How's a Newb to Know?

Okay, for us newbs, there are clearly two skills we need to get down right off the bat: Shaving with a straight and stropping it. Problem is, a good shave seems so dependant upon proper stropping, with such a steep learning curve, how are we to know if a poor shave is due to poor shaving technique, poor stropping technique or both? Any suggestions on a good newbie test for a properly stropped razor?

I and I'm sure many have pondered on this paradox. Really though, read the basics to stropping in the wiki and just stick to that. I have been at this for a little while now and I am still no where near good at it. I have gotten noticeably better though. I am much more consistent in speed, the sound, etc. I haven't nicked it in quite a while.

We really can only stick to what we know is right and hope for the best. I hope someday I get another chance to meet some of the senior members here for a little coaching and critiquing. Good luck!

Practice, experimentation, and lots of band-aids.

Serious though, read the wikis and go from there. I would suppose it really is a learning process without someone to teach you. I had my grandfather to show me, but there are plenty on here who learned on their own and you will to.

I'd wager, for a newbie right of the bat, it is both. But (at least for me) the technique developed faster, and now I'm in the process of improving my stropping.

You'll have to start stropping as best as you can, changing your technique and see if it gets better or worse. Some advice have been to have a reference razor that you've not been stropping/shaving with, to which you can compare your stropped edge

One thing to test the prep and technique is using those disposable blade straights that are sharp when you replace the blade. However, they are reported to be quite a different animal to regular straights (haven't tried one myself).

Just do your best. You wouldn't be the first newbie dulling a razor with stropping.

All of the people who are good at honing razors will send it back to the owner stropped and covered in protective oil. That way you don't have to worry about your first shave.
Then it's pretty simple, keep the strop taught, or put it on the edge of the table/counter and strop the razor by keeping the spine on it at all times.
If you do that the edge will be fine.

You won't get the best possible results immediately, but you'll get adequate results. Your shaving and stropping will probably be getting better together.

The other alternative is to find somebody local to you who has the patience and time to strop your razor few times and teach you.

Stropping is remarkably easy if you go slow. Just remember to not let the strop slack up.

Just dont worry about speed at this point. Get the strokes right first and you will speed up over time.

Rather like guitar playing, speed is a by-product of accuracy! But when you see in the films a barber going "whapwhapwhapwhap" on the strop, thats wrong..!

You could also follow gugi's advice and lay your strop down flat on a table as this can help you get your strokes down.

But really, just take it slow, keep the strop tight and make sure you roll on the spine.

Good luck!

i like to feel my face between passes to check the progress... if your stroping wrong you will know quick because it just doesnt do well at all!

It's a combination of things really. Even if you can shave, a poor prep of lather will yield an unpleasant shave. I spent a lot of time reading, researching and lot of simulations. In spite of this, I am still learning.

Before I got into straights, I simulated stropping/honing with butterknife on newspaper ( over book-for honing ). But of course it didn't stop me from nicking my strop either. Mistakes happen.

Get a razor from vendors or even classifieds. The latter you can have a good to great condition razor that's shave ready between $30-$50.

Then get some ebay razors to practice your honing/stropping. If you have a good quality strop and fear of damaging it, you might try stropping on old pair of jeans or even seatbelt from junkyard.

I just honed some razors and while they're not up to par with my new razors at least they are close to it ( 2 of them anyway ). The new can serve as benchmark. I've only used new razor twice as I'd like to gauge how much honing needs to be done with pre-owned. Been shaving for months and while I know what a good shave is, it certainly does help to have a benchmark razor on hand for reference.

Lynn's DVD helped me and here's sample:

YouTube - Lynn Abrams Straight Razor Place DVD Segment 3

Asheville meet:
YouTube - Straight Razor Place '09 Convention. Lynn Honing #1

This is a little advance and even I am not even there yet. I thought you might enjoy:

YouTube - Un nuovo rasoio

Last but not least, check out David's videos

Best of luck mate

stropping does not need to be complicated. If you do not worry about speed, and do not worry about the turn and simply lift the razor, turn it, and place it back on the strop you have nothing to worry about.

When i started, and I maintain this, that when you're starting out 15 or 20 really good laps are adequate and are most certainly preferable to 40 or 50 bad ones. The more laps you do, the greater the chance of mistake.

Concentrate on doing a few really quality passes and put the razor down until tomorrow.

All the above answers are good. But, I don't think we do a good job on SRP giving newbies quantitative help. All the above excellent suggestions don't get you very close to knowing whether your blade is sharp.

You should use the "modified HHT" to quantitatively know whether your blade is in the neighborhood of sharp. I say this even though I know I will be politely SRP version of flamed for this...

In the Hanging Hair Test, the focus is on the cutting of the hair. In what I am calling the "modified HHT", the focus is on the vibration of the hair. Don't worry whether the blade cuts the hair.

If you haven't used the HHT, read about it in the wiki.

If the end of the hair vibrates while slowly dragging it over the blade, you are in the vicinity of sharp. (You should hold the tip end of the hair, with the root sticking out from your grasping fingers.) Vibration of the end of the hair doesn't mean the blade is sharp. Just that you are close. The blade is sharp enough that it is dropping into the separations between hair follicles.

If it doesn't vibrate, try someone else's hair. Try several people's hair. But, the vibration of hair is a reasonably good quantitative test.

Now, the proviso...

The above might be very poor advice for you. Totally useless. This might be because the hair you use has very tight follicles with little gap between. Maybe, the hair is greasy. And, on and on. These anomalies throw many newbies off. And, these anomalies are why SRPites hesitate to stress the use of the HHT. And, I have sympathy for the difficulties in properly explaining the use of the HHT.

But, I think the above will help 9 out of 10.

So, try it...

If you don't see the hair vibrating as it drags slowly across the blade edge, it still doesn't mean the blade is not sharp. But, probably does. However, if the hair clearly is vibrating, I suspect the blade is in the vicinity of sharp, and you should concentrate for the time on technique.

All good advice above. Here are the points I pay attention to when I'm stropping:

1. Quality stop, pulled taught;
2. Razor flat on the strop, no pressure other than needed to keep it flat'
3. Level, even strokes, without concern for speed;
4. Never let the spine raise off the strop's surface.

I found Lynn's video very helpful but of course, as with any video, there's no opportunity for feedback on your own technique. When I started out, I asked my barber for advice. I spent a good deal of time with me demonstrating and watching my technique. His input was invaluable. And he was thrilled to be talking to someone who was interested interested. If you have a willing barber, go for it.