Thread: Hello from Wisconsin

Strop on the nylon, then leather. There is some great stropping material under the Stroptober thread and Lynn has a couple if videos about stropping.

Originally Posted by MAG515

I have a question about stropping, I already bought a strop with a second separate piece from the leather piece its made of nylon webbed fabric. The question is...when stropping do I need to start out on that nylon then when done move over to the leather and do some rounds on that before I shave or just go to the leather without using the nylon side. I am a little confused about that.

Also I bought some Chromium Oxide Paste to apply to one of the sides of the nylon. I guess you use that when your blade starts to dull and not cut as good anymore. is that right? If not how and when should I use that paste. Sounds like its used to help refresh the blade every so often and when that stops working its time to go to the stones. Is that correct?

Do not paste your daily strop. Keep it pristine. Rub the leather with the palms of your hand daily (before showering) to condition it. Better yet, come to the house and I'll show you all that.

Yes, it does help thanks for both of recent reply's and with your input.

Thanks for your input this will help. I've already started just rubbing my hand up and down on the strop just to lubricate it bit event though I'm not using it yet. I look forward to learning from you Obie as well as the others in this forum. Thanks again for the reply's

As others have said keep your daily strop totally clean and make a paddle strop for the paste, either balsa or leather.

Got it thanks. I think I'll do that instead of putting it on my strop.

Also a new member (about fifteen minutes new) from Wisconsin. I don't shave much because it irritates my face and neck too much. Someone at work actually asked me if i had a skin disease because of the razor burn on my neck the other day. I've been told by countless people that a straight razor shave will be smoother, pull less, and i quote "pamper your face". I had a straight razor that i was going to touch up with sand paper and hone, but a friend chipped the blade (almost killed him with the unmarred remainder of the blade, but my conscience told me no), so now I'm looking for a new razor, maybe a smiling one so i can work around my facial hair, and some pointers on shaving. Any and all help is appreciated.

CousinSeth:
I cannot comment on your skin condition. Maybe you have one or maybe not. Let's assume you do not. In that case, before starting with the straight razor, please view the Wiki here and view as many straight razor shaving videos you can find. Most are not good, but now and then you'll come across a good one. Off the top of my head, Lynn Abrams has a fine video on You Tube, as well as a CD that covers the full gamut of straight razor shaving. Also, GeoFatboy has a series of good videos on YouTube.
Yes, the straight razor will "pamper your face," as you note, but that will take a wee bit of time, because straight razor shaving has a learning curve. You need a good razor, one preferably honed by a professional, and a good strop. A smiling razor in all likelihood will be a heavy grind, but I don't think you need that right now. You also need to prepare your face for the shave. That will require a good brush and soap or cream — and you need to spend time on your preparation.
If I may suggest, start all over again and do some homework before you start. Beyond that, we're all here to help you along.
Good luck.

CousinSeth, welcome to SRP! First off, you may want to consider starting your own thread in the Member Introductions forum so that more members may notice and chime in. I'm pretty new myself, but I'll try to give a little advice:

1) as far as buying a new razor, I actually recommend buying a used/vintage one off the classifieds here. If you really want a new one, try one of the vendors that advertise on this site. I recommend people on this site for one main reason- you can be pretty well assured that the razor will actually be "shave ready." Either way, make sure that it is stated to be shave ready.

2)go ahead and get yourself a brush and soap or cream. You can go to walmart or a drug store and usually pick up a Van der Hagen set which comes with a boar bristle brush, puck of soap, and a bowl. These certainly aren't the end-all of shaving supplies but they will get you started. I recommend getting these things so that you can practice lathering and go ahead and use them with your current shaving implement.

3) you will also need a strop. There are lots of places to buy these, and everyone has their own preference. Budget is often a factor. Many people recommend getting a strop which is 3" wide; anything less than that will mean that you have to use an "X" pattern when stropping. However, it is very common to cut/nick your strop when learning, so it may not be advisable to spend a ton of money from the onset. Like I said, budget is often a factor; up to you, though.

4) MOST IMPORTANTLY, spend some time reading in the wiki here at SRP. You can find it on the left side of the homepage, or you can just click on "Library" at the top of any page. You will want to pay particular attention to the beginner's section; it explains here what is meant by "shave ready" as mentioned above.

People here are exceptionally nice and helpful; whenever you have questions, just ask and they will be answered. Welcome again and good luck!

Welcome I also Live in Milwaukee, well West Alice, but close enough