Unsure of my stropping... are there any mentors in the UAE?

Hello all,
I'm new to the straight razor world, and so far, so good. I've been using my new razor for about a week. I think I'm experiencing a lot of the same beginner learning curve as you read in every other thread, but I'm at a disadvantage in that I live in the UAE where it's pretty unlikely that I can meet up with a local guru. For the time being, I think I'm entirely reliant on "distance learning." The sharpness of my razor has seemed to degrade significantly and I'm sure it has to do with my stropping.
Does anyone know of a knowledgable person in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai?

Thanks

No, but there must be lots of good video's about stropping on youtube, no ?

For instance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgsEKpA4SUI

The first thing to do is get the razor honed. If you damaged the edge stropping, it is unlikely that a sudden epiphany is going to raise your skills to where you can revive that edge. I think that you would be able to find a barber in the back corner of a souk that still uses a straight.

As a beginner, I found it very helpful to reduce the variables in stropping by laying my hanging strop on a table to strop. From there I managed to keep a razor sharp and after about a month I got away from the assistance of the table.

The closet member I know of is fellow Movember 2014 participant easyace http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/easyace.html and he is up in Doha if my memory is correct...

Dubai, Jumeirah (near Jumeirah Beach Hotel/Burj Al Arab)

I might be able to help, but due to work I am not always in Dubai and we would need to agree on a time suitable to both of us.


Also check your PM for contact details.



B.

KeepMoving,

I used to get dredful 'doldrums' in my stropping.

These videos are, for me, the best I have seen :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mj5YliQQzg

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrAfdavis/videos

Have fun :)

Best regards

Russ

I'm in Doha, flight away rather than a drive. Certainly no Guru, but I have a full set of hones and can probably help with advice, PM me if you have a chance to get over.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Splashone

The first thing to do is get the razor honed. If you damaged the edge stropping, it is unlikely that a sudden epiphany is going to raise your skills to where you can revive that edge.

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This is exactly what I'm afraid of, screwing up the edge and not being able to send it away for professional attention if I get too far gone. For now it's usable, but I need help for sure. I have a Norton combo4k/8k hone, but I'm afraid of making a bad situation worse!

Thanks to everyone for the support. I'll make sure I meet up with Beluga and work through this.