Thread: Starting Carefully in Chicago

Hey all -

I haven't even taken my first pass with a razor, and I'm already thrilled to have a resource like this.

I just bought a vintage razor off the SRP Classifieds, and I'm hunting down my grandfather's strop to use. But I'm nervous that I'm going to mess up one/both of them while I'm learning...

I had contemplated buying a Illinois 127 strop to learn on. I had also thought about making a learning strop out of some canvas or a pair of old blue jeans.

The last thing I want to do is mess up an expensive razor or an irreplaceable strop. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks Fellas!

BZ

Welcome from another Chicagolander! Assuming your SRP Classifieds seller told you that the blade would be shave-ready, you've made the most important first step: a truly shave-ready razor to begin making your first mistakes on. I've seen a number of users start out on a homemade strop, but I'd be inclined to go with something reliable for the same reason you start with a trusted blade: it takes one more variable out of the equation when starting out. A lot of folks seem to like starting out with the Poor Man's Strop at Whippeddog dot com. I started with an inexpensive Illinois 206 and it's still the only strop I've ever used (I've had to sand out some nicks from my early stropping errors). It is a good idea to have a strop with both components: a linen or cotton strop and a leather strop.

Besides watching all the stopping videos you can find here, it's probably a good idea to use the strop on a table for a while (if it's a hanging strop rather than a paddle strop). That way you don't have to worry about all the mechanics involved in keeping it taut while it's hanging. Trying to learn what "light contact" means while still keeping the spine reliably on the strop takes time and muscle memory.

Keep asking questions, and welcome again, BZ!

Best of luck, I am now a convert albeit I've only shaved the tiniest part of my face so far!

The mantra around here is read the wiki, ask and share as far as I can see!

Hi and welcome. Check out the library for all of the starter info and the other basics of Sr shaving. It might be a good idea to get another strop for learning as it would be a shame to mess up something with sentimental value. Good luck and any questions feel free to ask. Ed

Thanks for the advice and well wishes, guys. Crazy how a proper shave can connect you with people around the world and in your own backyard. I just pulled the trigger on an Illinois 127. Can not wait.

Welcome! In addition, if you can, get Lynn's DVD too; it was a big help when I started out and still is.

Welcome to the forum. Always nice to see another person from the area on SRP. Along the way you'll have a lot of questions. You'll find a lot of helpful people here with advice to keep you up and running. One rule we have here is that if there is no pic, it didn't happen/doesn't exist. So when your strop and razor hit the mailbox, pics will be required to verify existence. How are liking this cold?

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the journey

Welcome to SRP. You've found the right place. Go slowly with stropping and you'll be fine.

Good choice buying a strop to learn on. Save Grandpa's strop for the future, when you are less likely to nick it.