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Hi,
I'm about to go from a DE to a straight, but before I start buying some gear, I'd like to know how long I can reasonably expect to keep an edge by using just a paddle strop (nowhere to hang a regular strop).
I was planning on buying a Tony Miller four sided paddle strop and using paste.
Sorry if the question's been asked already; I searched the Forums, but couldn't find a thread which addressed this specifically.
Thanks in advance
R.
I'm new to this so I'm only repeating what other people have said but it depends on a number of factors, the material your blade is made out of, the thickness of your beard and your stropping technique. These things affect the life of your edge positively and negatively. Exactly how long it's going to last I don't know but I know these things should be considered
Welcome to SRP. One thread that might help is this one: http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...tay-sharp.html
If your razor is truly shave ready, and if your stropping technique is perfect, you will not even need a hone. Too many ifs, maybe.
1 razor 1 strop 1brush with soap 1 barber hone, you can keep the razor sharp indefinately with a good barber hone!
Hypotheticallly, could a pasted strop do the same job as a barber hone? I'm just looking to maximize the potential of the paddle since that's what I''ll have to buy.
Oh, and happy new year to everyone!
Nope, polishing the blade only does so much, eventually you will have to hone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raiontzukai
I see. Well at least I know what I'm getting into.
After you have done alot of the homework of reading the forums and watching the instructional videos you will have a better sense of what to look for in a used razor. Keep an eye on the classifieds and when a shave ready straight comes up in your price range buy it and alternate between that and the one you have.
If you have to send one out for honing you will still have one to use until the other comes back to you. In time you may find you want to hone your own and that is where the really interesting part is for me. :gl:
I actually don't have a straight yet but am looking at buying one from the classifieds. I guess I'll keep an eye out for a barber's hone as well.
Thanks for you r help!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
^ What he said times 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
Lap your barber hone to be sure it is close to being flat.
I get my razor VERY sharp and don't have to worry about taking off to much metal with my trusty barber hone. My tony Miller strop hangs from a carabiner on a towel rack, but any door knob will do. I also spent $2 on a 2" wide piece of balsa from the hobbie shop, sanded it flat and pasted it up with the chrome oxide I got from Chris L. That's my "paddle" :gl:
Assuming everything you do is perfect, you can expect at least 6 months from a strop and paste.
In the real world, you'll likely have to send it out a couple times due to accidents and poor stropping. Not to be rude, but **** happens, y'know? When I first started, I got my razor back from honing and managed to nick it on the sink within a week (even though I was trying to be super careful).
The good news is, you can totally get by with a strop and barber's hone once you're an accomplished user. Barber's hones are easy to use, and accidents don't happen too often because your routine is tried and true. YMMV of course.
If you're looking to ease into it though, why not check out a Shavette? You've already figured out what you like in DE blades, so it'd be an easy switch. Just a thought:)
once you set the bevel with the hone, a pasted strop will keep the razor sharp indefinately. in my experience, it will never need to be honed ever again. even with a non-pasted strop, the edge would still last quite a long time between hones.
Shavettes tend to cut up your face because the edges are not smooth, even though they are sharp. I will never again touch a shavette with a 10-foot pole.Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Orange
This is simply not true! I don't know how much experience you have, but when you make a statement like this you should back it up with real-world data.Quote:
Originally Posted by cotdt
I consider your post absolutely misleading.
if that were true there would not be such things as barber honesQuote:
Originally Posted by cotdt
I will try a hanging strop at some point, but right now I live in a rented house and even my bathroom's doorknob is a bit flimsy.
Say my budget is large enough but I don't want to be wasteful, how much should I expect to pay for one of these hones, either new or used?
Ah, also, I considered a Shavette, but since the point of going the straight razor route is to get rid of anything disposable, I put that possibility aside.
Oh and I hope I'm not sounding lazy, its just that I don't want to buy stuff I don't actually need (did I mention that the house also lacks storage space).
Thanks again!
I don't dispute the barber hone recommendation but ..... any barber hone I have ever gotten wasn't flat. That said I would bet that if you went into a barber shop and checked their Swatys or whatever they wouldn't be flat either and they seem to do alright refreshing their razors. I would still recommend a Norton 4/8 combo hone and the Norton flattening stone.
That is the most cost effective to sharpening and maintaining your razors IMHO. If you have the $$ and want to spend a few more bucks forget the Norton flattening stone and go for the DMT D8E 1200 continuous diamond plate. You can set bevels with it and flatten your Norton.
