Thread: To strop, or not to strop

Well, I purchased all of my equipment, including this Thiers-Issard Sheffield Steel 5/8ths razor.
http://www.classicshaving.com/catalo...013/719620.htm

I also purchased the sharpening service which I hear will be done by lynn That makes me feel better, me and my fiance both enjoyed the shaving video. I have been reading alot about stroping, but the question that I cant seem to get answered is. Will I need to strop before shaving the first time when my sharpened razor comes from Lynn?

Also one other question, I have read places that you need to let your razor sit at least 48 hours before shaving again. Is this true? Do I need to buy a second razor if I want to do a daily shave?

P.S. I am new to this community, just joined as a member last night. I have been reading through all of the posts I had time to and I came to one conclusion. I have never in my life seen such a helpfull online community. I make a living as a web developer and search engine optimizer. I spend at least 10 hours a day on the internet. In 10 years I have never come across a forum that was not ridden with people who wanted nothing more than to upset one another "flame" as its called. I guess thats because it is straight shaving, but at any rate great job I will be a member for life, and even though I dont have my first razor yet, I already want to buy more. My wallet already hates this entire community. I think I will pick up collecting / restoring these as well. One straight razor collection beats a coin collection any day

Welcome to our wonderful obsession. I have not found it necessary to 'rest' a razor before its next use, however, I also rarely use one on suceeding days (my regular rotation is up to 10 ).

I think that the more time you spend here, your initial impression of this group will only be confirmed. Great guys one and all.

Ed

1) Stropping should be done before (20 passes) and after (15 passes) every shave.
2) No you do NOT have to leave the razor for 48 hours. It may be beneficial, but I'm highly doubtful about that.
Here's what I'd do if a) I were you, b) had a bit of cash to throw around:
0) Do NOT shave with Lynn's razor when you get it.
1) Buy another razor. You could buy another expensive piece or an e-bay antique (consult with more experienced people here before buying one).
2) Buy a Norton 4k/8k 3" waterstone.
3) Learn as much as you can from the help files and the forums here.
4) Hone the other razor to the best of your ability. Also practice your stropping technique with it.
5) Compare it to Lynn's razor and that's how you'll get a good gauge for your progress. Once you start getting comparable shaves (they won't be as good since Lynn is an expert and he also uses Belgian coticles to do an even finer honing job) you'll have 2 good razors you can use, which also means less frequent honing.
That way you can take full advantage of a razor honed by Lynn. Once I put new scales on my Satinedge, I may ask Lynn to hone it for me, if my stubborn DIY tendencies don't override my common sense lol.

Just wanted to clarify the reasons why it would be good for you to go through such a complicated process:
1) If you don't know how to hone a razor properly, you'll be sending yours out to Lynn for honing like every month, and I'm assuming he'd have to start charging you for the service.
2) If you don't know how to strop properly, you'll ruin the edge so finely honed by Lynn after the first stropping/

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Just wanted to clarify the reasons why it would be good for you to go through such a complicated process:
1) If you don't know how to hone a razor properly, you'll be sending yours out to Lynn for honing like every month, and I'm assuming he'd have to start charging you for the service.
2) If you don't know how to strop properly, you'll ruin the edge so finely honed by Lynn after the first stropping/

I agree with item #2. There's a lot of good info here in the files area on stropping, as well as at ClassicShaving under the "How to & Why" section.

I don't totally agree with point #1. You can get a paddle strop (Tony Miller, aka heirphoto has excellent ones) and use pastes to maintain your edges. I have four razors in my regular rotation, and it's been over 18 months since my razors were honed by Lynn. Using abrasive pastes is just like normal stropping, so there's no learning curve.

I agree with sensei_kyle
However you will have to learn to strop since you have to do it every day. I don't strop after I shave only 20 or 30 before. I also use a pasted paddle from Tony to touch up.
You don't have to let the razor rest. I have 10 or so but there are times I use the same one for several days in a row.

As you can see there are differing opions on these subjects. I do believe you should at some point get a hone and a cheap razor to learn on.

Welcome and enjoy the shave.

It doesn't take too long to develop proper honing skills and you'd still be spending $$$ on a paddle strop and pastes. Either way you'll be getting nice edges (eventually), but you will have to pick one.

I agree with the guys too!!! I have yet to master the art of honing, but hope to learn very soon. Each blade has only been honed once and the pasted paddle strop has maintained the edges quite well. Perfect in fact! Except the time my dog pulled the towel off the countertop and chipped one of my blades... thank god for all the honemeisters around to fix those for me. Good luck! Welcome...

Gabriel

Does anyone have a practice razor they would be willing to sell? I like the suggestion of using the razor lynn will sharpen as a gauge. I dont think I have the experience to be able to buy a razor off of ebay.

I am unsure if I should get the norton 4k/8k stone, or the paddle strop with pastes. The norton stone will allow me to do the sharpening myself eventually correct?

The 4k/8k Norton will get you to the point of getting excellent shaves. If you want to get more exotic with your honing, you could definately get something finer like a Shapton or a Coticle. However, focus on Norton for starters. You could buy a razor from Bill but it would also come extremely well honed. His work is top-notch. You could do it anyways, but if you want to work on an old one, I'll give you one e-bay seller (Tony) who sells old blades, but usually good Sheffield steel, gives detailed listings, affordable prices, no shipping markup and excellent descriptions: portal5. Check out his listings.

P.S. I am not being paid any advertising cash, just appreciative of good businesses.