Thread: @cudarunner honing.

Major, I'm bothered by that one line - - at least 2 - 3 months on my larger blades between honing. We need to review your stropping. You should be able to go many, many, more months before even thinking of re-freshening a razor's edge. I have several that have been shaved 10 months and still won't see a stone for a few more months. I may not be the best stropper around, but I can get eight months before I think of re-freshening an edge.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Major, I'm bothered by that one line - - at least 2 - 3 months on my larger blades between honing. We need to review your stropping. You should be able to go many, many, more months before even thinking of re-freshening a razor's edge. I have several that have been shaved 10 months and still won't see a stone for a few more months. I may not be the best stropper around, but I can get eight months before I think of re-freshening an edge.

I don't know for sure how long I can go yet - I'm approaching 3 months on the Friodur and it's still going strong. I'm hoping I can get much longer! Hell of an improvement however from when we first started talking and I was thinking I need honing after 2 weeks!

Then there's hope. But the thought occurred to me as I finished my shower this morning, what is your beard prep like before razor touches face? You said you have a heavy?, wiry? beard? Tell what you do to prep and I bet there is something that can be added or changed to give a little more longevity to the razor's edge.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Then there's hope. But the thought occurred to me as I finished my shower this morning, what is your beard prep like before razor touches face? You said you have a heavy?, wiry? beard? Tell what you do to prep and I bet there is something that can be added or changed to give a little more longevity to the razor's edge.

Right now I do shampoo plus conditioner on my face before shaving. I strop and get my brush soaking before showering so that I can shave directly out of the shower. I do kind of a 50/50 scuttle and face lathering - get the cream warm, add some glycerin, and then after applying the lather I add a bit more hot water to the brush to make sure it's as warm as possible. I don't really have a "wiry" beard because I shave every 24 hours, so it never gets beyond more than stubble.

Conditioner good. Don't rinse it off, leave it on your face. Try, before lathering, rubbing a small amount of Cremo or Kiss My Face into your beard for a little extra pre-conditioning and softening of your beard. And then there is the area I always, and am getting known for, harp on. What is the right temperature of your lather/shave that benefits your face the most. I am no longer harping on a pure cold water shave, but one where the temp gives the most for your dollar. Requires cooling your water by 10 - 15 degrees, seeing the result and then, if necessary, lower it another 10 - 15 degrees till you find your sweet spot. My brain is working on why the edge isn't lasting as long as I (and others, I'm sure) think it should before touch-up or full honing.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Conditioner good. Don't rinse it off, leave it on your face. Try, before lathering, rubbing a small amount of Cremo or Kiss My Face into your beard for a little extra pre-conditioning and softening of your beard. And then there is the area I always, and am getting known for, harp on. What is the right temperature of your lather/shave that benefits your face the most. I am no longer harping on a pure cold water shave, but one where the temp gives the most for your dollar. Requires cooling your water by 10 - 15 degrees, seeing the result and then, if necessary, lower it another 10 - 15 degrees till you find your sweet spot. My brain is working on why the edge isn't lasting as long as I (and others, I'm sure) think it should before touch-up or full honing.

So after your earlier message you got me back into my "experimental mode". Just went up and shaved, but this time I did 60 vs 50 passes on the strop. I think I will be doing that from now on! Another great lesson I've learned - who cares if you have to do 4 passes? I was obsessed early on with getting BBS within 2 passes. Now (especially with a scuttle bowl), my first pass is just a prelim. The second and third are where I get a good shave and then a quick additional under my neck. As you get faster, better to do more passes with lighter touch because you (or me I should say) always want to use too much pressure if you're going for BBS in 2 passes.

Ah! That magic word, pressure. Sometimes I think we are all born with a heavy hand and have to learn the hard way to lighten up. Especially in wet shaving, pressure is key to everything. Hence, that statement, by who I can't remember, shave the lather, not the beard. That solved so many problems for me.