Thread: Please Help!

The invisable edge had the razor shave ready ,, as a new shaver almost all your problems are coming from technique, stropping ( which is why your edge failed so quickly) and honing needs to come later after you learn how to shave and maintain your edge with just leather. Refreshing then . The bevel has already been set , you more than likely rolled your edge stropping, and always remember , honing is easy till it ain't! Until you know how to shave you won't know if the edge you put on your razor is good. Technique has a lot to do with how your razor will shave, and your razor is a good one that had been honed properly , it's a learning process. Tc

So should I get it re-honed and leave my hone stored for a while? What are the common stropping mistakes? I felt I was using the right technique such as: slow, low pressure, flipping over the spine, 25 strokes in each direction before and after shaving.

Thanks

There are quite a few member in the UK. You may want to strop a little more. Sending it out is the best solution. Honing can have a very steep learning curve, how steep has so many factors. The cost of hones actually makes no sense if you only have one or two razors, unless you are really interested in be self sufficient. I'm sure that turn around time is pretty short for you. Many guys have two razors so they always have a sharp one on hand. If you look through the threads on stropping I think you will find that a lot of guys strop between 60 and 100 round trips before shaves.

I only have one razor, Le Dandy is by no means an expensive one from what I can tell but I wanted TI to start, so I'm approaching the point where another hone will mean I've spent more on the hones than the razor. You were right to mention the self-sufficiency, I travel quite frequently and sometimes it means I won't be able to send away for honing so ultimately I would like to be able to do it myself. For the time being though perhaps I could buy another razor and have them both honed. Would you recommend simply stropping and re-sending when it tugs, or would you add an abrasive strop paste onto another strop as well? If so which grit would you select?

Is it worth me buying a sacrificial razor? If so how how much would you spend? Honing butter knife steel would be cheap but would I learn from it?

Thanks in advance everyone

As a fellow newbie I would just say to really review your strop technique. I'm only about 15 shaves into my journey or so. One thing I found helpful for me is that I strop before and after my shaves. I think it's easy to make a lot of laps on a strop but doing a lot of correct laps can be another thing! I still find my self restarting from zero from time to time because of one bad lap. I thought I had completely ruined the edge on my first razor because I rolled the edge so poorly on my first strop attempt. After practicing my stroke and really making sure I did it right I about crapped my pants at how well my razor whisked off my whiskers. Your razor will let you know if your technique is right. Good luck to you.

Xtrmln, thanks for the advice. I want that for my razor! I will need to get it re-honed and really focus on my stropping technique.

Yes to a strop with abrasive. Chromium oxide on a nylon strop is what I use. It works wonders for getting a razor back into shape. As long as the stropping is good.

Is Chromium Oxide a generic type or is it a specific grit size? I have a paddle strop with two leather sides would an abrasive work on one side?

Your first problem is as said, your stropping and possibly your strop.

How many laps are you stropping?

Posting a photo of the strop may help us advise if the strop is the issue.

Adding a pasted strop will only make thing worse, as will a 1K or lower grit stone at this point. Most novice stroppers use too much pressure or lift the spine while moving forward. Either will roll the edge. Determining the amount of damage, will determine the repair.

Before you do anything else, buy some magnification, 60X lighted LED lighted loupe for 2-3 dollars and look straight down on the edge, any shiny spots are where the bevels are no longer meeting (is no longer sharp or chipped).

Your issue is stropping, but you have to determine how bad the edge is now. If you continue to strop it, you may be wasting your time or at worst damage your strop.

Learn how to maintain your razor, (stropping and cleaning) then how to shave, then to touch up with a high grit hone, your 4/8k will be fine for that, but not yet.

Much of straight razor maintenance, is problem solving. In order to repair the razor you first must identify the problem and the cause, then make those corrections and eliminate the cause. A razor edge is very fragile.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Your first problem is as said, your stropping and possibly your strop.

How many laps are you stropping?

Posting a photo of the strop may help us advise if the strop is the issue.

Adding a pasted strop will only make thing worse, as will a 1K or lower grit stone at this point. Most novice stroppers use too much pressure or lift the spine while moving forward. Either will roll the edge. Determining the amount of damage, will determine the repair.

Before you do anything else, buy some magnification, 60X lighted LED lighted loupe for 2-3 dollars and look straight down on the edge, any shiny spots are where the bevels are no longer meeting (is no longer sharp or chipped).

Your issue is stropping, but you have to determine how bad the edge is now. If you continue to strop it, you may be wasting your time or at worst damage your strop.

Learn how to maintain your razor, (stropping and cleaning) then how to shave, then to touch up with a high grit hone, your 4/8k will be fine for that, but not yet.

Much of straight razor maintenance, is problem solving. In order to repair the razor you first must identify the problem and the cause, then make those corrections and eliminate the cause. A razor edge is very fragile.

Just found the quote function, I thought by "replying" to a post it would show what post I was replying to.

I would normally do 25 round trips before and another 25 after. They would be fairly slow strokes because I was trying not to apply pressure and to try and get the twist at the end.

I've attached a picture of my strop next to my Norton 4k/8k for comparison, as well as both sides of the leather. One of the sides has some very small wear and I avoid that side.

Thanks