Thread: Gday from Western Australia

no 100% genuine linen is meant to be the best for the material side, canvas is just a cheaper alternative for the same job. nothing in the straight razor world is aggressive, you should not be applying much pressure at all and then even less pressure again when shaving

Righto, thanks for clarifying. For now its mostly waiting for Larry's razor and hopefully i don't dull the edge stropping it so i can eliminate the razor issue from my shaving and focus purely on learning how to use it properly.

Hello Hayzee from the States. Interesting point on the razor you are using. If it wasn't on the good list from SRP and it said made in Germany it could be one of the switch-er-roos where the blade is made in Pakistan, shipped to Germany and assembled so they can say made in Germany. They shave but don't hold an edge very well because of crappy steel. The linen, or canvass side actually provides a bit of abrasion as well as cleaning the blade. The leather side finishes and smoothes. With a properly honed blade by a pro your first shave with it is without first stropping it. After the first shave then 50 or so on the linen/canvas and 50 on the leather before and after each shave. I will do a first lather, let it sit on my face while I do the first stropping. Rinse face, re-lather, shave, alum, splash or lotion then strop again and on with your day. And make sure that while stropping you are using what I call neutral pressure, that is the weight of the blade itself, nothing added. Properly stropped each time it can be anywhere from six months to a couple of years before your razor needs to be re-honed.

Welcome again, and enjoy the ride.

have you watched through these yet? http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...st-2012-a.html

please will you paste a link to your strop, i think you will probably have canvas in the first place anyway

Hi and welcome. The linen should be fine. There are lots of strop materials and leathers but the all work. Changing probably would make much difference and you'll nick your first strop so stick with what you got till better then worry about it all. Most razors don't come shave ready unless it was honed. Good luck. Ed

This is the link to the beginners set i purchased
Shaver Hut Entry Level Beginner Straight Razor Starter Pack
The description of the strop is fairly contradictory to what I have been hearing in this thread and reading up on other articles as it refers to the canvas as a light hone. Feel free to let me know if its a rip off e.t.c.!

kit seems quite ok for a beginner, i think the brush might be completely floppy and scritchy, you might want to find something with more backbone like a nice semogue boar brush. you might find you actually like it though. i wouldnt use any of that strop paste, as you come to strop just run your hand over the leather to heat it up and transfer natural skin oils.

'ideal strop for sharpening' is bs, but you wouldnt want to be without one

Iv previously had a cheapo synthetic brush used with the canned shaving creams until it fell apart and this brush and cream is night and day difference. So for now am fairly happy. Will probably get a soap though as i prefer the slicker feel. One question on the strop conditioner, is it just more viscous dubbin or completely different?

i dont really know it is always just described as leather conditioner, you could always put it on some leather gloves or something. i imagine it is gentler than dubbin though

If it is the same as the tubes it is an animal fat from memory. But as Bombay said just rub with your hand and you should be fine