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It occurred to me that I may be dulling my blade when I shave by wiping it with a wash cloth while shaving, rather than running it under the water. The way I do it is I pinch the wipe cloth on the blade with the edge away from me, and pull down the length of the blade to remove the lather and hair. Could this be detrimental to the edge of the razor?
Probably not.
I wipe the blade off with my finger during the shave. After the shave I rinse the blade then wipe it in the manner you describe. No problems yet. I did have the same concern at some point though.
You can use a stopping motion on the cloth if you want.
Michael
As long as you keep a slight stropping motion with the blade and don't apply too much pressure, I wouldn't worry too much. I never rinse my blades.
i always rinse my blades,in fact on my shavettes it clearly says not to wipe the blades,but i always dry my straight razor in the way you described
I just use a stropping motion on the cloth. personally I wouldn't be pressing on the edge any.
I generally rinse but if that doesn't get it all, I use a stropping motion on washcloth or sponge.
I lay the razor spine first on the cloth and then pinch it between my fingers not too close to the edge and just run back an forth on it with not too much pressure and staying away from the very edge. haven't had any probs doing that, thats usually for polishing with autosol though. when shaving I just do the stropping motion on the towel like the other guys say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjsorkin
I like this method for getting in the wipe habit. If you do it wrong you will know right away. Then use the towel to wipe up the blood. Seriously though I think your face has more effect on the blade than a towel would.
I always strop on the towel. Another method I have used was to use a roll of toilet paper and tear away the paper as it gets filled with lather and hair, repeating till the roll is mostly gone then transferred for use for the whipping of other things. BTW, has anyone tried those rubber whipping bowls from royal shave?
If using a cloth a stropping motion with no pressure on the cutting edge is the best method.
Probably not, but it is very easy to cut yourself than way. It is safer to rinse the blade under running water, be careful it is easy to ding the edge on the faucet. A Goose neck faucet is a great investment to prevent that. Or what I do is, strop the razor on my other hand, all the cream and hair come off, then rinse my hand after 2-3 wipes.
A micro fiber cloth is great for cleanup and drying the razor and your hand after rinsing.
I keep a cloth near the sink when i shave, I run the blade under water to get rid of most of the soap and hair and than wipe it on the cloth to get any left overs bits. I do it the same way I would strop a razor
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I think this is good enough to be repeated. I also try to discourage people from rinsing their blades for two reasons. Rust issues and blade dings from contact with the faucet.
An old barber recommended me never to use a cloth on the blade, but only paper. The blade could catch in the cloth and chip.
In fact sometimes you can have microchips in the edge that easily catch the cloth fibers. Though a stropping motion could be safe enough.
I use a square of TP pinched between my fingers to wipe the blade down between passes - haven't noticed any ill effects to date.
I use a damp sponge in a container on the counter and wipe the blade off with a stropping motion. So far so good.
Bob
Yep, I dinged a nice razor that way. Thankfully Max was able to fix it.Quote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
I've been going to a barber to either watch my father get shaved or being shaved myself for about 40 years. They always wipe the blade on the barbers towel which sits on your shoulder or chest as they shave you. I guess there are two schools of thought here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sterm
I use a Barber's towel folded over three times and lay it flat on the counter. I wipe my blade on the towel lightly when the razor has too much shave cream on it. The folded towel gives some cushion to the razor as well. When I am completely done with my shave. I run the steel under very hot water and wipe it with a piece of tissue.
An important issue has been missed here.
Using a washcloth creates laundry. In my house that is a bad thing.
Michael
I own one of the orange shaving drip bowls as royal shave calls it. It is great for cleaning the blade during a shave. Very soft rubber so no fear of damage. I will say I still rinse and wipe at the end of the shave as the bowl will not clean it completely.Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDinquisitor
This is what I do as well. Bonus is it saves water.Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
I don't see a problem with it, the steel blade can't be that fragile. I rinse my blades when finished shaving & then dry them off with an old facecloth, no problems that I can see. They get stropped before the next shave anyway.
Yeah, same here lol. No shortage of laundry being created here with the kids and all, and that's without using multiple towels and cloths per shave.Quote:
Originally Posted by mjsorkin