Thread: New Member

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Terry and soon
to be a new straight razor user.

I sent payment today for one to Lynn that is shave ready.

I only get to check my mail once a week at the Post Office
so I have a full week to get ready.

I still need a strop. I have read where others in this forum
have used belts. Any particular width? Any suggestions on
a real strop in the future?

Also if the razor is shave ready will I need to strop it before
the first use on that up and coming Saturday? How about the
following day?

At first I will probably confine my straight edge use to the weekends
and use my DE during the week.

With luck, patience and comitment perhaps by this time next year
the DE will be semi retired.

Looking forward to getting to know you guys.


Regards,

Terry

Hi Terry, welcome to SRP. My first straight was from Lynn also. It gave me a good idea about how sharp a razor can be. I've never used a belt, but I know it can and is done often, so I'll let someone who does use one answer that question. Tony Miller makes and sells strops (hanging, travel, paddle), so look for him around here. Also, classicshaving.com has a good selection (that's where my first strop was from). Even though the razor is shave ready, It's always a good idea to strop it before use anyway. I strop before and after shaving, but other people have other methods that are good too. If you get a 4-sided paddle strop, you might consider getting abrasive pastes (available on classicshaving.com) to keep the edge razor sharp. But that probably won't be necessary for quite some time, given "Lynn sharpness" plus you only intend to use the straight on the weekends. And if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask! Again, welcome and best of luck to you
Mark

Originally Posted by wvbias

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Terry and soon
to be a new straight razor user.

I sent payment today for one to Lynn that is shave ready.

I only get to check my mail once a week at the Post Office
so I have a full week to get ready.

I still need a strop. I have read where others in this forum
have used belts. Any particular width? Any suggestions on
a real strop in the future?

Also if the razor is shave ready will I need to strop it before
the first use on that up and coming Saturday? How about the
following day?

At first I will probably confine my straight edge use to the weekends
and use my DE during the week.

With luck, patience and comitment perhaps by this time next year
the DE will be semi retired.

Looking forward to getting to know you guys.


Regards,

Terry

Mark,

Thanks for your reply. I have been looking at the strops on Classic and Tom Miler's
as well. I think I will order one from Tom on Monday. I think a beginner would do
better with one than a belt. A belt is simply not wide enough for a beginner.

Does your strop have a Linen side? I know some do and some don't.
How many passes do you make on the strop? I have read The Art of
Straight Razor Shaving by Chris Moss so I understand a round trip on the strop
counting as 1 pass. I have also watched Lynn's shaving video 3 or 4 times.

The shaving seems like it will be much easier that properly maintaining the razor.


I'm sure I will have many questions.


Thanks


Terry

Terry,
Welcome to the group. As for the linen most people here can't tell you for sure why you need it or what ot does but most would bnpt buy a strop without it <g>.

You start on the linen for 20-25 passes (up and back is one pass) then on to the leather for 25-30 passes.

Tony Miller

Terry,

Welcome. What an awsome endeavor you are about to embark upon. I would definately stay away from using a belt to strop. There are just too many other much better alternatives. I would whole-heartedly recommend Tony's strops. He provides what I believe to be the best strops for the beginner. Sure you can buy excellent quality strops at any number of places but Tony is the only one that I have found that will pre-paste it for you for a mere $5/side. Had I not found him I would have had no clue just how a new strop was supposed to be pasted. I now know what it should look and feel like because I started with one that was pested properly to begin with. Do give him a call and tell him what you have and what you need. He can have you fixed up right in short order.

Louis

Louis and Tony,

Thanks for your replies. This is really a big help.
I've been itching to straight razor shave for
at least 15 years but had no one to learn from.
I will definately search through the threads in
this forum to pick up any scrap of info. that may
help me in this venture.

Tony,

The number of passes were befor the shave as well as
after? Also since I will only be shaving on the weekends
how long should it be before the razor needs honed?
I have a light beard that seems to cut easily with a DE.

Does speed really matter in stropping? I watched Lynn's shaving
video and It will be some time before I can do that.


many thanks guys,


Terry

You're getting great advice here and I suspect that will continue. It's a great group of guys as you'll see. Let us know how it goes.

X

Louis and Tony,

Many thanks to both of you. What a great site. Where else
could I get great information like this?

On the passes with the strop - do this before as well as after?

Does speed help while stropping or can I take my time? Hopefully the
later - speed + me would = a sliced strop and destroyed razor.

Well thanks again - will probably become a nuasiance - hopefully in
a year or so I will be shaving everyday and offering advise to newbies.


regards,

Terry

Welcome to the site. Just read the reference material and practice and you'll be on your way in no time flat.

I would also recommend tony's strops. His #1 is quality stuff and its something that isn't really all that expensive and will last you many many years. As to stropping I would start out very slowly. Don't try and start like some barbershop pro and ruin your edge and slice the strop. Speed means nothing.

There is debate as to whether to strop before and after or only before so its what you believe. Personally I strop 60x before not after.

Definately go SLOW. Going fast isn't going to help at all and can actually do more harm than good if your technique is not very good. I found out the hard way.

You can strop either before, after, or both. I strop before and after. Don't know if it really makes a difference but I'm sometimes kind of anal and obssessive. I feel that it makes sure that the edge is aligned before I put it away as I only need to shave every 2-3 days when using a str8. My beard grows kind of slow but it's a brute. Then when I strop before the shave it's just insurance that the edge is aligned and clean for my shave.