getting aggravated and breaking out the hones.