Soliciting some good advice!

Hello. I think I have some gaps in my fundamental straight-shaving education: specifically, the honing/stropping deal.

I have a Frictionite #3: 2 sided (use this side first/use this side to finish) and I have an Aloxite #79.

1. Do I need any other stones to keep my razor in shaving shape?

I used the Aloxite (doesn't need water!) and got a reasonable shave, but the razor began to tug at the end.

2. Would stropping help/do I definitely need a strop?

I understand that the Aloxite is a "barber's stone," but I am not entirely sure what that means.

3. What distinguishes a Barber's hone from another hone?

I don't particularly want to mess around with pastes.

4. Do I ever need to use them?

I am not sure if this post is in the right place, but I figured the newbie board would be a good place to start. Thanks, all. I appreciate any input.

1. If you start with a razor that is already sharp, then no, you will never need another hone. A barber hone is sufficient to MAINTAIN the sharpness of a razor indefinitely.

The Aloxite will work better with diluted lather, using just 4 or 5 strokes.

2. You absolutely positively need a strop. This is not negotiable. If you don't want to strop, then don't use a straight razor. A hone removes steel to create a perfect "V" profile. When you shave, the very fine edge of the "V" gets deformed and folds over. Stropping re-aligns the edge. If you don't strop, the folded over regions make the shave uncomfortable and will break off, making the edge more dull.

A barber hone is a maintenance hone. What distinguishes it from other hones is that it is both fine AND fast. In most cases, you should never use more than 10 light strokes with a barber hone. More strokes than that can be counter-productive by causing micro-chipping. In general, only five strokes are needed to restore an edge.

3. Answered above.

You don't have to use pastes. A barber hone is sufficient for maintenance sharpening, BUT a strop IS still needed.

4. Answered above.

In addition to what Utopian said, there is some good information here Category:Stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki if you have time for some reading.
Grant

++1 on both Utopian's and baldy's advice.

I have a Swatty barber's hone that I have used to refresh a razor. If you use a hone put some lather on it before using 5-6 light strokes (1 stroke = both forward and back X-motion with the blade on the hone.)
That's all I've ever dome with a barber's hone.

As Utopian said, however. Make certain that your razor is already honed by an expert or somebody who knows what they are doing. There are many SRP members who offer this service for a small fee.

And yes, definitely get yourself a strop. I prefer a 3" wide. That is the most useful piece of straight razor shaving equipment you can have in your shaving kit besides your razor--even more so than a barber's hone.

Utopian: the voice of authority! Thanks. Baldy, thank you for the link! There is so much information it is difficult to know where to start to look for it! Henry, I think a 3" strop will be the ticket for me as well - it seems to be newbie-friendly with more coverage for the blade.

So:

I hone to a nice edge (enough to cut a hair), then I strop, then I shave.

Next time, the razor might be good enough to shave, or it may need stropping. It is unlikely that it will need to be honed again for a while, though.

On top of that, I don't need to mess with pastes until I feel like I want to get all hard core.

Correct?

One more thing: I have been using a belt to strop, but even I have been able to see its limitations. I have nicked the hell out of it in training, and have so come to a point where I am able to strop without nicking it up further. In short, I am ready to buy a real strop. I am prepared to pay a bit for quality. Suggestions as to brands? Links?

Thanks again to all that have responded!

Looking now. What is the linen side for?

Just to be clear you do need to strop everytime pre shave. And like others said it doesnt hurt to strop after you are done shaving. It seemed from your posts you were not quite clear on the importance of stropping. It is crucial to keeping a sharp edge and getting a comfortable shave. I use a straight razor design red latigo 3 inch. I find it to have excelent draw and do a superior job to others i have used in the past.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Streetprowler

I hone to a nice edge (enough to cut a hair), then I strop, then I shave.

Next time, the razor might be good enough to shave, or it may need stropping. It is unlikely that it will need to be honed again for a while, though.

Correct?

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Not quite. First, it will be difficult and unlikely, though not impossible, for you to get your razor sharp enough with just your barber hones. They are for maintaining a sharp edge, not producing a sharp edge. If you persist in sharpening your own, then you will need to start with the "first side" of the Frictionite and then go on to the other side. The number of strokes needed on the first side is impossible for me to advise without assessing the razor.

Yes, after honing you strop and shave.

After the first shave following honing and before the second shave, you definitely should strop again. You need to strop before every shave. The honing sharpens the edge and that is a sporadic, as needed, task. Stropping re-aligns the edge that is distorted by each shave and stropping needs to be done every time you shave.

The linen can be used for several things. One, to clean and dry the blade after shaving. Two, to improve the edge from less than honemiester shave-readiness. Three you can rough up he straight edge with linen and that is thought to improve the shave a little because edges can become too smooth. This last point is probably controversial, but sometimes you can achieve shaving improvement, when leather alone fails to help. Finally, some people think of the linen as the "gross" stropping, and leather as the " fine" stropping. Personally, I rarely use linen.