Thread: Frustrated Rookie

I've watched Lynn's dvd and all of his youtube videos multiple times to make sure I'm doing things correctly or go back over material.

I stropped and stropped my razor slowly taking my time, however, at the toe their appears to be a small nick that is scratching up my strop. I suspect I did it the one time I dropped my razor on the floor and didn't notice right away. So I figured I should send it in to be safe.

That makes sense. I'll be glad when I stop getting weepers and cutting myself and when you get settled as well.

It sounds like the ding from dropping it was worse than the one I created.

I would recommend holding off on the 3" strop until you get comfortable with what you have. It's often recommended that you do an X stroke on a thinner strop to get full coverage but it's not necessary. You can get the exact same coverage by doing Street strokes. You can stop it 10 times on the heel section of the blade and 10 times on the tow section of the blade. This is equal to doing 26 strokes on the strop with a much simpler motion.

Stropping is all about muscle memory. The more you do it the more natural it will become. While your razor off to be repaired, practice stropping with a butter knife.

I agree with most folks have said above.

Don't be intimidated. If you dropped your razor, it probably has a nick/chip in it. I would guess that as a fairly new SR shaver, "fixing" it yourself isn't a likely success story, so I'd send it to someone here who is an experienced honer and they can straight it out for you.

I have been at this a while and am still learning. Two SRs is a good idea since "stuff happens". I'd also suggest a decent (not expensive) DE and some good blades to learn with/use when a SR shave isn't possible. It teaches you to go easy on pressure, unlike cartridges, which thrive on pressure. With a SR, pressure is your enemy. At the right angle to face, the blade should glide through your beard. "Shave the lather, not the face" is a good mantra to practice with.