New here, Can I strop with an old belt?

I picked up an old Challenge Cutlery razor from a flea market. Just wondering if I can use an old belt to strop with. The razor is old, in sharp, but not dandy shape. I just want to see if this kind of shaving appeals to me, before I invest much $

I am also willing to field any beer questions the group might have, being a national level judge, and a bit of a lush.

Thanks for any hints/tips/go-to-hells/advice.

Cheers!

At the very least,I would send the razor to one of the honers in the Member Services section of the classifieds. They can put an edge on the razor to make it shave ready. If you are serious about trying straight razors,you should make sure the razor is truly sharp enough, so you can give it a fair chance.


Gary

Welcome to SRP
You can strop with an old belt but if it has any embedded particles in it your razor may then look like this

I wholeheartedly agree with Gary that at the very least you should do yourself the favor of sending it to someone who knows what they're doing to put a shave ready edge on it. It will likely not cost you all too much, but without it you won't be giving straight shaving a fair try.

Cheers and welcome to SRP!

Thanks Gary,

This is a very cheap razor. It doesn't like to slide into the normal "closed" position. It's sharp enough to be dangerous, I'd like to see if I could hone it enough to see if I like the shave. I really don't want to spend much $ on a $5 razor to see if I like the shave.

I understand peening and honing blades like scythes, just want to put a better edge on this critter, to see if I wish to persue the straight razor shave.

I loathe disposable blades and am really fond of shaving soaps. Just curious as to what one can use as a makeshift strop. Willing to test arm and leg hair, before graduating to facial hair.

Yes, I'm cheap. Also curious. And I cannot afford to throw many $ at something that might not fit my needs.

A good shave is a luxury, indeed. I'll grant you that. I'm just not flush with cash presently, but do wish to experiment with the razor.

Joe

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Originally Posted by beercritic

Thanks Gary,

This is a very cheap razor. It doesn't like to slide into the normal "closed" position. It's sharp enough to be dangerous, I'd like to see if I could hone it enough to see if I like the shave. I really don't want to spend much $ on a $5 razor to see if I like the shave.

I understand peening and honing blades like scythes, just want to put a better edge on this critter, to see if I wish to persue the straight razor shave.

I loathe disposable blades and am really fond of shaving soaps. Just curious as to what one can use as a makeshift strop. Willing to test arm and leg hair, before graduating to facial hair.

Yes, I'm cheap. Also curious. And I cannot afford to throw many $ at something that might not fit my needs.

A good shave is a luxury, indeed. I'll grant you that. I'm just not flush with cash presently, but do wish to experiment with the razor.

Joe

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My point was that although your razor may be sharp,it is most likely not close enough to shave ready, to be brought there by stropping only. As far as honing,the cost of a set of hones suitable for razors is much more than the $15-20 that a honer would charge you.

Gary

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Originally Posted by onimaru55

Welcome to SRP
You can strop with an old belt but if it has any embedded particles in it your razor may then look like this

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I have all kinds of belts from garage sales. Mostly "new." I assume I use the smoother side of the belt?

Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HarleyFXST

My point was that although your razor may be sharp,it is most likely not close enough to shave ready, to be brought there by stropping only. As far as honing,the cost of a set of hones suitable for razors is much more than the $15-20 that a honer would charge you.

Gary

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Thanks,

I suppose I'll see what I can do with what I have, and when I get more flush, I'll seek out a better "kit." I do appreciate the luxury, and will get there eventually.

I appreciate everyone's input.

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by beercritic

I have all kinds of belts from garage sales. Mostly "new." I assume I use the smoother side of the belt?

Thanks.

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S'ok ~ Yes the smooth side is the side to use & very lightly with the razor flat on it

I understand the wish to use what you have - and this may work for you.

However, if you have a leather merchant / wholesaler near you it could be worth a visit.

A suitable length of smooth leather can be bought and cut to size, cheaper than the cost of a belt. (They may even cut the length for you).

Poke a hole in the end and tie it to something. Done.

The advantage of this is getting a piece of leather of known quality.

All the best,
Michael

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FTG

I understand the wish to use what you have - and this may work for you.

However, if you have a leather merchant / wholesaler near you it could be worth a visit.

A suitable length of smooth leather can be bought and cut to size, cheaper than the cost of a belt. (They may even cut the length for you).

Poke a hole in the end and tie it to something. Done.

The advantage of this is getting a piece of leather of known quality.

All the best,
Michael

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I do have a collection of leather from other projects, I understand you want the "strop strap" to be cut in the direction that stretches the least, right?

And, given that said leather has a rough and smooth side, I want to use the smooth side? BTW, this is cow leather...

Yes, you want to use the smooth side.

Don't be surprised if you end up with a horrible shave though, for a few reasons. For one, the razor may need honing even if it feels sharp to you.

Secondly, technique is very important in straight razor shaving, and being a beginner you simply won't have good technique.

But if you want to go ahead and shave with it, I'd offer these bits of advice.
1) Go overboard on beard prep. This will soften your beard as much as possible. It won't make up for a sharp razor and/or bad technique, but skimping on beard prep in addition to razor possibly not shave ready and lack of good technique is a recipie for disaster.

2) Read as much as you can in the wiki, and watch the shaving videos. They will help a lot.

Yep smooth side.

Try and make sure leather is flat and smooth. If not perfectly flat, it may flatten when you pull on it.

Making the strop doesn't have to be fancy or complicated - just a hole and something to tie it to will do the trick.

If you're interested in other people's homemade strops, use the search button at the top of the page and type in words like DIY strop or Home made strop.

I made my first strop with left over bits of leather and sewed on a handle. Worked fine, but decided to get a new piece of leather to see if it would be better. All I did with that was poke in a hole and thread some cord through it - again working nicely.

Stropping - worth paying attention to. Makes a big difference in the shave... and of course shaving technique.

All the best,
Michael

It can be done, and generally leather belts increases the likelyhood that you pooch your edge which doesn't matter a whole lot since just about any ebay or antique store razor will have a pooched edge anyway. I foresee unpleasantness in your future.

Now, if you want to clean the edges, you can give a whirl at honing on a piece of 2k grit wet/dry sandpaper. When you start it will be 2k grit, but as the paper begins to break down, the grit will become finer. Afterward, several good laps using a good polish compound should work out lots of the honing marks. This certainly isn't a recommended technique for honing a blade but I did the same when I started and it worked well enough to get a decent edge on the blade. The total expenditure using this technique is about $5 for the paper and compound. And, like I said, this isn't the recommended technique, but it sure is better than using a 90 year old edge on your face.

Thanks.

The blade had no problems taking arm and leg hair off, but when I got it touching the beard... Yikes!

I suppose I need to start shopping for a beginner kit, with a professional hone & a decent strop. I do like the reasons given for said beginner blades.

Wonderful group y'all have here.