Thread: When is it time to hone?

I've been shaving a little over four months now with the Straight. Shave about once a week.

I strop ~30 times on canvas, then ~60 times on leather prior to shaving & then roughly half of that amount after the shave.

Just barely got a new strop that I've applied the Dovo red/black pastes on. Only used that once so far (about 10 passes on each paste).

Suggestions on when to have this thing honed?

I have a Dovo Bismark full-hollow ground carbon steel blade.

Your pastes will allow the honing to be delayed much longer but eventually it will need to be honed again. I don't know anything specific about the Dovo pastes. When the pastes no longer restore the razor back to a comfortable shave, that's the time to have it re-honed. If you had a barber hone, I tell people to do it as soon as they notice any diminishment in the quality of the shave.

Follow Utopians advice here. That's what I'd have said, & he's put it very nicely.

When the razor pulls on your face, you need to hone it.

Originally Posted by jmcgericault

I've been shaving a little over four months now with the Straight. Shave about once a week.

I strop ~30 times on canvas, then ~60 times on leather prior to shaving & then roughly half of that amount after the shave.

Just barely got a new strop that I've applied the Dovo red/black pastes on. Only used that once so far (about 10 passes on each paste).

Suggestions on when to have this thing honed?

I have a Dovo Bismark full-hollow ground carbon steel blade.

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As far as pastes are concerned, you might be interested in this list from the forum WIKI.

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4.2.5 Dovo pastes

Dovo pastes

The following pastes made by Dovo are often referred to in the forum. Only the green, red, and black pastes have noticeable abrasive quantities. Dovo micron sizes do not relate directly to Diamond micron sizes. Dovo pastes are a milder abrasive
Green5-8 micron, very aggressive Red3-5 micron, aggressive Black1-3 micron, medium WhiteNot a finishing paste, but a strop conditioner for linen only; abrasive quantity unknown YellowNot a finishing paste, but a strop conditioner for leather conditioner only; abrasive quantity unknown[6].

I really don´t get this part of the wiki. I mean, come on!
What does "the microns of dovo do not relate to others" mean?
If it´s an entirely different rating system, why even bother using it?!
And btw. a micron is micron, period -.-

I get that these pastes shall be milder abrasive.
But the green one wich is verifiably chromium oxide would blow the edge of a bevel at 5-8 micron.

I use dovo green frequently and like it very much! It´s easy and gives very smooth shaving edges,
as good as 0.5µm diamond, 0.3µm Chromium oxide etc.


To the original poster:

There´s no real formula. Just watch for an uncomfortable shave.
As soon as you feel "nah, this thing used to be better" you can contact a honemeister

The best time, in my experience, is 8pm.