Thread: Trying to get new Dovo into shave ready condition...

Have u shaved with it?? Honing from what I have learned is all about getting that bevel set.. Some take more time than others..

Here's the pic after many very light laps on the 12k - should I be using more pressure on the 12k?

Still doesn't pass the hanging hair test but shave leg hair quite well and even catches a few above the skin...

-john

As you've probably heard before..you can't always judge an edge by the HHT. How many laps have you done on the 12k? Personally, and this is judging by the pics, I would do more laps to further smooth out the edge.

Out of curiosity, where did you get the new dovo? Is it new to you, or new in general or...? If I bought a new dovo, I'd buy one from a vendor who supplies it shave ready
There was so many factors to consider...what kind of dovo is it? some are stainless and some are carbon steel. How long have you been using a straight? Shaving and stropping technique are also unknown factors here too. This also ties into the fact that the HHT is somewhat subjective and needs to be calibrated...the shave test is what you should be most concerned about...which can be thrown off if your shave technique isn't developed. I'm not sure if this is your first straight your just another one in the collection...if it's your first, then you really shouldn't be honing it yourself (some may say you shouldn't be honing for at least 6 months into using a straight) as you kind of need a good reference to what shave ready is, which needs to be provided by an experienced honemeister.

Sorry for being all over the place, I'm kind of tired and feel a tad scatter brained currently!

But yeah, maybe if you give us a little history on your experience, it would be easier to narrow down your issues

I'm a total newbie - the razor is brand new and was not provided shave ready - straight from the factory. I'm pretty good with my hands and am very technical. I do a lot of surgery in my line of work. I like to be self sufficient and also like a challenge - that's why I'm teaching myself this stuff.

So after many laps on the 12k and a few passes on canvas treated with CrO and then lots of stropping the blade catches and cuts leg hairs mid way above the skin. Guess the next step is trying a shave... wondering if I should do some more laps on the 12k - see the pic below - this pic is post stropping... Also what level of pressure should be used on the 12k - weight of the blade? Light pressure? Significant pressure?

TIA

-john

The HHT is just that a ‘test’ it works for some but not all.

The microscope has its place, but there again it’s just a tool.

I don’t use either.

(I do use a 30 power loupe but that’s only been in the last two years)

I’ve found that by taking my time, being sure to spend plenty of time making sure that the bevel was set and set all along the edge that I get very good results as I progress up the grits.

When you are at the 1K the edge should evenly catch when very lightly dragged across a wet thumbnail.

When coming off the 4K it should start to ‘stick’ to the thumb pad and when it’s pressed against the edge. It should also ‘really grab’ when lightly dragged across the wet thumbnail. At this point it should also start to ‘pop’ arm hairs/I check all along the edge.

After that the only tests I do are arm hair on the 8K and the shave test after the 12K.

I’ve test shaved off of the 1K, 4K, 8K and 12K without stropping. Just to see how it was. I then went back and stropped at each level and test shaved again.

Each step was improved with stropping.

My counsel would be to start all over again. Forget the microscope and stick to what I use (going by feel). If you feel that after the 12K you are getting a nice shave. Then pick up the microscope to see what your edge looks like.

I was trying to help a young man who only lives about 60 miles from me. We had the exact same hones, DMT etc. however he was always blown away from my edges as they were much better than his, but he was infatuated with using the microscope and kept sending me pictures of my edges vs. his edges and he finally got tired of me telling him that the pictures didn’t tell me anything and that the only thing that mattered was the final test The Shave Test!

I hope this has helped and not hindered you!

ps: I don't ever use a pasted strop. I like my edges straight off of my Naniwa 12K

Originally Posted by cudarunner

The HHT is just that a ‘test’ it works for some but not all.

The microscope has its place, but there again it’s just a tool.

I don’t use either.

(I do use a 30 power loupe but that’s only been in the last two years)

I’ve found that by taking my time, being sure to spend plenty of time making sure that the bevel was set and set all along the edge that I get very good results as I progress up the grits.

When you are at the 1K the edge should evenly catch when very lightly dragged across a wet thumbnail.

When coming off the 4K it should start to ‘stick’ to the thumb pad and when it’s pressed against the edge. It should also ‘really grab’ when lightly dragged across the wet thumbnail. At this point it should also start to ‘pop’ arm hairs/I check all along the edge.

