Thread: Hello From South Florida!

Welcome to the group. To eliminate the razor, send a razor out to someone that already knows how to hone and shave. Once you have one shave with your properly honed razor, we will see if the edge survives your stropping. It is not uncommon for new shavers edges to have a short lifespan. Honing is not rocket science, but mat not be the easiest for everyone to pick up on. It all takes time and trying to learn two new skill sets at the same time is a tough battle. Maybe let someone else hone for a bit.

Originally Posted by DZEC

Hello from a Canadian retired high school math teacher/ straight shaver.

If you are quickly dulling your professionally honed blades then a) you have a beard made of steel wool, b) your honemesiter really wasn’t that good or c) you are stropping incorrectly and damaging the edge. My guess is c). I found starting with a paddle strop and watching this video https://youtu.be/bvhK-eLRK94 helpful when I was starting out. See if you can find a mentor nearby who can help you with technique.

And, welcome to SRP.

It's (c). And thanks for the video link. I've watched a lot of stropping videos, but I hadn't seen that one - it was a really good illustration of slow, stable, and steady technique.

Welcome! Sounds like you’re in too deep to go back.

Stropping, for me took about 2-3 months before it really started to have positive effects to my edge. Keeping the strop taught but not tight helps, as well as shorter strokes. I found if I tried to use the entire stropping surface it was more likely for my to roll the edge into the strop at the end of the stroke, it only takes one or two bad strokes to do damage to the edge. Speed and consistency comes from practice and engraining a good stroke into your muscle memory.

Blasphemy I know but, my hanging strops just hang now and I use a small paddle strop charged with CrOx and take about 10 passes before a shave. That's it that's all and I have no reason not to continue. I regularly use just 2 razors and haven't honed them in at least a year and a half, maybe 2
As always YMMV
Mike

Hi and welcome aboard. Might be worth trying to find a local member to help as a mentor. With your strop you can lay your hanging strop on the edge of a table or bench and use like a bench strop. For your honing do get a loupe. Can make a big difference being able to see better. Could use when stropping to to see what effect your having on the edge.

Welcome
Change South Florida to your town

A member may live close by

Welcome to the forum.

Here's a great stropping video Glen (gssixgun; Sr Mod) put together for 2012 "Stroptober:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epnBjEKfFKc

Welcome to SRP and enjoy the fine sport of SR shaving!

Originally Posted by mmmbacon

Thank you for the reality check. I had grandiose fantasies of mastering honing in no time flat. My edges are telling me that it may take a bit longer...

first you need to master shaving and stropping, thats why you dull edges fast. master those 2 and honing is easy, send it out 1 time a year or 2. im almost 6 years in and have spent less on honing than stones. but hey most guys arent like me. but your putting the cart before the horse. you say honemeisters? maybe they arent? a poor edge dont hold either. and having the right guy hone will give you much smoother shaves "ONCE YOU LEARN TO SHAVE AND STROP" plenty of tough beards out here that can keep a razor shaving along time, it really is about learning those 2 things first. you may not even know what is a good edge yet, like i said before, i have heard plenty of new guys who had razors honed by so called honemeisters.

so back to basics, honing isnt by the numbers, its honed when its honed. and the bevel is where its at the rest is just smoothing the edge. once you learn to shave, then you might find the edge is pretty good, right now your just guessing.