I've got some issues :oP

I have a few issues

1. Stropping
2. Honing
3. Shaving ( getting a bbs)

I have a prehoned Wapi from Invisible Edge, and it's a great razor, sadly my stropping skills suck. It's not that I haven't watched the videos and heeded the advice, its the small nuisances that are not explained by anyone, and you have to discover yourself. There is a definite and certain feel and sound when I am stropping the razor right. I now do a HHT after every strop to make sure I'm not screwing up the edge, the problem is not every strop session I do is improving the edge(either on the .50 diamond or on the latgio), I don't always pass the HHT on all parts of the edge, I'd say only 75 to 85%, and that's were it is now too.

I have a 3 wide strop, approx 26in long,one side is Latigo ( black) the other is Cowhide and that's pasted with .50 diamond. It used to be pasted with .25 diamond paste, but I never found I got the right edge from that paste so I removed the .25 paste and repasted with .50. I like the.50 paste, but again I get inconsistent results.

I'm not holding the strop loose, maybe too tight at times. I thinking maybe Im applying too much pressure downware to keep the blade level and even on the strop, actually I don't know. I have heavy big hands, and often when I started DE shaving a few years ago, I didn't realise how much pressure I was putting on the razor and cause some irritation.

Anyways, I have been shaving for about 3 total weeks now. I have racked up about 15+ shaves. I'm really looking for some advice here. I just bought a barber's hone and a chinese 12k. The barber hone I purchased has been explained to me to have somewhere around a 6k or 8k style grit. Obviously the Chinese 12k is much finer. I'm going to lap the Chinese on a plane of glass and some sandpaper when it arrives.

Is anyone just honing and not stropping? Can you shave well just like that and for how long, as I feel my stropping skills are just not making the best of the edge, probably dulling it or making it uneven.

I also purchased another razor from a user here that's already prehoned and sharpened to get a better idea of the edge and of another razor. I know some people like Wapi's some don't. I bought an Enkel's model, looks very good, and hopefully it shaves well.

I just am looking for the clutch situation of getting a consistently good edge, so that I know I only need to work on technique for a BBS.

Ok any advice welcome.

I'm thinking of doing a video of both my shave and my stropping to show you guys, so I can get some advice, but any suggestions would be welcomed now too.

cheers
D:hmmm:

That is a lot of questions, but I think your doing pretty well. The whole BBS thing worries me though. I don't ever sweat little stuff like that.

I don't strop too often. If your honing right I find no need of it. On the other hand, once a blade is deformed via shaving (even with 1/2 a beard obliterated) it might help to strop.

I would use no pressure when stropping, hold the strop taut enough that it doesn't sag but has just a touch of deflection as the razor moves down the strop (assuming that you are using a full hollow razor). Let me entirely eliminate the word taut, in fact. How about another word. How about just "securely".

If you do use a little pressure, fear not, 4-10 passes with no pressure afterward will fix the problem. The idea is to get to the very outside edge of the blade without rounding it. I'm guessing your problem is associated with this requirement to be precise in your stropping. Its a little like shooting a rifle or bow. You've got to relax and hit the exact target, otherwise, stropping, say on the side of the bevel is kinda pointless. This is the main reason, I think, that using an x pattern when stropping is important. If your going to hit the mark in a single pass, make sure you hit the entire edge on that pass. I find a few good strokes on the strop are better than millions of so-so passes.

And be patient. To me it sounds like your really doing well.

Three weeks is not that long, truly. You're still learning on every score (I'm a year in and so am I). Stropping is one of the necessary skills to acquire that is (in my experience) very difficult. Took me about six months (yes, you did read that correctly) before I really got it down. Spine and edge on the strop, take it slow at first, teach those muscles how to work. Personally, the flip on the spine was so counter-intuitive, it was two or three months at least before my hand stopped wanting to flip on the edge. As to whether you can shave off of only a hone, well, probably. My advice would be persist with the stropping though. Once you get it down you won't believe the jump in the quality of your shave. Prep, skin stretching and lightness of touch are all big deals too.

Thanks guys. Indeed good sound advice!

I'm a perfectionist. I'm always looking to improve. Ok I don't do an X pattern, I find that like someone said "counter intuitive" I bought the 3' wide strop for that purpose. I can always try to do it, as I will need to learn it for honing.

I do hold the strop securely but maybe my idea of securely is just too tight. I don't think the Wapi is hollow or definitely not full hollow ground, looks more like a wedge or similar. I don't know if that effects my stropping too much or not.

