One month later, stropping between passes?

Hi everybody. After a month of regularly shaving (ONLY) with the SR, I must say that it's being a very satisfactory process. I rarely have a real cut, maybe a few blood spots here and there and razor burn sometimes, but mostly a clean shave everytime, though it's always easier if I let my beard grow 3-4 days.

I'm depeloping my stropping tecnique as well, my latigo has 2 small nicks on the very edge, so fortunately they don't compromise a proper stropping, they don't bother me at all. It's a black latigo, and I've realised that after stropping, if I clean the edge with toilet paper, it lets some black residue on it, I guess it's normal but I want to be sure.

Another thing is that stropping gets a real fine edge on my razor (usually 30 strokes), but sometimes in the second pass I feel that it becomes a little dull when I go ATG (the moment when I think it should be sharper). To fix this problem I strop after the first pass 15 times more or less, and the blade gets ready for the second pass, but I'm not really sure if that's correct, having read about "let the blade rest after shaving etc,...". Is it normal? Am I doing anything wrong? Thanks gentlemen!

I can be a little tough to say without seeing and feeling your razor in person, but I suspect the edge needs to be touched up.

You've been using the same razor for a month, you've nicked the strop twice which means your stropping technique has been less than perfect, and it's starting to pull mid shave.

I would recommend that you pick up a barber hone, pasted strop, or pasted bench hone to touch up your razor from time to time. It's a very small cost, and will keep your razor in shaving shape much longer.

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Originally Posted by Anibal

Hi everybody. After a month of regularly shaving (ONLY) with the SR, I must say that it's being a very satisfactory process. I rarely have a real cut, maybe a few blood spots here and there and razor burn sometimes, but mostly a clean shave everytime, though it's always easier if I let my beard grow 3-4 days.

I'm depeloping my stropping tecnique as well, my latigo has 2 small nicks on the very edge, so fortunately they don't compromise a proper stropping, they don't bother me at all. It's a black latigo, and I've realised that after stropping, if I clean the edge with toilet paper, it lets some black residue on it, I guess it's normal but I want to be sure.

Another thing is that stropping gets a real fine edge on my razor (usually 30 strokes), but sometimes in the second pass I feel that it becomes a little dull when I go ATG (the moment when I think it should be sharper). To fix this problem I strop after the first pass 15 times more or less, and the blade gets ready for the second pass, but I'm not really sure if that's correct, having read about "let the blade rest after shaving etc,...". Is it normal? Am I doing anything wrong? Thanks gentlemen!

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Firstly, It is quite normal to have a little strop residue left on your blade, especially if its a latigo and if it is a fairly new strop.
Secondly,Stropping between passes is perfectly acceptable but it does speak to poor technique or a blade that is not perfectly sharp. Most times with someone new it is technique, but don't be concerned as technique does take time to perfect. I should know as I was still stropping between passes at least 2 years after I started using a straight.

I guess I should clarify my remark about bad stropping technique.

As Mark pointed out, there is nothing inherantly wrong with stropping between passes, and I do it myself sometimes.

What makes me suspect that bad stropping technique is to blame for a reduction in blade sharpness, is the fact that the strop has been nicked twice in a month.

We've all nicked a strop, but technically it's not possible to nick a strop if you are stropping correctly. So, whenever you or I or anyone else has nicked a strop, it's because we did something we weren't supposed to. Flipped the razor the wrong way, forgot to flip the razor, got distracted, etc.

The other thing that makes me suspect that the edge needs a little touching up is that, if I understood you correctly, the tugging with later passes just started, and you didn't need to strop between passes before.

Regardless, getting some sort of tool for light touch-ups is a good thing, and IMO everyone should have a pasted strop at a minimum, if not a simple barber's hone because they are inexpensive, easy to use, and can keep a razor sharp indefinitely if used correctly.

Yes, I'm sure that the stropping is not being perfect, I'm still learning and getting better, but the first times I made a lot of mistakes. I think I will search for a good pasted strop (I think honing is still too difficult for me). I've heard that balsa strops are good, would it be difficult to use one? Should I go for a pasted leather strop better? Would you recommend any diamond paste for only one strop, 1.0, 0.5 or 0.25? The blade still passes the HHT all along, so is not completely dull (yet).

It's good that it still passes the sharpness tests. The idea of touching up the razor, is to touch it up as soon as it begins to pull, preventing the edge from ever needing to be re-honed.

Personally, I think balsa is harder to mess up with because it is rigid.

I agree with the above posts. Additionally, I agree with the balsa with 0.5 diamond paste. I follow that with chromium oxide on leather and then go to my strop. In my opinion, if you have not nicked a strop, you are not using the strop. Excellent technique will obviously avoid the nicks, but most of us are not excellent. Throw in a little age and it's hard to keep one's mind always precisely focused :) It sounds like you are enjoying the process and that in the end is all that counts.

Lewis

I have found that for me when a razor will not hold an edge it is time to hone it. How far down you go depends on what shape the bevel of the blade is. I can get 10 almost perfect days on a razor and could probably go another week, but I am picky. I personally touch up with pastes. For me, when I can not get a full 10 days with pastes it is time to reset the bevel and if one does not wait to long it is very quick and easy.


Take Care,
Richard