Thread: Eager novice again, with stropping question

I have learned here that I may not be stropping properly and will make changes but I am now curious if this matters... i usually hone at night and strop the razor then shave with it the next morning. Is this ok or should I strop it right before I shave with it?

You should be fine. When you strop is not as important as how you strop.

Keep your pressure very light and your stroke very smooth. Go for smooth, as they say: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Do You hone (as opposed to strop) every night? Then strop every morning? I'm only new at this myself, but that sounds like too much honing to me. Apologies if I've mis-understood and any one can correct my opinion too if they like.


Mick

If your razor is sharp (shave ready) you don't need to hone it that often. You can use single razor for few months before you need to show it some hone.

You need to strop your razor every time before using it. No matter if you do it at night before or just before shaving but stropping is essential.
It takes some time, patience and practice before you learn to strop properly, but if you've already done that with good results then you are ok.

I always strop my razors , shortly before I shave . Some people even strop them after shaving , to dry the edge of the razor . You should only hone your razor when it needs honing . There is no set amount of time a razor should last between honings . I give my razors a light touch up on my finish hone (around 5 strokes) , when I first notice the razor is not as sharp as it can be . This way , I maintain a sharp edge , instead of losing a sharp edge , and having to rebuild it .