What did i do Wrong? and how do I fix it?

I have a shave ready razor that I bought from the classifieds. I shaved small areas of my face about 4 times without incident. It was so uneventful that I said i can do this straight razor stuff. Well I figured I better strop the razor before I shave again. I got a hanging strop and tried a "cheepo" razor that came with the strop. I was not happy with my technique. Yesterday I got a piece of leather material from a strop kit and laid it on a table and stroped the cheapo razor. It seemed to go OK. Next I slowly stroped my "shaving" razor about 50 passes on this small (12") piece of leather. This morning when I tried to shave with it ( my normal prep) I goty tugging and a few weepers.

Did I strop too much? Too little? Wrong technique and burred the edge? Improper shaving technique? If it is the stroping how do I repair the razor? If it was technique, it was a few days after i put the razor down waiting for the strop to come in. Please offer some suggestions.

I think it's probably the stropping.It's very common for new shavers to accidentally lift the spine for even a couple passes and ruin the edge.The spine of the razor MUST not be lifted off the strop throughout the process.You roll the razor over ON the spine.To fix it you could give it a few passes on a small barber hone or a pasted strop or both.Or if you don't have this equipment,I have heard of people who got their edge back using lots (hundreds?) of passes of stropping done correctly.

I have a balsa strops one with red and one with green compound.How many passes on the balsa strop? Which compound or both? Do I strop with the spine leading or the edge?

I think some proper stropping on linen and leather would probably do the trick.

What pastes do you have on your balsa? Dovo red and dovo green?

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Originally Posted by ShoreBird

I slowly stroped my "shaving" razor about 50 passes on this small (12") piece of leather. This morning when I tried to shave with it ( my normal prep) I goty tugging and a few weepers.

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My hanging strop is 20" long and I generally need 30 - 60 strokes to keep my edges keen. A 12" long strop will require more strokes to provide equivalent stropping effect as a 20" hanging strop.

Also, you mention that you stopped slowly. Slow stropping is nowhere near as effective as faster stropping.

I don't think you damaged your blade. I offer the above explanation to help you understand why you did not get the quality of shave you were expecting.

Continue to stop slowly for now, using your 12" strop. It's imperative that you develop correct stropping technique and not learn bad habits so go slow for now. Speed (improving your stropping effect) will come with good muscle memory. Strop 100 - 120 strokes on a 12" strop. Have you read about stropping technique in the Wiki? Keep both the spine and the edge in contact with the strop and use almost no pressure at all.

Also continue to practice your technique with your "cheapo" razor on the hanging strop it came with, but don't use that strop for your good razor. If at some time you wish to purchase a better quality hanging strop, don't buy one on eBay. Instead, purchase one from a quality vendor such as Straight Razor Designs or Rup Razor.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

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Originally Posted by ShoreBird

I have a balsa strops one with red and one with green compound.How many passes on the balsa strop? Which compound or both? Do I strop with the spine leading or the edge?

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Don't use a pasted strop yet. They are used to touch up an edge that has dulled from daily shaving to the point where regular stropping won't recover the edge but not so dull that the razor needs to be honed again.

From what you describe in your initial post, what you need to do is practice your stropping technique on your 12" leather stop (without paste).

If you have not damaged the edge on your razor by improper stropping (by using too much pressure and rolling on the edge instead of the spine), good stropping technique will take care of the problem. I speak from experience.

You strop by leading with the spine. Leading with the edge will dull the razor and damage the strop.

Read about proper stropping technique here.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

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Originally Posted by Morty

If at some time you wish to purchase a better quality hanging strop, don't buy one on eBay. Instead, purchase one from a quality vendor such as Straight Razor Designs or Rup Razor.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

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I bought a 3" paddle strop from Straight Razor Designs, there was a problem with their computer so my order was delayed.I'm hoping that will help.I don't know whether I got too ****y on the flat strop and as I increased my pace I lost contact with the spine or the edge. All I know is that it shaved better before I stropped it.

I would try stropping the problem out first, before you go to the pasted strop. The paste is abrasive and its easy to overdo it and make the edge worse instead of better!

Try doing 100 passes on the leather strop and see if that brings the edge back. From experience, most of the time that will sort the problem out.

If that doesnt work then what I would do is start by doing 10 strokes, spine leading, on the less abrasive paste (whichever one that happens to be) and then strop and test shave. If that doesnt do it, try another 10 on the less abrasive paste, then strop and test.

If its still not there, only then move onto the more abrasive paste and do 5 strokes on that, then 10 on the less abrasive paste, then strop and test shave.

If that doesnt do it, you'll need to have the razor honed.

Hope thats of some help!

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I think some proper stropping on linen and leather would probably do the trick.

What pastes do you have on your balsa? Dovo red and dovo green?

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I have one of each never used it.

O.k. thanks for clearing that up. The dovo green and chromium oxide green are 2 very different animals.


THe dovo green is pretty coarse, so I would start out with the red paste first. I do not think you need to hit the pastes though.

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Originally Posted by ShoreBird

I have one of each never used it.

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I tried another "shave ready" razor today and my face got irritated and I got the drag like with the last razor. Now I'm not sure it was the stropping but maybe something in my technique has changed. A couple of days passed since my last good shave with a straight.