Thread: Cutting my teeth on a Cut-Throat

If your razor is initially shave ready, you only need to keep it that way.

For this purpose (the traditional barber's situation), you can get by with a strop and an inexpensive ($10-$15 on ebay) small barber's hone.

The first problem you're going to have is that you will dull the razor by improper stropping.

Shave at least once with the razor without doing anything to the blade first so that you know what a sharp razor feels like.

I'm also fairly knew at this, but I'll pass on a critical piece of advice: When stropping or honing the most important thing is to use no force at all downwards. You should glide the razor across the strop (spine leading) or stone (edge leading). The object of the strop is to straighten a delicate edge. Any force will dull it instead. Similarly for honing. This will take some practice in the beginning, as you have a natural inclination to push down.

The same concept applies to shaving. Don't push down. Glide the blade. Don't force if it snags: That's when you'll get cut. Under the nose, at the corners of the mouth, under the lip on over the chin are the hard parts. Learn how to shave your cheeks and throat first and get confidence before attempting the hard parts. Shave with the grain first and learn that. Then across the grain in places. Leave against the grain until you've mastered everything else.

Cold water works almost as well as a styptic pencil. Try finishing with a cold water rinse each time.

A good lather as lubricant is essential ("dry shaving" used to be an alternative to "riding out of town on a rail" and "tarring and feathering"). A bad lather is easy to spot: The foam will fade within seconds to let your face show through. A small amount of castor oil (found in pharmacies) or even corn oil will improve lubrication.

Keep your hands dry and clean so that you don't fumble the razor. If you drop it, it'll probably break (and you'll be out the cost) or hit you (and the co-pay will be as bad as breaking the razor).

Have a dry washcloth to set the razor down on when you need to or before and after shaving. Make sure there are no water droplets inside the case, on the case or on the blade after shaving. Let dry partially open in a safe place for 5-10 minutes at least.

Good advice tho you can safely put the razor down on a flat hard surface if it is closed to 45º or so. The scales will prevent the edge contacting.

That is really nice strop. You'll have to start really slow if you don't want to nick it up. Most suggest something simple like a Filly strop from ruprazor.com to start so as to nick that instead of your fine strop.

slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I started really slow and only made one big nick on my practice strop, and none on my nice strop that I'm using now (knock on wood).

Sounds like a great kit, you'll love straight shaving once you get over the learning curve.

Originally Posted by jeffegg2

That is really nice strop. You'll have to start really slow if you don't want to nick it up. Most suggest something simple like a Filly strop from ruprazor.com to start so as to nick that instead of your fine strop.

slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I started really slow and only made one big nick on my practice strop, and none on my nice strop that I'm using now (knock on wood).

Sounds like a great kit, you'll love straight shaving once you get over the learning curve.

I do not mean to seem callous, but if I ruin this strop I will just buy a replacement. What I mean is I would like to learn on the best gear I can afford. I am gratified that you like the strop and it gives me confidence that the stop will serve me well to keep the blade sharpened for a while. Thank you much.

Bodach

Originally Posted by Bodach

I do not mean to seem callous, but if I ruin this strop I will just buy a replacement. What I mean is I would like to learn on the best gear I can afford. I am gratified that you like the strop and it gives me confidence that the stop will serve me well to keep the blade sharpened for a while. Thank you much.

Bodach

No problem, it's your money. The Filly is a good quality strop to learn on, and makes a nice pasted strop when you move to your "best gear". It was sound advice when given to me, and I only passed it on to you.

Originally Posted by jeffegg2

No problem, it's your money. The Filly is a good quality strop to learn on, and makes a nice pasted strop when you move to your "best gear". It was sound advice when given to me, and I only passed it on to you.

Sounds like good advice from you that I'm failing to understand. Keep drilling it into my simple mind and I'll get it eventually.

Thanks,

Bodach

Re-reading this thread I note that you got the stainless steel version of the Dovo.

The good news is that it won't break or chip easily, as the carbon steel ones do, and it will hold an edge longer.

The bad news is that it is harden to sharpen and re-sharpen.

If you edge is just rounded over, you can probably strop it back into straightness. That's what stropping is for. Try this first. Hold the strop taut and horizontal while you strop. Use X-pattern strokes and glide the razor across the strop.

