Thread: Honing/Stropping Question

If you use and prefer a certain stone for it's finishing characteristics and then keep the edge going for a while by stropping, don't you lose the original characteristics of the hone you finished on? It would seem to me this could happen fairly quickly with a pasted strop. Let's say for instance the best Coticule edge you've ever done that gives you the most comfortable shave you've ever had. Wild guess, ballpark figure, your experience of how much stropping before the edge has lost the Coticule feel you were trying for to begin with? I've read of guys keeping edges going for months with pasted strops. I can't seem to wrap my head around how you could call your edge a Coticule/Arky/Jnat/ etc. edge at that point. Haven't all the characteristic been worn away by the paste?

It a good question, although I do not currently use an abrasive or pasted strop with any regularity, it would stand to reason that eventually any essence of the hone would eventually get strapped away. If for example you had a synthetic edge that gave a mildly prickly shave, after about four shave and strop sessions you can feel the edge being much more tame and smooth, using simply linen and leather. You can also accelerate that by a whopping stropping session. Eventually you wind up with an edge mostly attributed to your strop. In theory that lasts for a while before breaking down.

I've thought about this the same way. Now I think it takes a lot of stropping to take the specialness of the edge away when using clean strops. But if you use a pasted strop, then I'd think the finer things the stone did are not all there any longer. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

I have seen time and again those that know about honing to check the stria left by stropping alone. Very few of us would shave straight from the stone so in reality you have likely altered it from your first shave. To some degree your linen and leather strops have affected the edge.

Pasted strops will change your edge from the first use. It is almost equivalent to using another finishing stone fir a couple of laps. How all this affects the edge varies depending on what you use and on what substrate.

Stropping...any stropping... changes how a razor performs, as compared to
how it feels "raw" off the hone...any hone. You can easily prove that to
yourself, and you will more than likely prefer the stropped edge.

It's also true that different hones create different edges, and different folks
prefer different edges, so they use different hones. What you call that edge
is usually defined by the name of the stone.

Furthermore, what you use to strop a razor, and how proficient you are,
also makes a difference. Pasted strops...no matter what the paste...add
additional abrasive qualities to a strop, and they definitely can change the
edge, for better or worse, quicker than an unpasted strop.

Now, as for "keeping an edge going" with a pasted strop, I don't think that
anyone is talking about duplicating the "original" edge every time they
shave subsequent to honing. It's more like keeping the edge keen and
smooth for as long as possible. Sooner or later, the razor will need a
touch-up on some sort of hone.

So, you're right: stropping changes the "original" edge, and you can call
that changed edge whatever you like.

IMHO. Sorry if I'm just stating the obvious.

Your premise is correct. The edge is a product of the honing sequence, the final finishing hone, and any pasted and clean cloth and leather strops used after honing. Also, a flat paddle or bench strop will impart different characteristics than a hanging strop as the hanging strop flexes during use.

As long as you are happy with the edge after stropping (no matter what your tools and technique), keep shaving with the razor. When stropping alone no longer gives you the edge you desire, take the blade back to your finishing hone for a quick touch-up.

I understand that some people can go for several dozens of shaves between touch-ups using only unpasted strops; I cannot do that. For my tough beard and sensitive face, I can only get 4-6 shaves between touch-ups. Beyond that, the edge is not keen enough to slice through my beard without tugging. I keep my finishing hone on the counter in my shave den so I can grab it quickly if an edge does not quite meet my standards. Everyone is different, so you have to do whatever works best for you.

By the way, as you purchase more razors and more hones, you may find that the steels in some razors respond differently to hones. While I use the same finishing hone for most of my razors, I need to use different finishing hones and techniques on other razors in my collection to achieve the edge I desire.