Honing, stropping, and paddle strops

Seriously, straight razor shaving is pretty over-whelming for the new guy. Either that or I just over-think everything.

I have:

shave ready razor from Josh
4 sided paddle strop from Tony (3.0/1.0/.5)
ebay razor never used and needs to be cleaned up.

Now, I strop my razor on the leather side before each use. I understand if it starts to feel dull, I give it 10 strokes on the .5, if that doesn't work give it 10 on the 1.0 then 10 more on the .5, etc. When it gets to where even the 3.0 won't sharpen it, I need a stone.

Now the typical noob questions that I couldn't find answers to:

Will a 4000/8000 stone be all I need?
Are there decent starter stones that don't cost as much as the Norton, or should I suck it up?
How many times can I use the paddle before I need more diamond paste?
Do I need to buy strop conditioner? How often should I apply it?

I also want to clean up the ebay blade and try it. It seems to be in good shape when I compare it to the one Josh sent me, but that's all I have to go on as a guide. Maybe I should pick up another shave ready razor to have more of a basis for what a blade should feel like.

Can you get banned for asking to many questions?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martlet

Will a 4000/8000 stone be all I need?

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Yes. Don't let that stop your HAD though...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martlet

Are there decent starter stones that don't cost as much as the Norton, or should I suck it up?

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If you don't want to restore ebay razors, then a barber hone will do fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martlet

How many times can I use the paddle before I need more diamond paste?

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Till it stops working. How long that is depends on how hard you lean on it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martlet

Do I need to buy strop conditioner? How often should I apply it?

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No. Lather works fine, and some guys just rub their strop with their palm a few times before every shave and say that is all it needs. I clean my strop with lather whenever I start getting too much draw, with seems to work out to roughly two months.

The 4 side you have has a red latigo side with a brushed finish and won't really need any dressing for a log time. I apply dressing before I ship these so you are good to go. The diamond will continue to cut even when quite black, no worries.

Tony

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony Miller

The 4 side you have has a red latigo side with a brushed finish and won't really need any dressing for a log time. I apply dressing before I ship these so you are good to go. The diamond will continue to cut even when quite black, no worries.

Tony

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I haven't used the diamond yet. That's the hard part of being a new shaver. Knowing WHEN I need to use the diamond paste or the hone. After time, I'm sure I'll be able to tell by the shave. It's hard to tell when all I have to compare it to is the one razor I got.

It does take some time to figure it all out, experience will help you some. I think I can shave now with razors more dull then when I started out and not even care nearly as much.

Eventually though its as easy as knowing when to reload an M-16. :)