Thread: so to learn to hone - basic setup

Originally Posted by mbuemi1577

im thinking about getting this one next -

Man have you got taste! If you do get that TI you'll have to tell me how you like them both. I'm trés curious about the Ti's myself and know it's just a matter of time. How long can a man hold out?

aye im pretty excited! I dont know what made me decide to get into it - but now that i see how much fun it will be im so excited LOL

My opinion:

Yes, you can overstrop

Typical symptoms are that the razor becomes dull, the edge becomes rounded. Its not because you overstrop in the classic sense of overhoning. 1,000 perfect pulls and turns on the strop are fine. The problem is that with each pass you MAY make one wrong/bad pass. Since 20 laps may be all that is needed on a razor, doing 50 would be "taking a chance" If I think that 50 is good for a razor in the beginning, I do 50, not 75. 75 perfect stropping moves is fine but any couple of bad stropping moves is really bad, so you are taking 25 unneeded risks with the blade. The one bad turn, overpressure, cut on the strop, or wrong pull is actually the one that does the damage not the 49 good pulls which proceeded it, but stropping 50 times might be construed as silly in the first place, since typically 25 is fine.

This may be a silly question, but I've read SO much about honing and stropping, and the obvious importance of it, that I want to be sure I am doing things right. First, I only shave with a straight on days I am off, or don't have to be in a hurrry. So far, the results have been okay, and very little blood involved. My question: I have one of Tony's four sided paddle strops. I have a "pre-owned" razor that is shave ready (purchased on ebay from an SRP member). I don't have any pastes at this point. Before shaving with this razor, should I use the paddle strop, beginning with the most coarse side and work my way around to the smoothest? I have been using another of my razors to work on stropping technique, and feel that I have developed a good hand at keeping the razor flat (both spine and edge). My concern is that I screw up a good edge either by over stropping OR by not stropping enough and dulling the edge.

Thought and opinions?

Randy

I may not be following your question because it doesn't quite make sense but I'll try to answer it and if I'm off base I apologize up front. One, taking your time is a good idea, being rushed is bad juju. Two, stropping is required, maybe not the first time (but I would anyway) but each subsequent shave. I would strop only on the smoothest leather available on a four sided strop. Easy pressure. And try shaving. If the razor is not sharp enough than you use the other 3 sides to "hone" the blade without a hone and apply pastes of various grits to those sides. Let dry and strop on the other sides going from coursest to smoothest. Clean the blade of residue and strop on the smooth leather prior to all shaving. Obviously, the smooth leather is kept unpasted at all times and the razor is always cleaned of paste residue prior to stropping on clean leather (or it won't stay clean). The 4 sided strop is not used incrementally without pastes...if that is the point of your question. From a newbie "I could destroy the edge" worry, stropping with a paste is better than trying to hone, it is less destructive to the edge.

At the advanced level you may strop on Smooth Leather, then again on Really Smooth Leather, but that isn't really needed in my opinion unless your trying to shave with a WOWZA sharp razor and testing how little pressure is needed to get a great shave. All that would really accomplish, big picture, is align the edge, and then align the edge some more, but some guys do do that.

AF,

That pretty much covered it!

Randy (now off find some paste, other than Elmers)

First, to the initial post.....Nice razors! I use the Dovo "Best Quality" in the 6/8 size at least once a week. It is a fine shaver at a bargain price. Mine came from Ray too.

As for strops, on a pasted strop the answer is yes, you can overstrop. I took my best Friodur 7/8 and touched it up on saturday on 0.5 and 0.25 and got a terible shave. Thought I ruined my best razor. I must have gotton too thin an edge and rolled it. I went back to a few passes on 3.0, then 1.0 etc... and now she woprks well again.

On my 4 sided paddles I do two main versions. One is totally for pastes. usually one rough and three smooth tan surfaces. My other version has a rough and a red finish leather for daily use....two grades or roughness for normal stropping and two pasted surfaces, one roguh and one smooth natural surface. I am rethinking this now and will likely make three for pastes and one finished on my Standard strop from now on.

It sounds like the inital poster has exactly what he needs for all this. Noce razors and strops, some pastes and a Norton on the way. What more could one want other than a dozen more razors......and a Belgian hone......and one of those big Badger brushes...........and his own bathroom to keep this stuff in........and a cool barbers chair to sit in for fun.........and ..... <g> Well, you get the idea.

Tony

OMG yes,

Tony good point...I didn't even consider a pasted strop. You will easily overhone a blade on a pasted strop. In fact I think I've chewed up a few edges with a pasted strop. I mean really turned them into swiss cheese looking edges. Also, thanx for clarifying that some leathers are not for pastes. That was news to me and I wanted to acknowledge your comment. Not sure if it was this thread or not. I would love to check out the balsa wood strops soon. I'm buying a Bergischer Lowe and a Dovo strop soon for my high end gear, after that it's paddle time....da da da dah, dah dah, dah dah...hammer time....wooooops paddle time....

As has been pointed out by others, more laps increase the chance of making a mistake while stropping. I usually use 35 roundtrip laps on the plain leather strop. But that number is not set in stone. However, if your razor requires 100 laps to become shave ready then its time to go back to the abrasives for a touch up.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by mbuemi1577

so i read you can overhone - but is there such a thing as overstropping?

in other words can i do any damage to my razor by overstropping?

thanks again randy you are a big help