Beginners Tips: April 2013

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Here is a simple one for you to ponder on this month, The best most expensive finishing hone/stone in the most experienced Honemiester's hands is still no better then the Stropping before the shave :)

What does he mean ???

Stropping really is that important, you can have any Hone/Stone you want, but until you learn how to strop the razor correctly you will never get the best shave from it..
Concentrating more on learning to strop correctly will do more for your face then asking what is the best finisher...

There is a thread on SRP called "Stroptober" that is packed full of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques so I will not expound on them in this thread.
You should be looking for your stropping to not only maintain the edge but to actually improve the feel on your face. When Gillette, Schick, Wilkerson, etc etc produce their edges they apply coatings to the steel to make them slide through the hair easier.. Stropping is your chance to do the same..
There are few facts as to what Stropping actually does to the fine edge of a Straight Razor but most all experienced users agree it does make the shave feel better when you learn to strop correctly :)

Take some time learning how to improve your Stropping technique, and it will reflect in the overall shave quality.

Hope this helps...

great tips emphasizing on the importance of stropping before worrying about the finish of the edge.
thanks alot Glen!

Great point Glen, and one i have been concentrating on lately, way more than hitting the hones. I am onto a modest eleventh shave on a Puma i have honed myself, but feel i could reach thirty or more with just a strop. No noticeable degradation to the edge, in fact today's shave was better than the first. To me this is what it is about, purist shaving with the least amount of effort, something that seems to have been passed by in everyones quest for the ultimate hone.

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Originally Posted by Grazor

No noticeable degradation to the edge, in fact today's shave was better than the first.

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That is the path right there, a perfect example, you are moving from the "Do no Harm" stropping, to the "Improve the Edge" stage... Awesome :tu

Very important tip Glenn! Stropping is King!

I have helped out numerous beginners learn the art and the most frequent problem I diagnose is the dulling of the razor due to poor stropping technique.

They receive a brand new shave-ready razor and after a few shaves wonder why it is not shaving well anymore. Some assume that their razor is in need of honing, and so they buy a stone or set of stones, overwhelm themselves, screw up the honing, and it just ends up being a total mess .

In most circumstances all the edge needed to be brought back is simply a good number of passes on a plain strop or if slightly dulled, a pasted strop.

I think a beginner should focus on good prep/shaving technique and proper stropping.

Stropping really is that important!

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

Stropping really is that important!

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really? for really real????? yeah, it actually is.

Indeed, it cannot be overstated: stropping is quite underestimated, and a vital part of straight shaving, both in usefulness as well as adding to the charm of the entire straight shaving affair.

Besides the valuable addition to the forum in the form of Stroptober (lots of visual aids), also check out the very comprehensive wiki entry at our own SRP library on stropping. I found it very useful when starting out:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwiki/index.php/Razor_stropping

You'll hear no argument from me.

My near-wedge Boker was honed (by me) when I received it in Feb '12. Hasn't seen a stone since, nothing but leather. Getting a couple more months off that wouldn't surprise me.

Whoops, linking doesn't really work with the wrong link, now does it:

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Yes, I will attest to the fact that stropping is really important! I have razors that I haven't sharpened since last July and they still shave just fine!