Thread: Dovo Renaissance is tearing up my strop.

So I've got a Dovo Renaissance that I love; Dovo stainless blades are great.
But the etching on the spine of the blade scratches the strop each time I turn the blade. I have to pick up the blade to turn it so it won't scratch the leather. Stropping takes forever.

Will the etching smooth out, or is there something I can do to smooth it out?

This off the top of my head ( not trying to be a smart arse either !) , find the thinnest tape ( clear or not
) - and put enough on just to cover the etching on the spine . Might work for now .

Cheers,

Scott

That might work.

The special blades like yours do well with tape. It is the price you pay for such a nice blade. I have gotten real fast at taping mine before stropping then peel off for the shave.

I would really love to see a vid of you stropping, I cannot imagine how an etch tears up a strop. Is there a burr on the blade?

Originally Posted by MinATX

So I've got a Dovo Renaissance that I love; Dovo stainless blades are great.
But the etching on the spine of the blade scratches the strop each time I turn the blade. I have to pick up the blade to turn it so it won't scratch the leather. Stropping takes forever.

Will the etching smooth out, or is there something I can do to smooth it out?

Before you do anything give this thread a couple days and
take your pick.

Do you have an old strop? Lightly paste it
with sub-micron bits and use it until the problem
is behind you.

Can you feel the bad bits with your finger? If so you can consider
running a crock-stick or a barber hone over those specific bits.

Has the razor been honed with the spine on the stone?

Many factory razors are honed with the spine "jacked up".
This can leave burrs from file work on the spine untouched. This
is partly why so many get their blade professionally honed
at least once (that and the bevel is wrong).

It's not burrs on the spine, it's the design that was etched in the spine of the blade. I'd like to keep them, because they're nice, but I want to smooth them out so they don't scrape the leather.

The barber hone idea sound good.

If there are no burrs, how much pressure are you using when you strop, a light touch should do it.

I've got over 20 razors, and this is the only one that scrapes the leather. It's a very mild abrasion, not a deep scratch, but do it 100 times and it starts to take its toll. It's only on the very back of the blade (center of the spine), on the etching in the center of the spine, not on the surface that would meet a hone. It doesn't scrape as I strop, but when I roll the blade over to change direction, even if I do it carefully. Stropping is very smooth and neat. It's just the center of the spine that causes the problem.

I'll try a few passes on a barber hone and see if that helps.

I think you are referring to the spine engraving if it has any. I thought the Renaissance was etched however.
I have just honed a Dovo Bismarck that does the same but they have gold wash on the spine so the engraving cuts cannot be sanded smooth without removing the gold. You could try smoothing the back of the spine on some scrap leather with some CrO on it .