New Dovo, Help Appreciated

[Societylee]

Hello Gents,

I just purchased a new Dovo "Gentleman" from Shavenation and I'm at a bit of an impass. I've been honing for over an hour on my 8000 grit norton stone(Which I know is a very fine grit and possibly can't be used for this purpose) and my question is as follows: Is it possible to establish a shave-ready edge on what seems to have been a very dull starting edge from Dovo.

I don't mean to sound bull-headed but please no responses telling me to send it to be professionally honed. I have no interest in that. If I need to get another stone so be it.

I'm needing to know if it's possible to establish a shave ready edge with this 8000 grit stone. I know if that is the case it will probably take a while.

Any help on the matter would be GREATLY appreciated guys.

Sincerly,

Societylee

 

[Kentos]

It depends greatly on the shape of the bevel beforehand. If it was properly set prior then you could get up to speed with the 8k- but who knows how long it would take.

If the bevel needs to be set you will need a lower grit stone like a 1k for timely results.

Welcome to B&B btw!

There are many options available to you, from cheap(films), to expensive (Shapton glass hones/Jnats).

They all get the job done so its purely a subjective choice.

 

[johnmrson]

You'll struggle to get a shave ready edge on an unhoned Dovo with an 8k hone. You need to set a bevel with a 1k hone first.

 

[smalltank]

1k or 1200 dmt creates the edge

4k sharpens the edge
8k polishes the edge
12k is a final finisher

 

[Weaselsrippedmyflesh]

I'm new at honing (but I think perhaps a bit farther along than you) and I'll second what's been said: if a bevel hasn't been set you'll have a bear of a time doing it with an 8K. It might be possible but it's going to take a long time and a lot of really good strokes. I'd say at this stage in the game you're unlikely to have a consistent enough honing stroke to be able to do a few hundred laps without digging in the edge and ruining what you've done. I'd say get a 1K and 4K. You should be able to use those two stones plus your 8K to get an edge that's shave ready.

 

[Societylee]

Upon close inspection I can see there IS an edge. I can cut through my arm hair with relative ease, but it doesn't pass HHT or seem to come close. If that gives you any idea of what grind i'd need

 

[gnoils]

I believe you can achieve satisfactory result from a factory edge dovo by starting with 4k followed by 8k hone. but, as the hone gurus said if there isn't a bevel, you'd have to start with 1k to establish one.

 

[Kentos]

Upon close inspection I can see there IS an edge. I can cut through my arm hair with relative ease, but it doesn't pass HHT or seem to come close. If that gives you any idea of what grind i'd need

It's not so much if there is a bevel or not, but more how well that initial bevel was done.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

I'm not an expert but I've been trying to hone my own for about 6 months. My successful attempts all have a common element. I tend to get a good edge when I worry the most about the bevel. 90% of your time should be in the 1k-4k range. Look into a progression of films. Simple, cheap and worth $30.

 

[smalltank]

from what I read about Norton stones an 8k is fine to shave off of..but the bevel HAS to be set "just right" to continue

 

[gzp]

There's a video on the Superior Shave website showing that a Dovo can pass a hht right out of the box. He's not saying it's shave ready, just showing that it can. Have you considered doing a shave test on a small portion of your cheek to get a real sense of where the blade is? Your hht may not be the best test to use.

 

[Societylee]

I have considered trying a shave with it. I probably will tonight. I've seenabout 5 different youtube tutorials on honing and they all say not much pressure when grinding, but i'm just curious how much if anyone could give me a real life equivalent

There will be updates.

If anyones interested my whole order was:

Dovo "Gentleman" 5/8 razor
Dovo leather/something else strop
Norton 8k Stone
Buffalo Horn Lather bowl
Edwin Jagger Pure Badger Brush
Colonel Conk Bay Rum Shave soap

 

[Wid]

You will very hard pressed just using the 8K to get an edge on that Dovo. You need to go from a bevel setter all the way up to a final finisher, which imo that Norton is not.

 

[jpcwon]

from what I read about Norton stones an 8k is fine to shave off of..but the bevel HAS to be set "just right" to continue

+1...

I have gotten some good edges off of the 8k, but I noticed that I get better results when I use next to no pressure. There's nothing wrong with using a little "elbow grease" when setting the bevel, but I think that lightening the pressure down to just the weight of ther blade will improve your results...I am still learning too though, so I'm sure you'll get better advice from some of the more experienced members..

 

[professorchaos]

Upon close inspection I can see there IS an edge. I can cut through my arm hair with relative ease, but it doesn't pass HHT or seem to come close. If that gives you any idea of what grind i'd need

Doesn't matter if it cuts arm hair.

The right question, only question really, to ask when beginning to hone a razor is "does it pass the TNT?" If it doesn't, 1K hone until it does.

It's that simple.

 

[Societylee]

Ok Fellas! The results are in!

So I lathered up with my shave soap. It didn't seem to lather thickly like I've seen in many videos or like you get form the big box store creams, so It could be the fact that it was soap or maybe I didn't take enough time or do it correctly.

Anyway got a semi-decent lather going and I put the razor to my face. After I'd say about 300 strokes on the 8000 grit Norton block the razor managed to get through my medium coarse cheek whiskers with only very minor tugging. When I got to the thickest neck/chin hair it was a no go. It did pretty well on the cheeks though. If theres more info needed for a good diagnosis i'm here and checking this post frequently.

Overall:

I finished with a Mach 3 I'd been using previously and i've got to tell you I guess it was the lather or perhaps my longer than average face prep. That was the best shave i've ever had to date. That Colonel Conk really did the trick. AMAZING. Did 3 passes With/Across/Against the grain and I have almost no irritation whatsoever, and my skin doesn't feel super dry like it usually would have.

I'm HOOKED. Any info on the Dovo would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Seraphim]

Carts rule!

 

[Societylee]

Bump!!

 

[Disburden]

When honing, light pressure is best.

+1...

I have gotten some good edges off of the 8k, but I noticed that I get better results when I use next to no pressure. There's nothing wrong with using a little "elbow grease" when setting the bevel, but I think that lightening the pressure down to just the weight of ther blade will improve your results...I am still learning too though, so I'm sure you'll get better advice from some of the more experienced members..

 

[thepusher]

One other option could be to use artificial nagura. There is a YouTube video by gssixgun on honing a razor, on a Chinese 12k using this technique, which you may use on the Norton 8k.

Another option is to use lapping films starting with 25um (microns) 12um, 9um, 5um, 3um and 1um. There are YouTube videos by Slash McCoy on this method, and for new honers it can be very rewarding.

Good Luck!

Best regards,
-thepusher