Thread: Advice from experienced shavers required!!!

Thanks for all your help lads!! Also a relief to know i havent destroyed my new bismarck razor by stropping after shaving!
Straight Razor Strop Use and Care, How to Strop Single Edge Razors, About Stropsg
for those of you wondering who told me not to strop after shaving...there's the link! seems like strange advice after talking to you guys!

Thanks again!

I was reading the posts here and I have a question. The questions is why do you guys make so many passes on your strop before shaving?I only make about 10-15 passes before the shavr and 10-15 after.If I understand correctly stropping after the shave is needed to clean and realign the edge. Then letting the blade rest will straighten it further.If this is true then the blade should not be that far out of whack as to need thaat much stropping.Please explain this stopping tech so that I understand why or whynot I may or maynot be doing it correctly.Yuor advice is welcome and appreciated.

Slightly off topic but still relevant. I would not store your razor in your bathroom but in a different room that is not subject to constant induced moisture - i.e. closet. Having the razor live in the dampest room in the house with daily moisture created in our bathroom from showers or baths will not help your razor and might cause rust or micro damage to the edge, especially if your bathroom is small or gets very steamy/damp and is not extremely well ventilated.

Not everyone agrees with this but I do not take the chance. moisture and the fine edge of a razor don't mix well.

I also strop post shave on the linen about 15 times to clean and dry it to ensure that it is very dry - I do not like moisture. I also apply a very thin coat of camellia oil (spelling?) after each shave which is way overkill but I live in NC which is pretty humid.

Have fun!

First to the OP strop whenever you like, but for my money stropping right before the shave gives me the most comfortable shave.

I shave most every day. Though after two days growth I seem to have the easiest time getting a really comfortable close shave. I don't find myself any more likely to cut myself with a daily shave or any other time, though most of my cuts come when shaving every day for the simple reason that there are far more daily shaves than others for me.

I have always stored my razors in my bathroom drawer, no problems. YMMV

Originally Posted by spanx

I was reading the posts here and I have a question. The questions is why do you guys make so many passes on your strop before shaving?I only make about 10-15 passes before the shavr and 10-15 after.If I understand correctly stropping after the shave is needed to clean and realign the edge. Then letting the blade rest will straighten it further.If this is true then the blade should not be that far out of whack as to need thaat much stropping.Please explain this stopping tech so that I understand why or whynot I may or maynot be doing it correctly.Yuor advice is welcome and appreciated.

I strop anywhere from 30 to about 60 passes on the leather before my shave. I don't strop after. I am looking for a certain feel in the draw during the stropping that tells me when I've done enough. when I first begin to strop the razor moves along slickly, but as I strop the draw begins to build, and I strop until the draw is strong and smooth all along the stroke. Sorry I can't describe it better than that.

Someone, a member here, some time back also studied this. They found through systematic testing that their best shaves were with roughly 60 laps and that less than thirty seemed to have little effect upon the shave. Since with some experience sixty laps takes less than thirty seconds, I figure most guys just shoot high and call it good.

I strop after every shave. It doesn't hurt your razor. There is no amount of proper stropping which can be considered too much, so strop whenever you like. Strop in the middle of the night if you wish. Strop on your lunch break. Strop before the hockey game ... you get the idea.

I also shave every other day and find I get closer more comfortable shaves that way.

X

Originally Posted by Yahoochiewatchie

Thanks for all your help lads!! Also a relief to know i havent destroyed my new bismarck razor by stropping after shaving!
Straight Razor Strop Use and Care, How to Strop Single Edge Razors, About Stropsg
for those of you wondering who told me not to strop after shaving...there's the link! seems like strange advice after talking to you guys!

Thanks again!

What a wealth of dis-information that article is!!!

The only other site I've seen with more incorrect "facts" is the DOVO homepage