You can pick up a barber hone on ebay for around 20$
I would say that a pasted strop will keep a razor sharp for a very long time but in practice, not forever. It really needs to start on a hone to get the bevel and edge right and go back to a hone every so often to refine any sloppyness caused by a paddle over time. proper use of a paddle will buy you 6 months easily, maybe a good deal more.
While I agree hones, barber or high tech new stones are needed thay are not an instant path to a perfect edge. There is a learning curve and many dulled edges in between. Some guys get the knack instantly but for most it seems it takes a good deal of practice.
Not everyone wants sharpening to be their hobby, just shaving. While you need to know how to sharpen to shave, for many it becomes as much fune as the shaving! When a new guys comes here I think he needs two things. One to know the whole picture...razors, strops, hones, etc.... so he can see where he is headed and he needs to know what will get him started with the best chance of getting good results. When I first learned I didn;t have this resource and was sold the typical factory dulled razor. Luckily a week later the dealer explained the paddle strop idea to me and I had instant results with keeping a razor going. Later I added a hone and went through a long learning curve.
Whether I sold sahving supplies or not I would say start with a shave ready razor, and a daily use hanging strop unless space required something smaller, then buy or make a pasted strop, then look into hones. I would still suggest a Norton over a barber hone as they are consistant and one could get the experience of 100 other guys here starting with one. A barber hone is great but each varies and the best we can teach then is the technique of what ought to work but not knowing the grit of that barbers hone results can vary widely.
Back when I was first learning about photography I had a teacher that decided instead of teaching us B&W developing first as is typical we used B&W Polapan instant film and learned composition instead. We got the satisfaction of nice images and later learned the harder stuff. A newbie here will have his hands full learning to get a good shave, lets give him the easiest path first, then the hard stuff later like honing, etc.....
Tony
What brand of DE blades were you using? Maybe you cut up your face because you were holding it with a 10 foot pole instead of your hands:D In all seriousness though, it's pretty clear you haven't given the Shavette much of a chance. I imagine you probably used Walmart or Walgreens DE blades, in which case I understand where you're coming from. However, quality DE blades will give almost as good of a shave (or as good in some cases) as a regular straight.Quote:
Originally Posted by cotdt
I too disagree about the pasted strop being a long-term solution. It is likely a case of the frog slowly getting boiled to death. As the blade's edge degrades slowly, your face will get used to it until you use another razor that is truly sharp. I can shave straight from a 1200 grit hone. Hell, I can shave with my Ka-Bar. The difference between a well maintained, honed edge and a stropped edge is like going to town on a horse or in a car- they both get you to the same place, but the car probably got you there safer and faster.
If you're trying to save money and leave disposables behind, just get a decent, shave ready razor from a knowledgeable member here plus a good strop. It'll let you focus on your shaving and stropping technique without the added difficulty of honing. You'll be able to make it for quite a while before it needs honed again, and then you're usually only out $20.
If you're curious about the suitability of a razor in the classifieds, contact the seller. I'm certain they would be quite helpful with any questions you might have.
I quite understand that paste will only take me so far, but since I'm buying a paddle anyways, why not paste it?
I may very well buy a hone at some point as I'm a big fan of doing these things yourself. But I'm not looking to the really long term for now, I just don't want to be sending the razor out every three months.
You all bring up excellent points, thanks again for the help.
You may as well have it pasted if you're going with a paddle- there's no point in having identical sides of leather. Even if you didn't have it pasted though, I doubt you'd be sending it out after 3 months (unless you have a super thick iron beard that needs shaving daily...and that's a maybe).
There has to be something sturdy in your house. For example my strops are hanging on the towel rack, doorknob doesn't seem a good place for me to start with. I just think that most people preferring hanging strop is not a coincidence.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raiontzukai
yes no need to buy stuff you don't need. the only problem is that there is a lot of options and it is a matter of preference, so it's a catch-22.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raiontzukai
Norton is the most popular hone and excellent value. If you want a better option for more money, get shaptons. If you want just one hone or want natural option get a coticule, possibly with a belgian blue backing (may have to go vintage for that).
Barber hones are generally hard to lap if you need to, esp. if they have chips, which being ceramics is rather common. I've sold some of my swatys for $20-$25, best bet is to get it from a member who has a lapping plate so that you hit the ground running.