Thread: Newbie Questions

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-

You must be excited to get started so I'll weigh right in.

1. I put water in the bottom half of the blue carrier for the Norton, let it sit 4k side down for 15 minutes, flip it over to start on the wet side, thus dampening the 8k side.

2. A little Mink oil worked well for me. You might need to rub it with a warm glass bottle to ensure it's VERY flat.

3. There IS a standard set. It's listed in the Help Files.
4k/8k like so:
3/5
3/5
5/5
10/5
5/5
3/5
3/5
1/5
1/5
1/5

4. People use the tape to protect gilding and stuff like that. 99% of razors wouldn't need it.

Thanks Xman! When I found this site I found it rather hard to navigate. In fact since I've been here a little bit, 1 week snooping around and I still feel it is difficult. I'm sure I'll adjust.

Anyways I read alot of the forum posts and your a major contributor. Thanks for the fast response. Truly appreciated!

You'll find that the answers here are often not immediately apparent, but they are here. These guys can help you get from newbie to pro in no time, you'll find your way round soon enough. Anything you dont get, just ask!

Regarding your questions, I think xman has answered them well enough. As for 4, I'm sure your girlfriend would rather see you use it and it show signs of use than sit in the bottom of some drawer somewhere.

P.S. Some people use a finer stone or pasted stop in between the 8000 and hanging strop to get a finer finish. If you're not getting super sharp then you might want to try that. Although my recommendation would be to get a honemeister to give it an initial good sharpen (normally for a small fee) so you know youre starting on the right foot.

I always place the razor flat on the hone, never use tape of any kind. Its good to use for long sessions I suppose but for me keeping the blade flat is very important. The spine has an edge on the side designed to take the stress of being honed, its designed like that in almost all cases.

1. I used to soak only the 4k side but now just soak the whole stone. The 8k is not adversely affected. Only the 4k side seems to soak up the water in quantity.

2. No prep needed when newly purchased. I use FROMM strop dressing when the leather gets a bit dry. I heard that Lynn rubs the heel of his hand to transfer natural oils to it. Anything that keeps the leather supple and won't polymerize into a sticky mess will work.

3. Start with the pyramid. Since you don't know what you are doing it is a good start as any. As you get more experience and feel you can modify the techique as you see fit. Recommend that you get at least a 50x scope so you can see what the honing is doing to the edge. It is a useful learning tool. Later you won't use the scope as much.

4. No tape unless you are building a new bevel which would wear too much of the spine. I only put tape when long honing on 1k is expected. It is important to keep the spine on the hone as it is the honing guide to give the bevel a perfect angle. Tape would only offset the angle.

Originally Posted by PNO_NOR

I read alot of the forum posts and your a major contributor.

I'm trying to get my 'Blabbermouth' badge, and keep up with Richz and Joe Lerch. Now those guys can talk!

The truth is, I find this a rewarding excercise and want to participate as much as I can. It's such a great group of guys here too that there's no dissuasion. It's a true net community and I like feeling part of it.

Thanks again, Lynn.

X

Originally Posted by xman

I'm trying to get my 'Blabbermouth' badge, and keep up with Ruchz and Joe Lerch. Now those guys can talk!

The truth is, I find this a rewarding excercise and want to participate as much as I can. It's such a great group of guys here too that there's no dissuasion. It's a true net community and I like feeling part of it.

Thanks again, Lynn.

X

and you got kewl post No. right now: 666

Originally Posted by PNO_NOR

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?

That'll work.

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?

Strop dressing is a good idea.

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.

Somebody is bound to give you a pyramid, so let me give you one warnning. Try not to make honing brainless. A little common sense goes a long way. And obviously you don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill. So, don't approach a hone until you know what you're going to do and why. It's not likely your razor is shave ready, but it may be close. First very gently scrape your thub across the edge at either end and in the middle. If the thumb slides smoothly across your blade, it's dull and you can start your pyramid. It might need a lot more.

If the razor edge grabs your thumb, and especially if it moves a little with it, you have a good edge. Strop 30 round trips and shave. If it pulls even a little, go back to the 8K, and depending on the pull, do 5-10 round trips and strop. That should do it.

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.

The only way you'll get the right bevel on the edge is to lie the razor flat with the spine and edge touching. The tiny flats on the spine are normal and are a guide to even honing. The time to use tape is when you're removing a lot of material, like taking out a chip. When you're ready to restore the edge, you take off the tape and if you hone evenly, the edge will line up parallel to the spine. Without the tape, both the edge and spine are changing and it becomes difficult to keep them parallel and even.

Originally Posted by Joe Lerch

Somebody is bound to give you a pyramid, so let me give you one warnning. Try not to make honing brainless. A little common sense goes a long way. And obviously you don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill. So, don't approach a hone until you know what you're going to do and why. It's not likely your razor is shave ready, but it may be close. First very gently scrape your thub across the edge at either end and in the middle. If the thumb slides smoothly across your blade, it's dull and you can start your pyramid. It might need a lot more.

I'll confuse the heck out of you by agreeing with Joe here. I dont think I would start out on a newly purchased razor with the pyramid (unless the razor is a T.I. ) .

I'd start with a good careful stropping, and then shave a part of my face... if the shave sucks... then move to the 8K for a few passes on each side... and shave again.. if it sucks, then how much? If it really sucks it could need the 4K or you could need more practice at honing It's hard to say really... Just work at it slow and easy and dont jump into grinding away at a new razor.. "technically" your razor shouldnt need too much work.