Thread: Any Advice will be gratefully received

Originally Posted by STF

Yes the classic edge one is the one I thought of $99. Their near Toronto and do free shipping, my razor came from them really fast, couple of days.

Steve

My first strop came from Phil and it was a 3 inch English bridle leather one with a felt secondary. It is more than good enough for a first strop imho and if you don't butcher it too badly will last many years.

Phil puts a hell of a sharp edge on a blade too. Had him do a few for me when I started out. Good guy to talk to and carries good stuff.

Good to be watching out for the currency exchange rates too. Many people don't realize there can be a big deference between different dollars.

Bob

Hi Steve,
I really respect you sharing with us by making a video. I am nowhere near using a straight razor yet and still in the preparation phase.
It takes a lot of courage to shave and at the same time making a video, being a beginner. Again my compliments to you!!

I was going to ask if you had your razor honed by a pro, but if you got it from Phil, I’m pretty sure you got it shave ready as he is one of the best honemeisters around.

I bought my first new razor from ClassicEdge as well as a bridle leather bench strop and a paddle strop with hard felt on one side and balsa on the other. Phil has a useful video on stropping with the leather bench strop that helped me develop stropping technique that carried over to my more expensive hanging leather strops.

He applied chromium oxide to the balsa side of the paddle strop. I purchased diamond spray for the felt side.

Between the bench strop and the paddle strop, I was able to maintain my razor for well over a year before I ventured into the realm of honing on synthetic stones.

You got some really great guys up there in your neck of the woods, Steve. Keep your eyes open for "Get together's" their a great way for shortening the learning curve for many things in wet shaving.

Strops are like women. All are good, some are better than others, and then its finding the one that strokes your blade, just right for you.

I have eight different hanging strops, and my ol' leather belt that I started this journey with. I have a wife, and a mistress strop, each has their own purpose.

The wife strop is only used on a freshly honed razor, where the mistress gets used daily. Cause she really knows how to polish a blade. Keep an eye on our BST, lots of good stuff comes thru there as well.

The strops your looking at are good, and priced right. Its a matter of personal preference. ( heavy or lite draw)

Mike (B52) usually has a get together each year, in Orangeville.

I personally don't care for pastes on my strops, though I do have a Cr/Ox pasted linen strop, only used as a last resort to tweak an edge on occasion. There is one exception to my stops, one is pasted with lead. And is used first, after a fresh honing, only. Then its plain ol leather, till it needs refreshing.

Hi Mike, whats is heavy or light draw, I've heard the term but don't understand it.

Originally Posted by Chrisstoppel

Hi Steve,
I really respect you sharing with us by making a video. I am nowhere near using a straight razor yet and still in the preparation phase.
It takes a lot of courage to shave and at the same time making a video, being a beginner. Again my compliments to you!!

Hi Chistoppel,

Thanks for your kind words.

I am very pleased I made the video and highly recommend beginners that need guidance do it too.

My shave was terrible, I couldn't even hold the razor without a lot of thinking about it.

It was very useful telling fellow members how I was shaving and getting feedback but to actually do it in front of them!

I got so much advice and guidance based on my actual shave. It was almost like I had everyone there with me. I learned so much from that one video that I took a huge leap up the learning curve and I can't thank the guys here enough.

I will be recording my 20th shave so everyone can see if I have made any progress and hopefully give me any advice that the guys think would help me further.

I haven't been shaving nearly long enough to give advice but as a beginner myself, I will say this.

1)Don't worry too much if you bleed to start with, the razor is so sharp that it doesn't hurt much.

2) Don't give up if you find it frightening to start, I do and I honestly believe that if I had no fear I would probably have cut my throat by now.

3) Ask as many questions as you can and don't worry if they sound stupid because I had plenty (and still do) of bone questions and no-one here as ever made me feel foolish.

4) if you are struggling, make a video and let the guys see you shaving it really does feel like you have people in your corner.

Well look at me, I gave straight shaving advice

Just one last thing.

When you upload a movie to youtube, you can choose to make it unlisted so it can't be found and seen by anyone that doesn't have a link to it so basically only the guys here can see it.

Steve

Draw on a strop refers to the resistance you feel while stropping. Some strops have virtually no draw while other do. The amount of draw is a personal preference and does not effect how well the strop does it's job.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Draw on a strop refers to the resistance you feel while stropping. Some strops have virtually no draw while other do. The amount of draw is a personal preference and does not effect how well the strop does it's job.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. What he said, Steve.

I personally like a heavy draw with a wedge type razor, and a lighter draw on full and extra full, ground razors.

Its just a preference, that I like. YMMV.

Hi guys,

A while ago, I was advised to gently run a cotton swab along my blade to feel for, well I am not sure - anything I suppose.

I just did it before my shave and it catches. It didn't do it the last time I checked.

I can't see any problems by looking at the blade and it shaves fine.

Should be bothered?

What can I do to fix it, I have loads of shaving tools, I'll list them below:

1) stropping board.
2) shaving brush.
3)Two different shaving soaps.
4)Scuttle.

Do I even need to fix it if it shaves ok?

Steve

Originally Posted by STF

Hi guys,

A while ago, I was advised to gently run a cotton swab along my blade to feel for, well I am not sure - anything I suppose.

I just did it before my shave and it catches. It didn't do it the last time I checked.

I can't see any problems by looking at the blade and it shaves fine.

Should be bothered?

What can I do to fix it, I have loads of shaving tools, I'll list them below:

1) stropping board.
2) shaving brush.
3)Two different shaving soaps.
4)Scuttle.

Do I even need to fix it if it shaves ok?

Steve

If it shaves 'OK' don't do anything. Just keep stropping well before you shave.

If I'm not mistaken you have some razors coming from Outback. Once the land and you try them you might consider asking the sender to allow you to send the yours back for him to evaluate and if needed rehone yours.

Just a thought--

NOTE: I was helping a member and I'd honed his razor and sent it back N/C he said it shaved great but then started to pull. So I had him mail it back and the edge looked great. So I stropped the hell out of it just like I'd just honed it (50 to 60 on cloth followed by 100-200 on leather) and it shaved great.

Once he got the razor back and found out what I'd done he figured out that he was so concerned about turning the edge with too much pressure that the only the spine was making contact with the strop--thus the edge never got touched up.