Thread: Dovo Red & Black Strop Paste?

Hello All,

I'm a newbie at straight razor shaving. I recently picked up one of the classic sharpening sets at classicshaving.com ( Classic Straight Razor Sharpening Set). I am wondering about the paste. I'm unsure whether or not to paste both sides of the paddle strop or to leave it unpasted. So far, I've just left the raw leather as it is on both sides and have been stropping with that. One side is a light tan in color and a bit smoother than the other black side, which has a felt-like feel. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between the sides but should I be pasting both sides? I've noticed the edge on the razor getting a bit duller than it used to be, which was expected. However, I imagine that by using the paste, I'll be able to maintain the sharper edge for longer. Anyone have suggestions on a good stropping setup that I should be using?

Many Thanks!
Craig

You always need an unpasted strop for dayly stropping.
So unless you have another strop leave the smoth side unpasted

As for the pastes you have id suggest using the black one if you can have only one of them

Apiece of balsa wood can easely be used as a pasted strop
an old clean seatbelt/denim on a stiff backing among others can be used as is or with paste

Craig,

These days I tend to use CrOx & 0.5 micron diamond for my 'pasting'.

However, I still use the Dovo Red & Black pastes (I have them on the two sides of a small Streich-Riemen loom-strop) for my softer Sheffield blades, and for them, these pastes work very well

Good luck !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Interesting. So is the dovo red and black more for softer blades? What constitutes a softer blade? Also, do you guys recommend having balsa wood around as an extra pasted strop?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by PhatMan

However, I still use the Dovo Red & Black pastes, for my softer Sheffield blades, and for them, these pastes work very well

+1 there is very little that works better on the older Sheffielders...

As to using Balsa???? (not my cup of tea) Yes that works really well for the CrOx and the Diamonds, but the Dovo pastes, IMHO work better on leather...

I'm bringing this up again, I have those red and black pastes and this small Dovo strop I didn't really know what to use for, so I did a little search and found this thread. Red paste on the back of the strop and black on the front, then did 20 laps on both with this old Sheffield blade and voila, it was back in business! I have to experiment with the number of laps needed, but this really did the trick on that blade!

It is a paste that has kinda dropped off the radar over that last couple of years, but it is a very smooth performer, and seems to excel on the older Sheffielders

Originally Posted by Stadler09

Hello All,

I'm a newbie at straight razor shaving. I recently picked up one of the classic sharpening sets at classicshaving.com ( Classic Straight Razor Sharpening Set). I am wondering about the paste. I'm unsure whether or not to paste both sides of the paddle strop or to leave it unpasted. So far, I've just left the raw leather as it is on both sides and have been stropping with that. One side is a light tan in color and a bit smoother than the other black side, which has a felt-like feel. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between the sides but should I be pasting both sides? I've noticed the edge on the razor getting a bit duller than it used to be, which was expected. However, I imagine that by using the paste, I'll be able to maintain the sharper edge for longer. Anyone have suggestions on a good stropping setup that I should be using?

Many Thanks!
Craig

Since you have a Norton 4k/8k hone in this kit
you may never want the red paste which I find
too scratchy.

I would call the folk at Classic and ask
what they recommend. Me I would leave the
smooth side of the paddle strop clear and clean.
I would apply a light bit of the black paste to
the opposite side only.

I happen to like the Dovo black. I like the
draw it gives to leather so sure go ahead and use
it on the front side if you like the feel of it
on the back. Just use a little at a time.

Strop paste on leather is forgiving. The coarser
bits of the red will push down into the leather
and scratch less and less over time.

You can move to red (coarse) after black (polish) but not
the reverse which is why I started with black on
the reverse to test.

A little goes a long way.

The two sugar cube size bits should last
a long time. Perhaps as much as ten years
bit by bit so apply a little at a time...

Wipe the spine to remove any
transfer from red to black to strop...
a little is OK.... not to worry...

OK, I am not at all a very knowledgeable honer or stropper, so I took some notes. Subject to your guys' correction. Like always with my notes, I am not completely sure where I got some of this, or how accurate it is.

Not sure where I wrote this from (??? for instance, from where did I get TI paste is Aluminum Oxide??!!) or how accurate (??) but my notes are like this below, in order of pastes and what I'd read they might work best on and/or what I literally have them on if I have them (it's a mixture of notes I wrote to sequence these pastes out in order, and of course what I do, then, partially, having followed some of it.)

6 Micron - GREEN - (Chrom Oxide) - BALSA WOOD
2-4 Micron - RED Dovo - (Iron Oxide) - Rough/Suede leather
2 Micron - TI Paste (Aluminum Oxide) - Rough/Suede leather
1 Micron - BLACK DOVO - (Graphite)- Rough/Suede leather
1 Micron - Diamond Spray - FELT
.5 Micron - Diamond Spray - FELT

UNTREATED - Plain Smooth Leather

Pesonally so far, I really like the Dovo Red and Black Esp the Black but what I find most strange, is that you can buy little tubes of DOVO

DOVO WHITE= LINEN paste
DOVO YELLOW = STROP CONDITIONER
DOVO GREEN
DOVO RED

but to get DOVO BLACK, I only ever see it in the two little stick sold with DOVO RED ???????

Originally Posted by RazeWiska

OK, I am not at all a very knowledgeable honer or stropper, so I took some notes. Subject to your guys' correction. Like always with my notes, I am not completely sure where I got some of this, or how accurate it is.

Not sure where I wrote this from (??? for instance, from where did I get TI paste is Aluminum Oxide??!!) or how accurate (??) but my notes are like this below, in order of pastes and what I'd read they might work best on and/or what I literally have them on if I have them (it's a mixture of notes I wrote to sequence these pastes out in order, and of course what I do, then, partially, having followed some of it.)

6 Micron - GREEN - (Chrom Oxide) ((not sure if this is actually chrom ox) - BALSA WOOD Works better with Rough/Suede leather
2-4 Micron - RED Dovo - (Iron Oxide) - Rough/Suede leather
2 Micron - TI Paste (Aluminum Oxide) - Rough/Suede leather
1 Micron - BLACK DOVO - (Graphite)- Rough/Suede leather
1 Micron - Diamond Spray - FELT
.5 Micron - Diamond Spray - FELT
.5 Micron (Chrom OX) powder- Balsa
.1 Micron (Ferrous Oxide) powder- Balsa

Untreated- Canvas, Pressed Wool, Linen, Denim
UNTREATED - Plain Smooth Leather

Pesonally so far, I really like the Dovo Red and Black Esp the Black but what I find most strange, is that you can buy little tubes of DOVO

DOVO WHITE= LINEN paste
DOVO YELLOW = STROP CONDITIONER
DOVO GREEN
DOVO RED

but to get DOVO BLACK, I only ever see it in the two little stick sold with DOVO RED ???????

Hey RazaWiska

For the most part your list did seem to be right on I add a few things to it for you. As to the DOVO I find that the little bricks are a far better deal then the tubes.