What I have found is that stropping is actually an alternative to finish honing, if you use pasted strops. I got an extra canvas strop, and but black paste (coarse) on one side and white paste (fine) on the other. My regular strop has Russian leather and another canvas(?), on which I put green paste (very fine).

Stropping on the green paste actually lightly hones, as some gray metal is visible when I wipe the blade afterwards with a tissue. The white and black pastes do more serious honing. From what I can tell, using the black/white strops is about equivalent to using 6000/12000 grit waterstones, but less efficient. It's a lot less messy, though. An alternative to black/white/green pastes for strops is 2.5 um, 1.0 um and 0.5 um diamond pastes.

My basic go/no go test is a variant of the "hanging hair test". After final stropping, I hold a hair with about 1.5" sticking out and drag it along the blade. It should lop off at least once, or the blade is too dull to use. If it lops off after a short distance (several times along the blade), the blade is sharp. If it's not sharp, repeat your process. If it is, shave with it and see if you can shave without tugging and it removes hair. If it tugs, some part of the blade is still not sharp enough (watch for a slight warp in the blade which can prevent uniform honing). If it glides on your face but doesn't appear to shave hair, you probably have a rounded edge ("wire-edge").

Originally Posted by jeffegg2

No problem, it's your money. The Filly is a good quality strop to learn on, and makes a nice pasted strop when you move to your "best gear". It was sound advice when given to me, and I only passed it on to you.

Jeffegg2,

I just found an article on a "paddle strop". All I seem to read about stropping is to keep it tight and straight and use no pressure. Well, wouldn't buying a "paddle strop" eliminate keeping the strop tight? What don't I know about a paddle strop? It seems the best of both worlds.

Bodach

Many like the paddle strop, and I see how it would be much flatter. I like the hanging strops because they look so "classic" and the coolness factor.

Originally Posted by Bodach

Jeffegg2,

I just found an article on a "paddle strop". All I seem to read about stropping is to keep it tight and straight and use no pressure. Well, wouldn't buying a "paddle strop" eliminate keeping the strop tight? What don't I know about a paddle strop? It seems the best of both worlds.

Bodach

Originally Posted by Alethephant

If your razor is initially shave ready, you only need to keep it that way.

For this purpose (the traditional barber's situation), you can get by with a strop and an inexpensive ($10-$15 on ebay) small barber's hone.

The first problem you're going to have is that you will dull the razor by improper stropping.

Shave at least once with the razor without doing anything to the blade first so that you know what a sharp razor feels like.

I'm also fairly knew at this, but I'll pass on a critical piece of advice: When stropping or honing the most important thing is to use no force at all downwards. You should glide the razor across the strop (spine leading) or stone (edge leading). The object of the strop is to straighten a delicate edge. Any force will dull it instead. Similarly for honing. This will take some practice in the beginning, as you have a natural inclination to push down.

The same concept applies to shaving. Don't push down. Glide the blade. Don't force if it snags: That's when you'll get cut. Under the nose, at the corners of the mouth, under the lip on over the chin are the hard parts. Learn how to shave your cheeks and throat first and get confidence before attempting the hard parts. Shave with the grain first and learn that. Then across the grain in places. Leave against the grain until you've mastered everything else.

Cold water works almost as well as a styptic pencil. Try finishing with a cold water rinse each time.

A good lather as lubricant is essential ("dry shaving" used to be an alternative to "riding out of town on a rail" and "tarring and feathering"). A bad lather is easy to spot: The foam will fade within seconds to let your face show through. A small amount of castor oil (found in pharmacies) or even corn oil will improve lubrication.

Keep your hands dry and clean so that you don't fumble the razor. If you drop it, it'll probably break (and you'll be out the cost) or hit you (and the co-pay will be as bad as breaking the razor).

Have a dry washcloth to set the razor down on when you need to or before and after shaving. Make sure there are no water droplets inside the case, on the case or on the blade after shaving. Let dry partially open in a safe place for 5-10 minutes at least.

Alethephant,

There is some fantastic advice there, especially about the amount of pressure you put on the strop. I have vociferously researched all I could about stropping and what you said seems to be dead on, thank you!.

Bodach