Thread: How many shaves before honing?

How many shaves do you guys get before having to hone your razors? I'm new to the str8's and still have a lot of learning left to do. It seems that when I'm shaving with a straight, I only get maybe 3 shaves before having to do a few passes on the hone.

My strop is a strip of leather that I got from Bill Huff when I got a razor from him. Nothing all that special. I plan to buy an actual strop, but for now this works. Anyway, I do 30 passes (both directions) before shaving, and after about 3 shaves, the blade seems to be getting dull and starts pulling pretty bad. Granted, I have a pretty coarse beard, but I wouldn't have expected it to be that few.

Any tips? Maybe my technique (either shaving or stropping) is at fault. Any suggestions? Thoughts?

Thanks!

Are you stroping every time? My first few shaves I didn't strop as well as I should have and got simular results. Now I strop at least 30 strokes and have had no problem. I've got about 15 shaves so far on my Gold Bug that Bill Ellis honed. No noticable change in the shave yet.

You've done well so far. You've gotten an average number of shaves out of your razor with a generic strip of leather for a strop and you haven't knocked the edge off.

Stropping a little more might help you a little. Getting an ultra fine finishing stone would work for you. Most guys here use the Norton 4k/8k combo. It's a workhorse and might be more than you need. A pasted paddle should be enough for touching up a dulling razor. Go to the store at www.thewellshavedgentleman.com and have a look at the paddles. I've even put some chromium oxide on a piece of suede and gotten by with that for a little while.

X

X is giving great advice here, and I'll elaborate some more. A razor will shave relatively well for about 15 shaves before it needs a light touchup. If you're a spoiled chromium oxide baby like me, you'll touch up your rotation every 5 shaves, to get the best shaves in the realm of possibility.

I currently do 30 passes (each direction) before shaving. Would it be worth it to upgrade to a "real" strop? Could this generic strip of leather be holding me back? I've not knicked it at all so far.

I've got a frictionite hone (not sure of grit) from Tilly and currently use that for occasional touch-up. It seems to do the trick, but I don't want to end up wearing down my razors too quickly from having to hone every third shave or so.

Am I pretty much stuck with buying a pasted strop or at least honing every third shave or so? Or does the answer lie in a higher quality strop? Any suggestions on technique? Could I be stropping incorrectly? I try to keep the strop pretty taught with just enough pressure on the razor to feel a very light pull.

Personally, I usually do 60 both way strops before shaving, and 10-20 after. I have tried with and number between 20 and 60, and more feels better. I use a Dovo strop, but have tried one of Wojtek's as well; the significant difference is that the Dovo is easier to handle.

The honing experts will tell you that you can get a perfect edge from a Norton 4/8k, which I am sure is true. Us beginners may need a little help, and I have found that finishing with a coticule does it for me; others like the pasted strops, Eschers, Shaptons, etc (all fine grain hones). From what I have read, it seems that 10 strokes on a barber hone every 5-10 shaves is another solution that works for a lot of people. I am not quite sure what fineness a Frictionite is, but as I have one here, perhaps I ought to find out :-).

Bottom line is that you will need something to touch up with, and a plain strop, although essential, isn't it.

...and don't worry about nicking your strop...EVERYONE does it at least once! Just take it steady and you shouldn't do too much damage if your concentration slips!

Consider it a rite of passage!

Si.

I think its the strop. Grab a good one with linen too. I hone off 8k alone and get about 25-30 shaves before I rehone.

Do you get any draw off the leather your using? Do you strop with it flat? Do you add a little pressure after the 3rd stropping session to draw out the blade?

Maybe you should treat your leather piece with something like a stiff soap/lather?

Thanks for the information. I will go ahead and order a "real" strop from TM after my next paycheck. Is the linen something that I should use regularly, like a few passes on that before the leather every time before shaving? Or is it just an occasional thing?

I do get some draw off of my strop. I don't know how much to expect because this is the only one I've ever used. I'm not quite sure what you mean by stropping with it flat. I have the strop hanging from the wall and I hold the other end to where it's taught. I then lay the razor down so that the spine and edge both touch the strop before making a pass. I do not change the pressure at any time during the stropping. Are you saying there's a benefit to doing so? Also, how much pressure should I be applying while stropping? I apply a fairly light pressure, not too much more than the weight of the blade, though. Should I be pressing harder?

Thanks again for the info.

You should normally be able to shave with a razor for 2-3 months in between honings.

Have fun.

Lynn