Is it my stropping that is letting me down?

K

Kevmanson

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I have recently begun learning the art of the straight shave and I am happy with the preparation apart from the razor edge.

I have been reading up on stropping and think that I am familiar enough with the process but don't seem to be getting the sharp edge that I need resulting in me having to apply too much pressure during the shave.

Unable to do the HHT which apparently is the bench mark, any suggestions welcome as I really don't want to give up.

cheers
 
proper str8 razor stropping is about 30x-50x back n forth before and a few less times after..the idea is keeping that edge as sharp as long as possible.
Check the video for some help..this guy knows his stuff..DE smart also <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_6UH1pRmUQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_6UH1pRmUQ</a><!-- m -->

Blades
 
Cheers blades, vey helpful.

Waiting for a couple of razors to arrive in the post, the original razor that I bought was not very good and I have given up on it (was cheap factory honed blade).

The ones that I am waiting on have both been professionally honed and stropped (one vintage and one new dove) they have also passed the HHT.

Hopefully once I have experienced a decent edge, I will know what the bench Mark is and so I will be able to find the technique I need.

Any more tips welcome
 
You could do dat, it´s an option ... :lol:

He´s good (the one in the earlier vid in this thread) and has some theories, even though I don´t agree on them all. Lot´s of good info there though.

1. Stropping before or after: I don´t think it matters that much if you do your mayor stropping before you shave or after. I do it after and then a touch up strop just before I shave. I don´t think he´s doing it wrong, but I think think he´s wrong when he says: "you never strop when you´re done shaving". My goal (besides keeping the edge sharp as long as possible) with stropping directly after is to remove as much dirt as possible (I also dry the blade with a cloth before I strop), before it gets to the edge.

2. I think you could ditch stropping 4-5 times, but I don´t think it´s good (if I got him right?) for the edge. You could do it as an experiment though, to see/feel what stropping do and how a dull blade feels like :D

I think this is a good stropping vid, too:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mj5YliQQzg[/youtube]
Shams English isn´t the best, but this guy knows how to strop and hone (the only one, so far, who is on par wiht Neil on honing, I think).
 
The trouble with this subject is that whilst there's some sort of consensus about how to strop, there's any number of theories about what actually happens when you do it. Probably best just to pick an idea which appeals, and kid yourself you can feel the edge stretching / realigning / polishing or whatever.

On the subject of before or after (or both), I'm in the both camp, but the dozen or so strokes after shaving is just to drive off any remaining moisture and deposit a little oily residue from my conditioning strop onto the edge to protect it against oxidisation. One benefit of stropping before shaving is that you can apply a coat of lather to your beard and let it work on the whiskers while you're busy with the razor.

The only things which I consider unarguable about this subject are:
1) You must not raise the spine
2) There should be sufficient tension on the leather (more for a straight edge, slightly less for a smile)
3) Do not apply much pressure, and
4) The razor should move quickly for the process to be effective.
 
That was very helpful.

Am awaiting the arrival of a smiley blade as we speak, would never have thought of that had I been left to my own devices.

Cheers
 
Be VERY careful with blades and smiles.!... :mrgreen:

In all seriousness..a smiling blade is different than a regular one..more curved..like a smile..unless know already... :roll:

Blades

Kevmanson said:
That was very helpful.

Am awaiting the arrival of a smiley blade as we speak, would never have thought of that had I been left to my own devices.

Cheers
Click to expand...
 
Helpful thread. The more I learn about straight razor shaving the more I see that there are very few absolutes. There's a few unarguable Do's and Dont's but mostly there are shades of grey where every straight user has a slightly different opinion. How to hold the razor. To strop before or after shaving, or both. The best type of razor, and there appear to be many different variables. And of course honing, which I am not even contemplating at this stage. Phew!!! :shock:

This new hobby makes learning to DE shave seem incredibly easy!
 
I strop before and after:

  • Wipe oil off the blade
  • Strop 30-40 laps
  • Shave
  • Rince razor
  • Wipe dry
  • Strop 20 laps
  • Oil
  • Put on the radiator for an hour or 2 (temp of the radiator never exceeds 40 degrees)
  • Wipe excess oil
  • Put away[/list:u]

    I might be a bit OCD, but I oil my straight after every shave. (takes 5 seconds)

    Max
 
FrenchBlade said:
I strop before and after:

  • Wipe oil off the blade
  • Strop 30-40 laps
  • Shave
  • Rince razor
  • Wipe dry
  • Strop 20 laps
  • Oil
  • Put on the radiator for an hour or 2 (temp of the radiator never exceeds 40 degrees)
  • Wipe excess oil
  • Put away[/list:u]

    I might be a bit OCD, but I oil my straight after every shave. (takes 5 seconds)

    Max
Click to expand...

  • Yep, that'll do it!
 

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