Good read for a newbie. And a question.

Sharpen a Razor Instructions


This is the only thing i read that i never heard of before though. Sounds odd.

A "growing" blade?


1. How do I look after the straight razor?
The straight razor must be properly looked after in order to ensure the maintenance and long life of this traditional men's accessory. While straight razors made of stainless steel are less demanding, other razors have to be rinsed with clear water and thoroughly dried after each use. When not in use for longer periods, it is recommended that the razor be rubbed with light oil. Likewise, the razor should not be stored in a damp and unaired state. There is no generally valid rule for the whetting (stropping) of straight razors; in many cases, it is sufficient to draw the razor lightly over the ball of the thumb, especially when it has been left unused for several days between shaves. Wet shavers of the old school know that the facet (blade) "grows", i.e. the microscopically discernible and extremely fine "fin" on the cutting edge changes during the shave but returns to its old position afterwards; it stretches and again becomes extremely fine. Nevertheless, this fine "fin" will still wear away at some stage and a suitable strop should then be bought.
There is no common rule for sharpening of razors; sometimes it is sufficient to sharpen it at the ball of the thumb, especially if the razor is not used for several days. People, who often use razors, know: the cutting edge is growing, meaning that the very fine burr on the cutting edge (which can be seen under the microscope) changes whenever the razor is used, but it finally goes back to its old position and will become very fine again. Nevertheless the burr will wear out after a certain period of time, and then the suitable razor strop should be bought.

That does sound odd...
Now we need an experienced member (preferebly one with less brains then time)
to do extensive testing on this :p

I'd be interested to see if anyone here adheres to the insight in #5:

"Between six and fifteen shaves are possible without stropping in between."

I've got to say, I don't agree with anything in that little segment, other than the first sentence.

I often go 3 or 4 shaves between stroppings. And although many people on here shave with a DE, they still act like I'm insane for using the same blade repeatedly. Somehow there is a magical vortex that requires straight edges to be stropped before/after every shave, that does not effect DE blades the same way.

Additionally, the opinions against a growing blade are strong and steadfast, but the evidence to support, or deny, the concept is lacking.

What oil is usually used to store blades?

We've seen many microscope photos of blades and we have never seen any burrs on the edges. Also barbers used the same blades over and over each day so I would take that with a grain of salt. Like was said the first 2 sentences though are correct.

Thats 2, 2 sentences now that are correct. Do I have 3, 3 sentences. Come on!! How about oil on the blade? Do I hear any support for oil on the blade . . . come on now, think about it . . .


Going once, twice . . .

:hmmm:

Ah, I suppose oil for prolonged storage isn't a bad idea. I don't do it myself, but I suppose that sentence is correct.

I do still disagree with the bit about stainless requiring less care than carbon; I treat all my blades the same.

So you I'll go up to 2 sentences.

Thanks for the comments in this thread!! I had read this somewhere in my searches and found the "growing blade" theory interesting... like running a car off a bridge interesting.... :D I wonder if they were confused with the "burr" that happens with overhoning? I know that when I was first learning to sharpen knives I never understood the "less is more" concept of passes, and built some good burrs that were a pain to remove... I am sure this is multiplied exponentially with razors... fine edge and all...

I would have to recuse myself from testing this. I can go a long time without stropping. But, I would love for someone to shave a few days without stropping, definitively declare the razor non-shave worthy, wait 24 hours and try again.

Simply knowing what I know, about what the old-timers knew about razors, I would be interested in the results.

I have a feeling the shave results would be go like this.

1) Good shave
2) Good shave
3) Okay shave
4) Okay shave
5) Okay shave
6) Fair shave
7) Bad shave
8) Bad shave
9) Day off
10) Okay shave

Okay, so here is my confession. I let the razors rest 24 hours between each use and I hardly ever strop. I can go 5, 10, 15, 20 shaves without ever stropping.

Thus, the leather face syndrome I suppose. :angel:

So, assuming they were completely wrong. What were they thinking when they wrote that stuff? Back in the 1800s they couldn't get anyone on the internet to agree to test the idea out either?