Thread: Strop expert advice/opinion wanted. *not* stropping advice

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The there a ton of discussion about what linen does and doesn't do

Here is proof that is does remove "something" from the edge whether that is a good thing or not is your decision to make..

Attachment 73350

This is a used Illinois linen compared to a new one...
That is after probably 1000 razors, anyone that uses a white Linen strop should be able to see the same thing after a year or two..

This looks like definitive proof to *me*. I know I was already using linen first every time but that picture sure makes it hard to deny that if I want my son to see use of my strop in 60 years....I better keep using it. Speaking of........

I do about 30 passes on the linen and about 30 passes on the leather. I'm new so.....is that enough? Opinions?....advice?...

I do 50 and 50 because that is what I thought I read in that thread I referred to previously. Going back to it and re-reading it sometime later I saw that I was incorrect. The post I followed said 30 and 50. I still do 50 and 50 because I am used to it and it seems to be working well. I have tried less and, as with most things, I'm happier with more.

Ok....I'm about to piss some people off.....so I need everyone to chill out and take a deep breath. Trough a misguided attempt I tried to get my straights HHT Sharp all the way through. OK BREATH EVERYONE AND CHILL OUT...... I got the 1/3 of my straights closest to the tang HHT Sharp but the middle and top part are not. Now....I just shaved last night and it Shaves great. But I'm worried that even though it now Shaves like a dream.....that maybe one side being sharper than the other is improper honing and I don't know what that might lead to so can someone instruct me on how to fix this so I don't hone like a jack ass again? Thanks guys. Remember....lots of love, don't be mean lol.

It is a matter of practicing until you have uniformity in your stroke and pressure .... or the lack of pressure. Honing is a learned skill with a lot of nuance. It is easy to demonstrate a technique and difficult to explain or demonstrate the nuances. You have to get the feel of those through your hand. I used to have the same problem but as I gained experience it got better. The 1961 barber manual PDF excerpt on honing and stropping gives some good technique to making sure you're getting the entire blade where you want it to be. Here it is out of the SRP Wiki help files.

Probably the way you are holding your razor or pressure you are applying. It's just unequal so that's the result you get. The old test mentioned many times is use a magic marker on your razor and as you hone it should come off evenly. That's how you will know.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Probably the way you are holding your razor or pressure you are applying. It's just unequal so that's the result you get. The old test mentioned many times is use a magic marker on your razor and as you hone it should come off evenly. That's how you will know.

I will definitely be doing this next time! Now....Lynn honed it....4 Shaves later, I wanted HHT Sharp so I honed it (Yes I now know it probably already was HHT Sharp from Lynn I just didn't know what I was doing) now its definitely shaving great but I still want to play! Should I just leave it alone for another 6 months or should I keep practising?

I say if you like the idea of using linen then leather then by all means you should. You can't go wrong either way. Personally I hit mine with 15 on the felt, 20 on the rough and then 50 to 60 on the smooth leather. Some may say it's nuts and others say it's not enough. I figure after spending the money on a good razor.. Or a restoration.. Or taking the time to restore it you should do what you like to keep the beauty shaving.. My grand father spent a long time stropping and prepping his razor heck he would tell me now what I do is not enough.. Hehehe he would probably have me use linen... Rough... Felt.. Two grades of leather.. But he was an old farmer and everything he owned was very well taken care of..

Originally Posted by grant9908

I will definitely be doing this next time! Now....Lynn honed it....4 Shaves later, I wanted HHT Sharp so I honed it (Yes I now know it probably already was HHT Sharp from Lynn I just didn't know what I was doing) now its definitely shaving great but I still want to play! Should I just leave it alone for another 6 months or should I keep practising?

What I did was leave the Lynn honed ones alone, they didn't need any help. I got vintage ebay and antique shop razors and practiced. Only took a hundred or so.

Think I should get a cheap $6 razor and try to get it shave ready?