Thread: Schedule for refreshing a 6/8" full-hollow Dovo

I've had by 6/8" full-hollow Dovo for almost 4 weeks now, and things are going well. I know that I need to start thinking about refreshing the edge pretty soon, and I'd like a little advice on the schedule.

My thoughts were to use a pasted strop every 2 months, and to get myself a finishing stone (12k) to use once every 6 months.

How does that sound? What do you guys do?

I don't think most people use a fixed schedule for refreshing razors. It is more like refreshing when and if the blade starts to feel dull. Catch it early enough a pasted strop should do the trick. When the pasted strop no longer brings it back then go to a refresh on a finishing hone.

Bob

It's certainly true that most people wait until they feel the razor begin to "tug" before thinking about refreshing the edge. Another approach is to perform a maintenance hone every so often rather than dealing with a slowly degrading edge. If you give it, say, half a dozen strokes every 6-10 shaves on that 12K finisher whether it needs it or not.. it'll never need it.

Also, most would really recommend against a natural finisher at this point. The 12K Naniwa is easily the most often recommended finisher. It's usually best to wait until you have shaving and refreshing on a synthetic down before delving into the world of natural hones.


rs,
Tack

I have thought about touching up on a schedule also, it sounds like a way to save yourself time down the road.

smolloy,

For my rotation blades I do 'preventative' edge refreshment : I subscribe to the little and often school

Every ca. seven (7) shaves, the edge gets touched up on 0.5 micron CrOx on hard leather or balsa strop (10 - 30 laps).

Every ca. twenty-eight (28) shaves, the edge gets touched up on a Naniwa 12k SS, 10 -30 laps) (though I am now experimenting with Jnats).

Once a year, the razor gets a new bevel cut.

This is probably excessive, but in reality it takes very little time, and I have noticed no down-sides to this regime.

Have fun

Best regards

Russ

Thanks all.

It sounds like my proposed schedule (pasted strop every 2 months, and a 12k stone every 6 months) might not be enough. You guys seem to be recommending more frequent refreshes than that. Is that true?

Originally Posted by smolloy

Thanks all.

It sounds like my proposed schedule (pasted strop every 2 months, and a 12k stone every 6 months) might not be enough. You guys seem to be recommending more frequent refreshes than that. Is that true?

Well, I suppose this is a matter of definition. I feel that frequent very light maintenance honing eliminates the need to ever do a "real" refresh.

Consider: the shave/strop cycle gradually rounds off the blade edge. Eventually, we must remove enough metal from the bevel sides to bring that edge back closer to a "V" shape to get that smooth, comfortable shave back. Incidentally, pasted strops work by forming what is more or less a micro-bevel, restoring keeness and some feel making a smoother edge. As with most things in life, there is a trade off there since that reduces the number of shaves we get before we need to perform a full refresh and if overused we might need to actually reset the bevel. Again, it's not right or wrong but whatever suits you.

My maintenance process is simple: every six shaves a blade gets six very light laps on whatever finisher was used when it was honed. (If that finisher was a very slow stone like a coticule, it gets a few more laps - whatever is appropriate.) This removes just enough metal to keep the edge nearly perfect indefinitely. The total amount of metal removed is the same done this way or if we wait until "it really needs it" but the 6 after 6 method gives me consistently great shaves rather than shaves that get worse and worse over time. That's the only reason to recommend it. The downside of this is that if you enjoy honing you have to buy new razors continually in order to have something to actually hone. Life is hard.

There is no way that we can say that your proposed schedule will do the job since there are so many variables in the equation. Your beard thickness, whisker coarseness, skin type, preparation, stropping and shave techniques, your blade cleanup process.. all affect the wear on the blade edge.

Sorry for the long winded post but there seemed to be some confusion about the maintenance/refresh process. There is nothing complicated or mysterious about it and it's certainly not "the one right, proper, and patriotic way to do it."


rs,
Tack