Whipped dog razor and strop question. Beg

Hello SRP world. I have been shaving with a shavette for about 2 years now and actually want to take the next big leap. I have a pretty good routine(I think), as per my college living budget for pre and post shave and have no problems with cuts and or other problems. I feel confident with my routine as I have to think back to remember the last time I cut myself; I find that putting on some old old music and simply taking my time works wonders. My question follows: how long should I expect a razor from whipped dog be able to shave with simply application to the "poor mans strop" I also plan on purchasing. I am on a budget so will not be able to get any hones for about a month. I have been sharpening personal knives with a norton oil stone for some time now so I am not *too* worried about not being able to transition to straight razor honing. As any realist I am well aware there will be a great learning curve and more excited to jump into this new hobby than any other feeling.

A freshly honed razor, used every day by someone with an average beard, should remain serviceable for 2-3 months depending on the users experience level and ability to strop. The variance can be large. When the razor starts to pull a little, it can be touched up with pastes, barber hone or a finishing and be maintained for a much longer period of time and for many, even years.

Dive in and enjoy!

Lynn

Thanks for the speedy reply. Thats good news. I only shave about twice a week, three times at the most. I just may have to increase that once I get my hands on a real piece of metal. Would a 4/8k norton stone and better grade strop be able to service my face once poor mans strop becomes nicked to death? I plan on getting a finishing stone but am unsure of which route to go. I am set on the norton though.

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Originally Posted by popsspop

Thanks for the speedy reply. Thats good news. I only shave about twice a week, three times at the most. I just may have to increase that once I get my hands on a real piece of metal. Would a 4/8k norton stone and better grade strop be able to service my face once poor mans strop becomes nicked to death? I plan on getting a finishing stone but am unsure of which route to go. I am set on the norton though.

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I would practice with refreshing the razor before picking up other hones unless you intend to pick up more razors and learn to hone them. On the strop, I would use the one you get and see how it goes. You can always check out other stuff down the road.

Have fun,

Lynn

It's tempting to jump into all of this (shaving, honing, and stropping) at the same time, but it can get complicated for someone new to straights. I would concentrate on getting the Whipped Dog razor and the poor man's strop and work with that. You can eventually move to honing, and the Nortons are fine for that, but for refreshing your razor all you would need is a Barbers' Hone, and they are available in great quantity and cheaply on Ebay. The razor, the strop, and the Barbers' Hone will keep you going for months, maybe more. Then you can move into honing as your budget allows.

Being brand new and plain strop id say one month before you need a touchup
I also have had an annoying discovery about my cheap abused strop vs my artisan made one(properly treated and abused the cheap one wins every time"illinois"(add name to prevent the real crap)

This is getting me some of the info I need. I've got one razor made shave ready by Lynn, so it currently doesn't need anything other than stropping for a while. However, it will eventually start pulling a bit and I will want to touch it up before trying the full hone routine. I'm liking the idea of a barber hone as my first purchase - and maybe a cheap, serviceable razor to practice with on it before I put my daily shaver to it.

If you get the "Poor Man's Strop Kit", it comes with both a leather strop and a "pasted strop" -- a piece of balsa covered with CrOxide (one side) and FeOxide (other side).

With those pastes, in addition to the strop, you should be OK for several months. Instructions are included.

Charles

If you buy a barbers hone off Ebay, hunt up some of the threads here about lapping (sanding smooth) the hone. It's not hard, and you can DIY.

I picked up a Sunasack barber hone on e-bay for cheap and (from the photos) it looks unused - no chips, dents, or dings. Thanks for the info about looking into lapping it. I'll do a forum search and see what I can find.