Shave report: Shaves 7&8. Using the hanging strop for 40 laps, and rubbing it to warm it up before hand. ZERO nicks, ZERO cuts. The razor bumps from years of abuse at the hands of Gillette and Schick cronies are slowly fading, and whether or not they all go away I'm still getting the best shaves of my life.

I'm not confident my stropping is doing any good. There's no "draw" on my hanging razor, and I haven't figured out a way to hang the Shumate yet (I know how...it's getting it done that's lagging). Using just the weight of the blade on the shumate (which doesn't lie perfectly flat on the table - not cupped or anything, just was folded for a decade or two) doesn't seem to be doing anything either. The razor's so light that it doesn't press the strop against the table on it's own, and I don't want to use pressure for fear of screwing up the edge.

Then again, what do I know? This is the part of Straight Razor Shaving I could never practice before. I'm not feeling any discomfort from my shaves just over a week in, so is that because they were awesomely and expertly honed (they were) or because my stropping actually is doing something? I don't know. I did pick up a Swaty yesterday, so I guess if I screwed up the edge I could put it on the Swaty and use one of my others until I got the edge back.

I would appreciate your guys' insight. Can you go a week without stropping and not experience serious discomfort? (I do have to shave everyday. If I get 32hrs growth on my face I start looking like the wolf man)

(Cuda -- I don't have an Alum bar, but hot water rinse my face, then cold water splash my face. If, when the tight feeling goes away, my skin feels stiff or dry...or I'm just in the mood for it, I'll put on some Nivea Sensitive Skin ASB, or some Stetson AS which stings/disinfects.)