Thread: General census on how fellow gents are cleaning the blade between passes?

I just rinse under a shot of running water - no need to worry about getting the blade wet, IMO. (I don't wet the pivot area, of course.) Also, I installed a gooseneck faucette on "my" sink to reduce the chances of dingage.

rs,
Tack

Originally Posted by Gammaray

Rinse under hot water with the edge facing down.

I'm with Gammaray. I rinse (edge down) whenever the blade gets loaded under hot water, then wipe on a dry towel and resume shaving. When finished I rinse the blade well, dry it and between the scales with a dry tissue, then strop 10 linen; 30 leather, before storing in my bedroom.

Rinse under cold water, wipe on towel I have on edge of bathroom sink, finish, rinse blade under hot water, towel dry, TP dry between the scales, put the razor in the metal stand by the slightly open window to air dry. Come back, another wipe, and just a couple of laps on the linen and leather to make sure it's completely dry.

I just rinse off the blade and set it on the counter...no need to do anything else until I'm done shaving and ready to dry everything off.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I'm with Gammaray. I rinse (edge down) whenever the blade gets loaded under hot water, then wipe on a dry towel and resume shaving. When finished I rinse the blade well, dry it and between the scales with a dry tissue, then strop 10 linen; 30 leather, before storing in my bedroom.

Just curious as to why you strop that much. You'd only need a couple strokes to eliminate any water on the metal, no?

Originally Posted by Headcrowny

Just curious as to why you strop that much. You'd only need a couple strokes to eliminate any water on the metal, no?

Stropping to eliminate water on the metal?

That's the first I'd heard of this method. I thought a simple wipe down should do that.

If I'm ill-informed, please correct me, but I understood stropping was only for touch-ups and sharpening before the shave?

To answer Siguy and Headcrowny, I'm of the school that if you're stropping correctly, it can't be overdone, and post shave stropping eliminates some of the stropping the next shave, when I pretty much repeat my post shave stropping 10/30.

Originally Posted by Haroldg48

To answer Siguy and Headcrowny, I'm of the school that if you're stropping correctly, it can't be overdone, and post shave stropping eliminates some of the stropping the next shave, when I pretty much repeat my post shave stropping 10/30.

Ah, that makes sense. You're just doing 1/2 - 1/2 what I do 0 1.0. That is, splitting the stopping duties. I do double what you do just before I shave and just a couple after.

Originally Posted by Siguy

Stropping to eliminate water on the metal?

That's the first I'd heard of this method. I thought a simple wipe down should do that.

If I'm ill-informed, please correct me, but I understood stropping was only for touch-ups and sharpening before the shave?

I wipe the blade as well. But just in case there's some small about on the very edge, since I try not to grip too hard in that area, it being a cutting stroke, I strop it a few times to remove any moisture that might remain. Can't be too careful with carbon steel.

Virtually all soaps contain tiny amounts of free alkali (sodium or potasium hydroxide) which is corrosive and also hydroscopic. I think it is Good Practice to remove any soap residue (which is also hydroscopic) remaining on the bevel. Even though I wipe the blade with tissue and give it a stropping stroke on a dry towel, I still give it ten or so laps on a canvas strop just to make sure that the bevel is clean and dry. It can't hurt and might help.

rs,
Tack