Still very much a newb, but it hit me tonight after honing on my Norton 4K/8K. Stropping is more for maintenance, as basic as this sounds, correct? Again, great forum!:)-Gearhead
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Still very much a newb, but it hit me tonight after honing on my Norton 4K/8K. Stropping is more for maintenance, as basic as this sounds, correct? Again, great forum!:)-Gearhead
You don't have to, in fact it is a good test of honing to try a shave without stropping... then after you try it change it up and test again after honing
try stropping linen and leather, try stropping just leather
Basically try it all then go with what works better for you...
Thanx Gssixgun! Again, really enjoyed the honing video with you and Speedster!:)-Gearhead
You should do an experiment. You should hone, strop and shave, and then once in a while try shaving without stropping after honing. I found the actual feel really very different. I was going to say it was harsher, but I think that's the wrong term; it was more raw, but not unpleasantly so. I think on my skin it felt more like that very first time I shaved with a straight. I think your skin changes; toughens up after a while; and shaving after honing without stropping sort of emulates that feeling for me.
Carl
There's supposedly also a cleaning component to stropping--getting off skin crud, helping dry the edge.
30 years ago I asked 70 year old barber, who had 50 years in the biz, that question. "Straightens the edge." was his reply. Once when I was speaking with Lynn about honing on the phone he pointed out that the very edge of a full hollow is not much thicker than a piece of tin foil. I thought of what Frank had told me years before. No idea if it is accurate but if the edge is that thin seems like it might be.
I do know from HHT results that my razors are more likely to pass after stropping than before. The 1961 barber manual excerpt on honing and stropping, in the SRP library shaving related help files, recommends barbers always strop the razor before shaving a customer. Maybe I'm just not curious enough but I've never done a straight razor shave without stropping first.
Finally, suppose you tried using a straight razor without stropping and found out you didn't need it at all ? You'd be depriving yourself of having beautiful pieces of leather and linen hanging in the shave den. You couldn't grab them and rub your palm over them caressing them. Enjoy the anticipation of the next shave as you stropped your freshly honed blade on some luxurious shell that was once a part of a horse's buttock. I love stropping and strops. YMMV. :)
I agree with Carl here on the first time feeling without it. The stropping seems to add a hint of smoothness for me, which I prefer over just sharp as you can humanly get it. All falls to what floats yer boat. :p
If you have a chance to try and edge finished on a higher grit stone or a natural you will see the benefit of stropping. The edge will feel more refined the higher on the grit scale you go, but a stropped edge will top all of them. Stropped edge just feels smoother to the cheek than unstropped one.Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead222
One thing I have noticed is that the first time out an edge doesn't hold its sharpness through the shave quite as well as successively with the same sharpening but after a stropping or two. In violin making we use scrapers with knife-sharpened, very fine edges turned with a burnisher to have a slight hook (done correctly, this is barely visible and doesn't make the edge ragged; wrong, the way a lot of home woodworkers do it, and it destroys the metal at the edge and give a ragged result.) As it's used, one repeatedly straightens out and re-turns the edge hook. The first couple of times it doesn't hold the hook too well, but with successive turns it maintains much better, is sharper because it's stiffer, and long lasting. It even feels different as you turn it with the burnisher. I sense the same experience and changes over time as I'm using my razors.
Work hardening - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'm pretty sure this type of work hardening is what's happening both with scrapers, and with the slight bending back and forth of the tip of the edge that a strop probably does. I haven't seen work hardening mentioned at all with regard to razor steel.
We normally call that "Overhoned" when it comes to Straight Razors.Quote:
Originally Posted by mdarnton
It is a rather catchall term around here, but basically refers to taking the edge too far, and creating an "burr" (edge hook) or a fagile harsh edge
Respectfully, no. Or if you're calling it "overhoned" you really have the wrong word for it. No burr is involved in what I'm talking about. The resulting edge is absolutely sharp and smooth, no burr, no "fin".
Just going by what you typed,,, That edge you described would not be a desirable edge for a SR you might want to clarify if that isn't what you really meant but it is what you typed
If that is the edge you are making then it really is no surprise that it takes Stropping to make it comfortable.. whether you want to call it overhoning or not, that is the catchall phrase we tend to use on the shaving forums..
In woodworking, when using scrapers, you draw a burr, then you turn the burr.Quote:
Originally Posted by mdarnton
Attachment 124248
Whenever someone asks "why?", my immediate thought is to say "why not?". A small adjustment in the way you think can sometimes open up a world of wonder and curiosity... anyway, I digest...:)
I agree with Carl - experiment and find out for yourself. Why not? We have a lot of "theory" here, but until you try it out and test it out that is all it is - theory. And in the end shaving is a practical exercise, so from a certain point of view you owe it to yourself to practice what we preach to see what works, and what doesn't, for you.
If you do that and report back what you find, you add another data point to the pool and we all benefit just that little bit more.
James.
Very true. In my own experience even results from an early experiment may change as more general experience is gained. For instance, when I was a DE shaver I preferred Gillette Swedes and Feather blades. I had read a lot of guys praising the Derby blade and thought that they were terrible. Six months or so I tried them again and found them to be quite nice. Gentle and 'forgiving' compared to the Feather. The blades were the same batch and hadn't changed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
So my shave technique is what I attribute to the improvement. My stropping abilities have no doubt improved too, and I know by my results, compared to a few years ago, my straight razor shaving technique has. All I'm saying is try this and that and come back to it and try it again six months a year down the road and see if you find any difference.
Dear Fellow Members-Great responses and thanx! I did shave with one of the razors I honed last night without stropping . A little rough, but very close! Made sure to use shaving oil and a hot towel. Did not rush it either. Best shave ever with two passes:)-Gearhead.
I've shaved off the hones before with good results. Stropping will improve the smoothness, but it's definitely "doable". But the fact that stropping, especially material, helps to clean the edge of metal particles before the razor hits your face is enough to convince me to always strop first. That and microscope pics :)
Stropping after honing ensures that any loose debris is removed. I have a little Radio Shack 100X microscope and right after honing I can see little specks of metal both on the blade and on my finger after handling the blade.Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead222
I strop both before and after the shave to make sure the edge is clean of any debris (metal, soap, water residue). Stropping after the shave also ensures that the blade is as dry as you can get it.
Your going to really go through the razors honing after ever shave instead of stropping ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead222
