don't want to mess it up... questions about honing
I've read through the Honing FAQ index and search the forum... and I have been able to formulate a few questions (I don't want to damage my razor so I'm asking before trying :) )
I am new at straight shaving... so I ordered a shave ready razor. I have two questions about taking care of it:
1) if I strop 25 passes on a leather strop before every shave and two times a week 25 passes on linen before the passes on leather, is it enough to maintain it in a shave ready condition (assuming that I do not drop it) or do I have to use a hone (or the linen side of the strop more often)?
2) if I have to use a hone, which one do I have to use:
a) a barber stone like Dixie
b) a natural hone like a Yellow Coticule, a Thuringian or a chinese stone
c) an artificial hone like a Shapton
3) if I have to use a natural stone, I understand that I have to make it flat before: will a DMT8C be good enough?
I am not - yet :p - interested in restoration... but assuming that I will win the next lottery, is this set good for honing a "not shave ready" razor:
a DMT8C to flatten the hone, a blue Coticule (or a DMT8EE or a Norton4/8), a yellow Coticule (or a turingian/chinese stone), newspaper.
Thanks