Thread: Sharp blade?

Hey guys, quick questions. First the question that lead to my real question. I’ve shaved twice so far with the straight razor I bought at whipped dog. The first time I shaved without stropping because I was instructed to and the second time when I had to shave I read the instruction for the strop I had and it said to use some oil on the strop before using. It was the morning, I didn’t have time to buy this oil and I had to shave so I shaved without stropping. Now I figure I’m being anal, but have I ruined the blade?

This caused me to think about the process to hone. You basically pass the blade across the hone many times x-pattern, opposite of what you would with a strop, edge first, successionally from a low grit to a very high grit stone. Now it seems to me since the advice is to hone every three months or so if your only using one razor to shave every day, that if you hone more frequently you don’t have to start at the lower grit stones and just use the higher grit stone, for less time more frequently. I don’t know what the frequency would be, that I guess would come with trial and error. I actually would love to hone for like two minutes every day, so long as it saves me from honing for hours once every three months, stropping, and I suspect that I would have a perfectly sharp razor every shave?

Sorry to say.
with shaving without stropping will not ruin the blade.
There is no way.
Don't hone the blade etc.
Contact the Larry and explain to him. i am sure he would be gladly fix your issues.
gl

Originally Posted by Knife

Hey guys, quick questions. First the question that lead to my real question. I’ve shaved twice so far with the straight razor I bought at whipped dog. The first time I shaved without stropping because I was instructed to and the second time when I had to shave I read the instruction for the strop I had and it said to use some oil on the strop before using. It was the morning, I didn’t have time to buy this oil and I had to shave so I shaved without stropping. Now I figure I’m being anal, but have I ruined the blade?

This caused me to think about the process to hone. You basically pass the blade across the hone many times x-pattern, opposite of what you would with a strop, edge first, successionally from a low grit to a very high grit stone. Now it seems to me since the advice is to hone every three months or so if your only using one razor to shave every day, that if you hone more frequently you don’t have to start at the lower grit stones and just use the higher grit stone, for less time more frequently. I don’t know what the frequency would be, that I guess would come with trial and error. I actually would love to hone for like two minutes every day, so long as it saves me from honing for hours once every three months, stropping, and I suspect that I would have a perfectly sharp razor every shave?

You will always need to strop before each shave, no amount of honing will ever prevent that. Also I think you misunderstand, if you are honing every 3 months to touch up you will not need to go to the lower grits or spend hours honing.

Originally Posted by thehekler

You will always need to strop before each shave, no amount of honing will ever prevent that. Also I think you misunderstand, if you are honing every 3 months to touch up you will not need to go to the lower grits or spend hours honing.

Well my instructions on the shave ready razor I bought from whipped dog, was to not strop before the first shave, that makes me think that a freshly honed razor does not need to be stroped? I would think that if you pass a few times over a barber hone every day before shaving you would have that freshly honed edge that would not need to be stroped?

Not knowing anything of the microscopic effect shaving, stropping, or honing does to a blade, I would think every shave dulls the blade a little. Again not knowing what is going on, I would think that that dulling process comes to a head three months down the line when it needs to be resharpened, and if you do it every day you never get that incrementally duller blade shave every day?

Originally Posted by Knife

Well my instructions on the shave ready razor I bought from whipped dog, was to not strop before the first shave, that makes me think that a freshly honed razor does not need to be stroped? I would think that if you pass a few times over a barber hone every day before shaving you would have that freshly honed edge that would not need to be stroped?

He probably told you not to strop it because he stropped it after he honed it, and thus you didn't need to.

Honing a razor sharpens the edge (i.e. makes the flat part of the edge, in microscopic terms, less wide) but also causes it to be rough, since you're essentially sanding down the metal on the edge. Stropping helps to eliminate the roughness cause by honing and shaving, which is why you should strop after each honing and shave.

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

He probably told you not to strop it because he stropped it after he honed it, and thus you didn't need to.

Honing a razor sharpens the edge (i.e. makes the flat part of the edge, in microscopic terms, less wide) but also causes it to be rough, since you're essentially sanding down the metal on the edge. Stropping helps to eliminate the roughness cause by honing and shaving, which is why you should strop after each honing and shave.

Zapp, I was writing as you were so I didn't read your sproping explaination, that makes perfect sence to me, thank you. What do you think of the honing every day or week idea and then stroping.

Also I've been told to strop before and after you shave, but I like your suggestion of stroping after every hone or shave and then its ready for the next shave just like it was when I receive my shave ready razor from the mail, to be used without stroping?

Originally Posted by Knife

Not knowing anything of the microscopic effect shaving, stropping, or honing does to a blade, I would think every shave dulls the blade a little. Again not knowing what is going on, I would think that that dulling process comes to a head three months down the line when it needs to be resharpened, and if you do it every day you never get that incrementally duller blade shave every day?

What happens is the exact same thing that happens to any other blade - DE, cartridge, disposable... So if you don't strop it your edge will deteriorate a bit faster than those other edges because they have high-tech coatings.
If you dig through the old threads you'll find claims of maintaining a razor shaving sharp for years with just stropping.

You are talking about what many people did for years,, you can "Maintain" a razor for years that way, most use a Barber's hone to do that but any shave comfortable stone works...
I personally maintained two razors for over 20 years with once a week touch ups using a very nice White Arkansas stone worked just fine...

Note, that when my razors sustained actual damage I tossed them, in fact that is how I found SRP, I was shopping for new razors.... I had no idea that I could have fixed those chips back then, nor did I have the tools...

[QUOTE=gssixgun;831174]You are talking about what many people did for years,, you can "Maintain" a razor for years that way, most use a Barber's hone to do that but any shave comfortable stone works...
QUOTE]

Thanks for your reply, now first question, if many people did that for years, does that mean, for some reason they stopped? Secondly, when you say you can maintain a razor for years that way, does that mean you can not indefenitly (til you don't have a blade left of course) maintain the razor like that?

Originally Posted by Knife

Thanks for your reply, now first question, if many people did that for years, does that mean, for some reason they stopped? Secondly, when you say you can maintain a razor for years that way, does that mean you can not indefinitely (til you don't have a blade left of course) maintain the razor like that?

You have to understand that many of us here at SRP are, yes, into the shaving, but we also are into the hobby of the straight razor, which means that sometimes we take things to a higher level and it is about the process not just the results...

But yes as the guys have already pointed out a "Barber's Hone" or something to that effect will give close comfortable shaves for many years..

Barber's Hones are not "Low" grit they are fast cutters normally 4-6 laps but don't mistake that for low grit... A good Barber's hone makes for a very smooth comfortable shave IF USED CORRECTLY

And yes you could use say a Naniwa 12k (randomly picked) to maintain but compared to a Barber's Hone it is a much longer process.
the Barbers Hone is quick and easy, with zero prep, Finishers are a bit more time comsuming... If I were going to do what you are discussing I would find a good Barber's hone (most of them are) and never look back