After that the only tests I do are arm hair on the 8K and the shave test after the 12K.

I’ve test shaved off of the 1K, 4K, 8K and 12K without stropping. Just to see how it was. I then went back and stropped at each level and test shaved again.

Each step was improved with stropping.

My counsel would be to start all over again. Forget the microscope and stick to what I use (going by feel). If you feel that after the 12K you are getting a nice shave. Then pick up the microscope to see what your edge looks like.

I was trying to help a young man who only lives about 60 miles from me. We had the exact same hones, DMT etc. however he was always blown away from my edges as they were much better than his, but he was infatuated with using the microscope and kept sending me pictures of my edges vs. his edges and he finally got tired of me telling him that the pictures didn’t tell me anything and that the only thing that mattered was the final test The Shave Test!

I hope this has helped and not hindered you!

ps: I don't ever use a pasted strop. I like my edges straight off of my Naniwa 12K

Points well taken! My edge feels very smooth now with the TPT and when dragged across my nail. Should I go back to the 12k and how much pressure should I use? There seem to be varying descriptions on how much pressure should be applied while honing???

TIA

-john

If you've dragged the edge across your thumbnail you need to start over (that microscopic edge is now down the tubes) probably at the 4K level.

As far as 'pressure' that's one that has to be learned first hand. Personally when I go to the 4K I only use enough 'tension' to make sure that the blade is contacting the hone 'evenly' across the hone! There really isn't any real 'pressure' more of just a 'presence'! Let the blade be the pressure and you are just the guide.

Try my suggestion and put the microscope away! It's a recently found tool and was never used probably even 10 years ago by anyone honing (well maybe Lynn).

As far as laps on the 12k. I would recommend no more that 20.

Also, don't use a pasted strop at least not right at first. See how you like the shave, then try the paste and try again. This will allow you to have something to judge by.

I appreciate you wanting to be self sufficient but learning to hone before you've mastered the lathering, stropping and shaving with a straight is like trying to run a marathon before you learn to walk.

I waited a year and a half before I took the plunge and I'm glad that I did! I learned so much from trying others edges! Once I did get started I found that Glen's Videos and personal advice along with pinklather's help were invaluable!

With that said, I'll help you as much as I can!

You are getting a lot of good advice. I would add that I use a black marker to black the bevel to help me gauge how well I am doing and when I see a gleaming bevel with no remaining black and it pops arm hairs at skin level on the 1K Naniwa I move up to the next hone. I use a low powered magnifier and think that using a scope lets you see far more imperfections than you need see in order to get a good edge. I do black the bevel at every stage too. When I finish with the last hone in the progression I strop and test shave. Good luck with the learning curve on razor honing and if you use the blacking I hope it helps you a bit.

Bob

You sound like me when I first started :P just so you know, you're pretty much fighting an uphill battle, while flying blind, on a unicycle, while making a pizza with one hand and performing surgery with the other! :P So with that in mind, you'll need a bundle and a half of patience and be prepared to fail until you finally crack the nut! Not sure if you've read this http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...bing-over.html but it's WELL worth reading.

You didn't mention what dovo your razor is...certain ones are carbon steel and others are stainless. People will usually say that stainless takes a bit more work to hone but YMMV of course. Stropping, according to the great and powerful Glen, comes in two stages when learning: 1, not doing harm to the edge, and 2, improving the edge. You should also be aware that your ability to properly asses the edge is somewhat hampered due to your not having a shave ready blade before. Now, that's not to say that you can't tell the difference between sharp and dull, but there is also smooth and harsh to keep in mind too.

cudarunner's advice will serve you well, in addition to the link I gave where Glen talks about not jumping ahead. That's kind of what I mean by "flying blind", not knowing when to move to the next stone. This is pretty normal when learning to hone, so following the above advice from cudarunner will help remove the "blindfold", so to speak. Try to keep track of what you're doing to the edge with each stone, for example, do 20 x stokes on the 1K and then test the edge by trying to pop arm hairs and see where you're at. Make sure that you can pop arm hairs along the whole edge too.

I'll say again to make sure you read that thread because learning to walk away is important...spending hours hunched over your hones isn't good for anyone! :P

Good luck and have fun!