I will try again with 4-10 light passes on the strop and maybe 5 light passes on the .50 diamond paste and see if it works, I just repasted my strop today, as I think my first pasting job was horrible, way to think and chunky. I sanded it all off, and used some oil, as well as the paste to create a more even and lighter pattern, now the strop looks light greyish with the tan still peaking through rather then full on grey.

I'm obsessed with getting a BBS with my straight it's my ultimate goal to put away the DE for good.

ok cheers
D

Remember as well to flip the razor between your thumb and forefinger when you're stropping rather than twisting your wrist. A secure, but gentle grip is what you're looking to achieve.

X

Oh I do just twist my wrist, maybe that's the issue then, ok will do.

Cheers
D

I don't usually make definitive statements on shaving with a straight because there are so many variables. However, I'll make a couple here...

I think stropping is very important. As has been said, the quality of the stroke is critical. Just concentrate on what you are trying to do, which is feel the edge and spine in gentle contact with the strop. It takes some practice. I have a 3" strop too, but I've changed to the x pattern. It's especially useful with blades that have a slight smile - the Wapi probably doesn't have a smile, but...

Don't go for a BBS shave. Make comfort your goal. The closeness of the shave will improve as you get better at handling the razor and finding that "spot" where the blade, whiskers and skin come lightly together.

Enjoy the process; you have your whole life to figure this out.:D

Jordan

I will "second" X's stropping advice about rolling the tang between the thumb and fingers, instead of rolling the wrist. Aside from the better control (eventually with practice), rolling the wrist is a ton of work, and an exhausted hand is an out-of-control hand.

I am a sloooow stropper: nothing remotely like what I see in the videos. If I get up to about 3 seconds for a round trip on the strop, that's about right for me. And I started out a good deal slower than that. After a month of ruining a good edge through stropping errors, I began to get consistent, error-free results with a nice, slow glide. If it helps, try to "think about" the spine instead of about the edge: where your thoughts are, that's where the pressure will mostly go.

On the value of stropping: I certainly hear a lot of guys here who strop much less than I do. Most of my honing is on the Norton 4k/8k, and I find that it takes a couple of shaves' worth of linen and leather to smooth the edge to maximum comfort. Lately I'm doing a final "hone" (really a stropping stroke) on newspaper over glass after the Norton, and with that smoother edge I get a more comfortable "fresh-from-the-hone" shave. Still, I'd rather maintain my edge longer with plenty of laps on linen and leather than return to the hone more frequently. I think that this question--maintainance by more honing on a finishing stone or by more stropping--is a matter of diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.

You do sound like you're doing well. At three weeks I had had one or two good shaves and everything was a shambles!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xman

Remember as well to flip the razor between your thumb and forefinger when you're stropping rather than twisting your wrist.

X

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Right way to strop excellent point.i would add use only blades pressure.if your blade is shave ready this should do it.

Is your strop completely flat? I love my wide strop, but it is ever so slightly "humped" along the centre. If I just used straight strokes using consistent pressure not all of the blade would get worked on. I have to use an x-pattern and/or vary the blade angle to ensure full coverage.

(I plan to spend time flattening it with a bottle, but for now I'm seeing if it breaks in with normal use.)

Don't beat yourself up! I've been at it for about 2 months now and stropping still feels awkward to me. It just takes time.

I have the impression you're making too much use of the 0.5 diamond strop.
Prior to each shave you should strop on clean leather (and optionally also on linen before the leather). Stropping on a surface loaded with an abrasive compound should be reserved for doing a "touch-up" when you notice that regular stropping doesn't bring the blade completely up to par anymore. Touch-ups on an abrasive strop should not take many strokes.
If you strop less than perfect on a clean leather strop, that's in most cases not too big a problem (as long as you don't lift the spine or turn over the edge while flipping). But if your stropping leaves much to be desired on a 0.5 diamond strop, each incorrect stroke slowly moves your edge away form where it should be, and at the end the edge will end up so convexed that it needs to be brought to the hones. Even if you do touch-up correctly, the edge will still gain convexity, which is all the more reason to only use abrasive strops sparingly, and only when it is necessary.

You should be able to get at least 10 shaves out of an edge, with only stropping on clean leather. With experience, that amount can grow to much more.

For the rest, I agree with the notion that you must not expect divine smoothness at this early stage in you learning curve, nor should you allow yourself frustration by the absence of it. Aim for nick free shaves without skin-irritation. For the vast majority of shavers, it takes multiple passes to achieve total smoothness. It's an adventurous personal search to find your own tailored recipe for that goal. It sound to me like you're right on track. Just make sure the razor is sharp enough and if it isn't for what ever reason, get it resolved rather soon than late, because you can't learn the art with a dull razor.

Best regards,
Bart.