Thread: What a difference a strope makes

Having my grandfathers old WH Morley and Sons straight razor for years I recently decided to get into using it. I'm used to sharpening knives but this is a lot different. I know I need a good set of 3000 and 8000 grit stones but I used the smoothest I had. It felt sharp but did drag a lot.
Someone said try the inside of an old belt to stand in until you get a strop. Tonight I tried it and it worked. It was hard to believe that a bunch of passes over a piece of leather would sharpen it up so much. I gave it a shot and it worked. I took the advice and started with just my cheeks and it was very smooth. Success feels very good!!!! Now I'm hooked for good:-)

oh, that's very nice!

Originally Posted by Gunner777

Having my grandfathers old WH Morley and Sons straight razor for years I recently decided to get into using it. I'm used to sharpening knives but this is a lot different. I know I need a good set of 3000 and 8000 grit stones but I used the smoothest I had. It felt sharp but did drag a lot.
Someone said try the inside of an old belt to stand in until you get a strop. Tonight I tried it and it worked. It was hard to believe that a bunch of passes over a piece of leather would sharpen it up so much. I gave it a shot and it worked. I took the advice and started with just my cheeks and it was very smooth. Success feels very good!!!! Now I'm hooked for good:-)

I started with an old Boker that I picked up at a local antique shop for $15.00. I used an old stone that I used for sharpening knives, and an old leather belt. My shaves were actually very good. When I got better gear, my shaves only got better.

Congrats on your first shave with a straight.

I love these posts where guys are so keen to get started that they improvise with successful results. If you can get a reasonable shave with what you've already got it can only improve!

It is getting fun now since it worked well and as you guys said it can only get better:-) I stopped by a local antique shop today and found three razors. I'm lucky in that respect since we are a small town but have a rep as an antique buyers paradise. Anyway I found a old Gem that uses double edge blades that you flip over when they get dull. It's gold (brass) and very heavy. The other is a new in the box Gem safety razor and lastly a Shick injector razor that is very old in the hard case with red velvet lining. Also a box of blades that look like 1920's at latest. Grand total less than $20.
She also has two badger brushes that are lost in the store somewhere but I'll grab those to:-) Has anybody ever seen a shaving bowl made of metal with it's own stand, mirror and chair and a place to hang two towels on either side of the mirror? She thought 1870's or so.

Haha!
No, seen similar though. Get it! You've got it bad & you've barely started!

Yep, I tend to do that:-) When I go I go all the way. Nobody to slow me down either cause my wife likes this hobby addition--LOL!

Originally Posted by Gunner777

Someone said try the inside of an old belt to stand in until you get a strop. Tonight I tried it and it worked. It was hard to believe that a bunch of passes over a piece of leather would sharpen it up so much.

Ain’t it the truth? Fun when you can have that ‘loss of virginity’ thrill in such a unexpected place….

Oh yea---I was surprised!

Originally Posted by Gunner777

Yep, I tend to do that:-) When I go I go all the way. Nobody to slow me down either cause my wife likes this hobby addition--LOL!

Sounds like a good time to ask her which razors, soaps, colognes, hones, and strops you should get first... (I'm sure I left something out)