Thread: Newbie needs help

Thanks Joe.

So it's 45+ just before shaving and little mineral or baby oil right at the end. (?)

As an aside, I find it fairly weird that I'm discussing all these arcane points when in a few days my main concern will be not cutting my nose off!

Cheers,
Bob

Perform the stropping laps just before shaving, all of them.

Originally Posted by JAG

Joe:

Regarding the stropping (60 laps ) before shaving:

If you had a routine of stropping 30 laps before and after shaving would that be equivalent?

Or do they have to be done all at once?


Forgive me if this seems like a dumb question but I was amazed to learn that the micro-serrations heal with time. Maybe this is counter intuitive as well.

Thanks
Bob

As a related aside to this. It would appear to make sense to strop a blade before honing. If you don't, the teeth are spread, and honing will remove a lot of material to restore a narrow edge. If you do, you're pushing the teeth together before honing and will remove less material when you sharpen up the edge. I actually found a suggestion to strop before you hone. I think it was at the knife center in the shaving section.

I didnt want to bring this up for fear you all would think i was crazy. A few weeks ago I had been beating my head against the wall wiht one of my razors trying to get it sharp with the norton. I quit on the norton as the blade felt relatively sharp on the thumb but couldnt pass the HHT (yes its a crutch). I stropped the razor, gave it a few licks on a wet coticule with no slurry and WOW got perhaps my best SR shave yet. I was suspecting that aligning the "teeth" when I got to the finer grits may be of benifit.
Anyway maybe this is a topic for its own thread?

[quote=JAG]

Thanks Joe.

So it's 45+ just before shaving and little mineral or baby oil right at the end. (?)

Right! Those oils are a little too thick (messy) for me. If you find the same, try cammelia oil.

As an aside, I find it fairly weird that I'm discussing all these arcane points when in a few days my main concern will be not cutting my nose off!

Important rule: When in the vicinity of something that protrudes, such as the nose or an earlobe, make sure the edge is pointing away.

[QUOTE=Joe Lerch]

Originally Posted by JAG

Right! Those oils are a little too thick (messy) for me. If you find the same, try cammelia oil.

That's what I use. I got mine from a Bonsai nursery (gotta keep all those $$$$ Japanese tools in perfect condition).

Originally Posted by JAG

...and little mineral or baby oil right at the end?
Bob

Well, if you put oil right after the shave, there is possibility that you can trap the remaining moisture on the edge, and do more harm than good. If the razor is your only one, or in your current rotation, don't oil it, just wipe it dry. I strop after the shave too. For razors that are not used for prolonged period of time, I use mineral oil.

Nenad

Originally Posted by mparker762

That's what I use. I got mine from a Bonsai nursery (gotta keep all those $$$$ Japanese tools in perfect condition).

Japanese used Choji or clove oil for centuries on their blades and weapons. Essentially, that is regular mineral oil, with ~5% added clove oil for scent. The story is that the oil was scented, since pure mineral oil has no scent, and it's easy to confuse it with cooking oil. This was done to prevent unpleasant after dinner experience, since mineral oil is also a laxative

Nenad san

Originally Posted by superfly

Well, if you put oil right after the shave, there is possibility that you can trap the remaining moisture on the edge, and do more harm than good. If the razor is your only one, or in your current rotation, don't oil it, just wipe it dry. I strop after the shave too. For razors that are not used for prolonged period of time, I use mineral oil.

As I pointed out earlier, there is some dispute over whether stropping right after the shave is a good idea. If it's a razor you use a lot, it can't hurt to dry it, oil it and strop at the next shave. If you're really worried about it you can use a penetrating oil or that special stuff that Classic Shaving sells. I would do all of that before stropping right after a shave. It has the potential to significantly reduce the life of the edge and maybe the razor (it'll probably outlive the user anyway).

Originally Posted by superfly

Japanese used Choji or clove oil for centuries on their blades and weapons. Essentially, that is regular mineral oil, with ~5% added clove oil for scent. The story is that the oil was scented, since pure mineral oil has no scent, and it's easy to confuse it with cooking oil. This was done to prevent unpleasant after dinner experience, since mineral oil is also a laxative

Nenad san

That could be a surprizingly moving experience!

Originally Posted by Joe Lerch

As I pointed out earlier, there is some dispute over whether stropping right after the shave is a good idea.

Well, it is recommended in the Barbers Manual. I do it, anyways, just not the full stroke count. Maybe 10 on the linen, and 15 on the leather side...

Nenad