Nooooooob questions ??

Time for me to ask some noob questions. 1) I've seen video of Lynn honing and when he does his spine flip ,he sometimes picks the blade up off of the surface . Can this be done when stropping as well ? is it okay ? 2) Not too thrilled with Lilac Vegetal,any other good lilac type aftershaves out there or maybe even a recipe to make some,which might be kind of cool ? 3) In leu of that,are there any good basic techniques for making simple home aftershaves and colognes ? 4) Used my alum block tonight for the first time ever, loved the after feel of it ahhhhh but I got some in my mouth (achh) is this stuff toxic over prolonged use ,so many confusing answers I've seen both for and against,..now I'm confused ?? :confused: Noobed !!

I don't see any problem with lifting the blade from the strop or hone , as long as you start and stop the stroke with the spine on the strop or hone . I always start the stroke with the spine on the strop/hone , and then bring the edge down . And I finish by lifting the edge before the end of the stroke , before I lift the spine from the hone/strop . As far as aftershave goes , I've been using witch hazel with good results . It doesn't smell like much , but it works great .

The risk of lifting the spine off the strop is that when you put it back down to the leather you might not put the spine down first, thus damaging the edge and/or the leather. I believe that's the main reason for the suggestion of keeping the spine down.

I use a cheap aftershave balm recipe I think I got from RayG. It's two parts cornhusker's lotion, one part aloe, and one part Thayer's witch hazel. At first the cornhusker's lotion smell can be overpowering but it fades over time. Then you can add some other scent to it.

Since the alum is a block of aluminum salt, it's not really meant for consumption. Given its taste, you probably won't get it in your mouth very often. The whole aluminum/Alzheimer's issue has been discussed here ad nauseum but if you're interested in it a search of the forum will turn up those discussions.

I don't lift the spine as I don't see a need to. I feel it only increases the chances of nicking the strop. I've added scents to my soap when melting it but never tried making after shave. I know some members have made their own bay rum. I don't think alum block will kill you. But it may turn you into a Jewish rabbi for 48 hours. :cry:

These guys have answered pretty everything for you. I think the issue on the spine is that you should make every effort to keep the spine down as you are developing the muscle memory on stropping and honing.
Scott

rolling the razor along its spine is the best way to ensure your blade gets "cleaner n sharper" on yer strop(s)..I asked the same question sometime ago and this is the answer im passing on to you if you wish to try it

good luck
pcdad