Thread: Quit being lazy!!

As I often take the path of least resistance, this morning I had a little extra time and decided that instead of the normal 15-20 strokes on the strop I'd do 15 on linen and the 120 on leather. World of difference! Take the extra time, get a better shave!

I tend to avoid linen because my blades don't seem to benefit from it, and some of them have proven to brittle at the edge for it. I always do at least 100 laps on leather, sometimes 150.

I only use the linen once every few weeks. I also coat it with cr/ox .5 micron because yeah unless I do, I don't notice a difference from using the linen.

Good to know, I'll have to experiment without the linen

I find the linen is nice to strop with after a shave, as I strop before and after a shave.

Now the, "before" could be days before I actually use the blade, I've been know to strop up a few blades if I have the time so I know a few are ready, and it's nice to have some, "razor time" and tend to the flock when I have a chance.

In terms of the linen, I find it's a bit gentler on the blade after a shave before being taken to the leather, so my usual is 20 linen and 60 leather. Maybe once every 6 or 7 shaves I'll take the blade to the crox on the back of the leather on an old strop.

But proper stropping is one of the fundamentals, and one of the things I very much enjoy doing.

I do 10 laps on a felt strop sprayed with .25 micron diamond spray (I'm experimenting with this to see if it extends the time between honing jobs); 30 laps on a clean felt strop, and 50-60 laps on a kangaroo strop before the shave. I repeat this after the shave. The kangaroo hide is much smoother than leather.

We all do different things and manage to get the job done. I'd like to know who is using the right procedure, but probably the answer is all of us.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I do 10 laps on a felt strop sprayed with .25 micron diamond spray (I'm experimenting with this to see if it extends the time between honing jobs); 30 laps on a clean felt strop, and 50-60 laps on a kangaroo strop before the shave. I repeat this after the shave. The kangaroo hide is much smoother than leather.

We all do different things and manage to get the job done. I'd like to know who is using the right procedure, but probably the answer is all of us.

For me, I have about 30 razors now, about 15 of them are my W&B's which I seem to use the most, and all were pro-honed, and I have yet to have one after 6 months come even close to needing to be re-honed. The one I've had the longest, about 8 months, I've taken to the crox just once, not that it was tugging or anything, it just didn't feel quite there, and it came right back.

Good stropping seems to keep the blades performing quite nicely.

I'm sure in the next several months, I'll take one or two of my W&B's to the Naniwa 12k for a refresh, have Lynn's video on refreshing a blade using the Nani filed away to bring out when the times comes, not to say I haven't watched it many times already.

But yes, if you've got a system that works for you, then that's the system that works for you!

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I do 10 laps on a felt strop sprayed with .25 micron diamond spray (I'm experimenting with this to see if it extends the time between honing jobs); 30 laps on a clean felt strop, and 50-60 laps on a kangaroo strop before the shave. I repeat this after the shave. The kangaroo hide is much smoother than leather.

We all do different things and manage to get the job done. I'd like to know who is using the right procedure, but probably the answer is all of us.

Whoa. Am I reading this correct? A total of 20 laps on diamond spray for each shave!?

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I do 10 laps on a felt strop sprayed with .25 micron diamond spray (I'm experimenting with this to see if it extends the time between honing jobs); 30 laps on a clean felt strop, and 50-60 laps on a kangaroo strop before the shave. I repeat this after the shave. The kangaroo hide is much smoother than leather.

We all do different things and manage to get the job done. I'd like to know who is using the right procedure, but probably the answer is all of us.

Only at SRP can we all be doing different things and all be right lol!! Heck! You can't even live your life without someone saying you're doing it wrong lol!!

I like my linen. Heats up my blade and makes it malleable for the leathers turn .

How you liking the .25?

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Whoa. Am I reading this correct? A total of 20 laps on diamond spray for each shave!?

No... You aren't reading it right. He said ten.