Thread: Strop question

Well my Dovo from SRD showed up yesterday, but I am still waiting on my philly strop. I did my first shave when the razor showed up but did not strop after the shave, hoping the strop would show up today, my wishes were in vain. I have read that I could use newspaper to straighten up the edge, is that true? How would one go about doing that the right way? Do I just tape it to the counter or hold on to it, or what? Would it be better to just wait for the strop to show up? I am anxious to try my second shave, so I am hoping I can get away with the newspaper.
I would have to say that straight shaving is more addictive than heroin, I have heard that one time doing heroin may addict you and speaking from experience after my first shave all I have been able to think about is my next fix(shave). I went against the advice about the first shave and did my whole face and neck, except for my goat-tee and made it without a single nick. However a few spots got a little tender from re-shaving a couple of times, I did just do the WTG pass. I was glad I went as far as I did since it seemed like half way through my neck, things just started clicking and I found that at first I was being a little too tenative once I bucked up and trusted myself the whiskers had no chance. Using just the heel around my go-T worked wonders. I do need to practice with my left hand since I was only able to use it for about 1/4 of the shave and would like to be as proficient with both per the advice on this forum. Thanks for all your excellent advice and suggestions, I wouldnt have had the same wonderful experience without reading loads of threads in here first.
-Jason

Hello fellow noob, Congrats on a successful first shave.

If it were me I would just wait for the strop to come in to keep shaving. There are certainly ways to substitute the strop, but thats all it will be a substitute. I really don't think you should make any exceptions for what is required, especially with a new blade.

Oh and good to hear you didnt draw any blood, but be careful because its when you gain confidence to quickly that the blade will show its wrath, haha; ask me how I know. Good luck.

Welcome to Straight Shaving. Be patient and wait for the strop to arrive. Once you are fluent with the fine elements of stropping, then you can get creative and use more than just paper to sharpen it up if you chose.

No shame if you have to shave with what ever you are using if the strop takes long than expected to arrive. Heck, I used my Mach 3 to clean up my batched shaving jobs when I started straight shaving. One day, I found myself just not needing the Mach 3 anymore and it started collecting dust.

My face is so much better off using a straight razor. No more of those unsightly ingrown hair pimples and my face always looks great just after the shave or with several days of growth

Good Luck!

Pabster

Thanks Chris for the reply but I dont know if I will be able to wait. I just got a shipping confirmation from Rupp which means it'll be 3 or 4 days atleast. I guess one thing that would slow me down is an uncomfortable shave, maybe i'll try today then wait.

Once I decided to switch to the straight shave, I havent bought anymore mach3 inserts. I actually waited a week and a half without shaving at all till my Dovo arrived, boy did it itch. I guess i'll just let it grow for a few days till the strop shows. I usually shave once a week, but now that I have found an enjoyable way to shave i'm thinking about shaving 2 or three times a day,LOL.

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

I usually shave once a week, but now that I have found an enjoyable way to shave i'm thinking about shaving 2 or three times a day,LOL.

I know..I know is addictive. I have been shaving avery day for months with my rotation of six straight razors. You should wait for the strop, stropping is so very important in the process, stropping is a motor skill that by daily repetition you will learn down pat. Patience grasshopper.

I shave every two or three days. My shave is so good that it carries over into day two or 36 hours.

I had 14 cartridges for the M3 when I decided to make the switch to Straight Shaving and I still have 13. One got used up when I was learning and I used it to clean up my rough spots. It actually lasted about 45 days before it was deemed garbage. I was encouraged by how the M3 was not improving on any areas that I shaved well.

So I am one happy camper to have switched to Straight Shaving and having found SRP to support me. Keep with it and you will be thanking yourselves in the future and almost laughing about the challenges of moving up the learning curve.

Cheers!

Pabster

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Well my Dovo from SRD showed up yesterday, but I am still waiting on my philly strop. I did my first shave when the razor showed up but did not strop after the shave, hoping the strop would show up today, my wishes were in vain. I have read that I could use newspaper to straighten up the edge, is that true? How would one go about doing that the right way? Do I just tape it to the counter or hold on to it, or what? Would it be better to just wait for the strop to show up? I am anxious to try my second shave, so I am hoping I can get away with the newspaper.
......
I wouldnt have had the same wonderful experience without reading loads of threads in here first.
-Jason

I suspect the next thing you will need is a balsa hone.

If you know of a carpenter that has an extra bit of hardwood
flooring or two have him buzz of the tong and groves... Then visit
the hobby shop for some hard balsa to glue onto it. 12"x3" is about
the right size.

Hunt for some chromium oxide polish and dress the thin balsa side up after sanding it flat.

I confess I tossed some bucks to one of the good vendors we see
so often on the list for my balsa hones (CrOx and 0.5 Diamond).

I have a box of marvelous hones but I wish I had learned
about the merits of balsa hones first.

One thing I love about a balsa hone is that is is tidy. No water
no muss no fuss. I sit down once in a while and gently refinish
the edge on my razor.

I think you can use the newspaper without any problems. Just go slow and be precise. Fairly light pressure at all times. An even stroke... all the stuff you've probably already read about.

Try 2-3 sheets of newspaper on anything flat; tape it on the reverse side maybe. A piece of granite/marble tile from Home Depot or Lowe's works great. Or thick tempered glass about 2" x 6" or 3" x 8". Use a heavily inked section like the want-ads/classifieds. The ink will also sharpen the razor a bit (I heard it is equal to about 0.1 micron).

One advantage with the newspaper (on a flat surface) is that you can't cup it like a hanger by pulling too hard on it, nor will it have too much slack. You can practice rolling the razor between your thumb and finger, and your stropping stroke, without worrying about strop tension.

When you get the philly strop, the 0.5 Chromium Oxide that KenRup puts on the reverse side is a nice little bonus. Congratulations on your first shave.

I had the same "problem" about a week ago. I bought a Dovo from SRD and the Filly from Rup but the razor get here first. The first shave I went without a strop and it was just fine. For the second shave I used newspaper and got a pretty rough shave, particularly on areas with thicker whiskers, like my chin. If I could do it all over again I'd wait for the strop. The Filly strop makes a big difference and my shaves have been really nice since.