DOVO red & green pastes?

[Seraphim]

These are only specified as "fine" and "coarse", anybody have a grit value for them?

i.e.- 0.5 micron and 3 micron, or whatever they may be?

[Seraphim]

Well Seraphim,

this is the info I have found (courtesy of the classic shaving website):

Green Sharpening Paste is the coarsest with a particle size averaging 6 microns and should be used on a very dull edge.



Red Sharpening Paste is less coarse with a particle size of 2-4 microns and will refresh a mildly dull edge.

[Seraphim]

OK, so now we know the grit size, these both seem to be rather abrasive, considering that most folks use 3.0, 1.0, then 0.5 micron pastes on their paddles.

Are these Dovo pastes too rough for general touch-up work for a pre-honed blade?

p.S.- other members are also invited to join this discussion! ;^)

[joke1176]

meh, just buy some 0.5 micron Chromium oxide from handamerican. Then you know what you are getting. Supposed to work better than darn near anything to finish an edge.

Check out Zowada's microscope eval of different finishing hones/materials, it's enlightening.

I may just be too cynical, but if it was really good stuff Dovo would give a better desc. of the contents AND charge a lot more for it. But I am a pretty jaded dude.

[Seraphim]

Nothing wrong with being a bit jaded. Much better than being wishy-washy.

Thanks for cutting through the BS and giving a straight-up answer.

[jlander]

At that grit, I would not want to use them on anything that still had a decent edge. 0.5 micron green chrome to touch up every 4 - 6 shaves, 1.0 micron diamond for general maintenence every 2 weeks.

[Seraphim]

You know, I just found some lapping film here at work. 3um, 1.0 um, and 0.5um.

So I had a go at my blade (had been pre-honed by someone who knew what they were doing)

From the look of it (I also have a wide field microscope here at work...) it had been honed on a 8k stone, I'm assuming.

I gave the blade some strops on the 3.0um film (laid on a very flat surface with a few sheets of plain white paper as a buffer backing)....

Ooooh! I could see the finer scratch pattern after a few passes.

I gave the 1.0 um a go...
Edge is really starting to look polished.

Then I gave it a few more on the 0.5um.

Oh yes! The edge looks mighty fine under the scope!

And just for fun, after I finished with that I gave the blade 20 or so passes on some newsprint. Looks to have given an even smoother polish.

With the originally recieved hone I tried the arm hair test, and it would result in the occasional "BOOOOING!" & pop off a hair, quite loudly. Now I can feel the razor actually slice through the hairs smoothly and efficiently.

If the kids go to bed at a reasonable time tonight I'll give it a maiden voyage on my face....:001_smile

[joke1176]

you just found some lapping film.... and you have a microscope handy too? I hate you!

seriously though, you are lucky. most folks have to pay for that stuff!:smile:

[mparker762]

Grit isn't everything. As with hones, some pastes are slower than others, and this affects the edge they produce. A slow 2 micron paste may well be equivalent to a fast .5 micron paste (cough diamond cough).