Thread: The minimum amount of stones for a factory DOVO

I'm thinking of getting a factory sharpened DOVO, and I wanna know what kinds of hones I need to get a nice edge on it. Would a yellow coticle do or do I need more than that?

at first welcome.
Now my first advise will be please don't ask dovo make it shave ready.i don't know how they sharpen(assume)uses some machine etc destroys edge.you can get your razor honed 1 of the member's and be save.NOw what you need to keep it in shave ready condition you will need to have only razor hone that is it.
if you like to hone your own .then this combination may help.

I will buy
dmt 320 corse-- for lapping stone only
dmt e
dmt ee
belgian
you can get out dmt ee if you by dmt yellow and blue side combo.
chromium o2 you should be good to go.
another variant will be
NOrton 4/8 k
Belgian
chromium o2 paste green
will do the job.

Welcome!

With all due respect to Bud, who likely knows more than I ever will about stones and honing, I think a double-sided coticule is a really good multipurpose stone for maintenence -- at least from reports I have read. It allows for a number of grits -- with slurry, with some slurry, with no slurry, across both sides. I'm planning to buy one to maintain my razors for a year-long research trip I'll be taking, since I don't really want to be lugging a sack full of rocks across Asia.

Having said that, however, I'm personally in the Shapton glasstone camp. I already had everything but the 16k for my kitchen knives, so it wasn't much of a jump or expense. And they work great.

You'll find that everyone on this list has his/her favorites and preferences.

HOWEVER, your first purchase shouldn't be a stone. It should be a good strop, which you'll use every time you shave, in addition to every time you sharpen your razors.

For me, the best way to get into this would be:

1. As Bud says, get a razor pre-honed by an expert. If you want to buy new, consider Straight Razor Designs, which supports this board. There are also a lot of good vintage razors pre-honed in the classifieds. If you're on a tight budget, this can be a good option. Buy a strop at the same time, and watch some of the stropping videos to get the technique down. Or, if you have the luxury of someone nearby -- there are other members in Finland, I know -- consider asking for advice. Older barbers, at least here in the US, had to learn this to get their license, so they are a good resource as well.

Then you have a couple of options:

2a. Pick up a high-grit stone like a coticule or thuringian and another prehoned razor (it's nice to have more than one) and learn proper honing technique when your first razor needs a touch up. That way when you make mistakes, which is likely, or your razor doesn't cooperate by getting shaving sharp, you have a back-up.

2b. Pick up two old razors at an antique store or auction. Why two? Sometimes a razor, for reasons of metalurgy, age, or some other variable, is really hard to hone. This allows you to put one aside and work on the other if you get frustrated or stuck. Get a bunch of stones, from coarse to ultra fine, of whatever type you decide is most interesting, and bring it back to life. There is a learning curve, but this is, for me, the most interesting because you've brought an old razor back into usefulness. It does require much more expense, of course.

But any time you run into a problem,ask questions to the forum. The folks here are a repository of wisdom and knowledge (and helpfulness) you would be hard put to find elsewhere.

Just my opinion,

cass

Just to clarify, the DOVO would be a factory sharpened one, like all the ones that are on sale everywhere, not some special job. I just understood that they are a bit from shave-ready when they come, so I thought honing them would be the next step.

As far as stroping goes, I already think I've got the technique and general idea down, now I just need the tools so I can try out everything,

About them stones, from what I've understood the yellow coticule is somewhat versatile, and seems to cover a lot of grits depending on how you use it. Would this one be enough to get a good edge on a new DOVO?

Also I would be real happy if someone could explain the slurry concept, I have a bit of a hard time to understand what's meant here. Is it that milky-brownish stuff you get when you shapen a knife or axe with a water stone or?

If this is your first razor, don't try honing it yourself first without having a benchmark. Get a pre sharpened razor from a reputable seller, and get a salvagable one from the classifieds for little money. Then try.

Bart has written an excellent, and fairly comprehensive, article on Belgian whetstones. It should answer all your questions:
A simple honing method with DMT-E , Belgian Blue Whetstone and Coticule - Straight Razor Place Wiki

A blue and yellow will get that Dovo factory edge shave ready, but for the reason stated above, I would not go down that route if I were you.

If you can find one, the Moravian Hone made which use to be sold by Success Barber Supply in Moravia Iowa is a fantastic maintenance hone. It is a two sided barber hone. I have used one for over thirty years . It works well with 5/8 hollowground carbon steel razors.

Okay then, who in northern Europe wanna hone a brand new DOVO for me, perf. at a low price and I'll have it shipped to you straight (phun intended ^^) away!

So nobody answered Stuggi's original question...

A factory sharpened Dovo. What's required to get it shave ready?

Do you have to start from scratch by resetting the bevel? DMT 325 or 1000K
Or would the bevel likely be set ok and you could start with something like 4K/8K
Or would it likely be at a stage where only finishing would be required with something like 16K?

inquiring minds want to know

I did, albeit not explicitly.

Originally Posted by cassady

Welcome!

With all due respect to Bud, who likely knows more than I ever will about stones and honing, I think a double-sided coticule is a really good multipurpose stone for maintenence

Bringing a razor from factory 'sharpness' to shaving sharp is generally minor, and would be included in what I called maintenance. (Bringing a vintage, long-unused razor back to shaving sharpness would be major). You could also do a few swipes on the 8000 side of a 4k/8k, and then a few swipes on some sort of a finishing hone (something in the over-10k range).

cass

Originally Posted by d. m. ellington

If you can find one, the Moravian Hone made which use to be sold by Success Barber Supply in Moravia Iowa is a fantastic maintenance hone. It is a two sided barber hone. I have used one for over thirty years . It works well with 5/8 hollowground carbon steel razors.

Just one hone, and a strop, has served me well for years.

I have 4 barber hones and 2 of them were made by The American Hone Company (AKA - Success Barber Supply, IA).

The most recently obtained is called the "Little Devil" barber hone. I've read that some guys use this hone as a lapping stone for other hones. But I think the "Little Devil" (I think it's a type of carborundum synthetic hone - very fast cutting) is, so far, the best razor hone I've ever tried, and it's now the only hone I use. If you can find one I highly recommend it.

I also have a hone called the "Reliance", a two sided combination barbers hone (the other of the two AHC hones I have), but I really like the "Little Devil" the best.

In addition I have a vintage yellow Belgian, and another synthetic grey colored hone called a "Mell-o 40/20", but I still prefer the "Devil" to all of them.

Too bad American Hone Co went out of business. Success Barber is still around, but their "Hone Lady" passed away.

But, I agree that getting a factory fresh Dovo ready for shaving is a very minor operation. In fact, I'd try just stropping the razor first to see if that were enough.

I know that in many cases a good stropping will work (depending on stropping skill, of course). I think to assume that the razor needs a honing out of the box, by default, is sort of like deciding to re-charge your car battery before trying to start the car.


Scott