Thread: It IS possible for a newbie to get shave-ready with Nortons!!!

I cant find my old thread where I was asking for assistance getting an old Dovo Inox stainless razor shave ready after it probably never being shave ready since I bought it about 10 years ago.

Well I have made some progress. Based on the suggestions given, I had ascertained that;

- I hadnt set the bevel correctly
- Wasnt checking that I could shave arm hairs after each grit level

I also had a suspicion that I didnt have stones with a high enough grit level to finish the razor off.

Well, since then, I had been watching some honing videos on youtube late last week and it inspired me to get out the razor again and have another go. Since that post, I also acquired a Livi loom strop that is pasted on one side.

I taped the spine, and established a bevel on the 1K, and was able to shave arm hair across the whole length of the blade (was a bit rough, but it could do it).

Went to 4K for about 20 laps and it shaved markedly better.

Then went to 8K for about 10 laps and it was shaving arm hairs like I had never seen!!

I then took it to the pasted paddle for about 50 strokes, and then another 50 on leather.

The edge of the blade at this point, actually looked WAY different than it ever had - there was a clear bevel across the entire edge of the blade, similar to shave-ready razors I had recently purchased.

To my untrained eyes/hands, the razor actually seemed to pass HHT. I was stoked, so proceeded to give it a shave test. I have to say that this little Dovo cuts through my beard like butter!! I dont think it had ever been honed to a shave-ready state, and the fact that I was able to do this is a great sense of achievement for me, so much so that I pulled out an old antique store "Buffalos Own" that I had brought back to life, and honed it in the same way. I shaved with this razor tonight and it also gave a great shave!!

During my first feeble attempts, I kept thinking that I didnt have all the fancy hones/stones that the experts cite all the time, but the Nortons are clearly up to the task once you know what to do with them. Also, those taking note will see that I didnt use any kind of pyramid technique - I actually have a feeling that this was getting in the way of me knowing when to move to the next stone (but thats just my experience).

I have a chinese 12k stone on its way, which should only improve the quality of honing. Still have a long way to go, but for the first time since I started trying to hone a blade I can finally say "I get it!!!!".

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I am pretty happy with the accomplishment I felt at the end of all of this.

Congrats! Yea, I find that as long as you don't tell the razor what grit the hone manufacturers claim the grit is; two hones, both as smooth as glass, will work with the trained hand just as well.


When the "12K" arrives you'll receive yet another affirmation of this.

It is a great feeling knowing that you can take a dull piece of steel and hone it to an edge that is literally razor sharp. The fact that you have done it all yourself makes it so much more special.

Congrats. It is a good feeling knowing that you can take a dull razor and make it shave ready. The Norton's really are great hones.

I'll tell you, that for me, taking a dull blade and making it sharp enough to get a great, irritation free shave makes the short list of things that make me feel great! Congratulations!

Yeah its definately a great feeling of accomplishment. One thing that really helped, believe it or not, were the Mastro Livi videos where he is shown honing a new blade. Whilst his honing style is a little "different" , the general way he did it made more sense to me than all the other vids I had seen up to now.

Only problem with all of this is that I had stopped antique store / ebay purchases after a few failed attempts.....this will now be bad for the bank account I think .

Congrats on your success. Enjoy the Chinese hone and don't get to frustrated lapping it, the results will be worth the effort for a hone in that price. Good luck in future honing endeavors.

I don't know about everyone else, but I say that if you are able to get a razor shave ready you are no longer a newbie.

Congrats - the first time is a huge thrill (I'm talking about successful honing).

Originally Posted by wedwards

During my first feeble attempts, I kept thinking that I didnt have all the fancy hones/stones that the experts cite all the time, but the Nortons are clearly up to the task once you know what to do with them.

Posts like this remind me of how far we've come in the last few years. Only a few years ago this was how all of us started, without chrome oxide even, but shaving straight off the Norton 8k. Those high end stones and submicron pastes are awfully nice but they are by no means necessary to get a shave-ready edge, not even for a newbie. They do make that shave-ready edge easier to pull off.

Congrats on the breakthru.
Sounds like you're ready for some eBay challenges