Hey all. I received my first razor for Xmas. My razor is a standard DOVO stainless steal razor. After a month of research and finally purchasing some needed items I'm ready to start. I have a DOVO razor which out of the box I thought was not up to par for shaving. I just received a Norton 4/8000 waterstone and DOVO's Best Russian Strop. I have a few questions.
1. I've read that soaking is not needed on the 8000 side of the stone. Should I just soak the 4000 side, and splash some on the 8000 side?
2. Does a DOVO strop like the one I've purchased need any prep before use? What conditioning do you recommend for this strop? What kind of conditioner?
3. When I start to hone the razor for the first time what are your recommendations on a honing pattern. I've been reading about pyramids and find myself uncertain of any substantially accepted standard procedure.
4. Do you guys let the back/spine hit the hone and get scratched or do you cover it with electrical tape as I've read. That one probably made some of you laugh, but I don't want to ruin the looks of the Razor, it was a gift from my girlfriend.
Thanks for all the help. I've read as much as I can, but knowledge on Straight Razors is hard to come by. I know zero people who could comment on any of these questions and deeply appreciate the knowledge and skill you share in a response. Thank you for your time I know it's annoying sometimes answering rhetorical questions. Thanks again all!
-Chris-