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I'm a straight razor newbie, and the idea of disposable blades on Feather razors is appealing. The point is that honing and stropping aren't necessary, but if I wanted to, could I increase the blades' longevity by stropping? Or are the blades simply not build to handle stropping?
You answered your own question. If you wanted to start honing and stropping a feather type razor you may as well get a straight right? So whats the point. I've never used one but I do not believe they are designed to be stropped or honed. In the old days they did have (and you can get them on Eboy) a DE blade sharpener. They are usually made of glass. You could try that.
I am fine with stropping, but sending them away to be honed is inconvenient and I don't want to spend money on a hone to do it myself.
I can understand what you mean about buying a hone, they are expensive, I'm actually saving to buy one myself. I was also planning to get a feather when I first became interested in Straights, but have abandoned the Idea seeing how, it is less costly in the long (and not so long) run of things to just jump to a regular straight. Actually, I think that If you go to The well shaved gentleman site, you can get a strop, razor (shave ready I believe) and a pasted paddle strop (for honing) for only like $185 with two sides pasted to get you started (Along with some other stuff): http://shop.thewellshavedgentleman.c...5&categoryId=5
Check it out
And thatīs cheaper than some models of the AC.
If I were inclined to strop my feathers, I think I'd probably go with one of the vintage marble stroppers intended for DEs. They consisted of a wire shaped kind of like wire tongs with loops on each tip, with a pair of marbles held in the loops. You stropped the blade by dragging it between the two marbles. This doesn't depend on the correct proportion of spine width to bevel angle, and it used to work on DE and injector blades so I'm not sure why it wouldn't work on an oversized injector blade like the feather.
I try to be as flexible as possible. I try not to sound too rules oriented. I try . . . really, but:
NO, Do not attempt to strop or hone a Feather blade.
Stick with a Feather or buy a fine barber hone and strop. Calculate the cost of blades over a five year period then consider the cost of the hone and strop if you want. Honestly, it really can be cost effective in the long run to use a straight if you want it to.
Now I'm not trying for the cheep bastard award or anything here but I have only about $150 in my entire kit:
1 shave ready Joe Chandler razor $45
1 No. 2 Tony Miller strop 43
3 ebay special razors (one lot) $15
1 Swaty barbers hone (also Ebay) $15
1 4000 grit sun tiger slipstone $8
1 8000 grit Sun Tiger slipstone $13
1 surry boar brush (my wife bought me a better one for christmas) $5
1 Corning soup mug $6
1 Lg ramekin (fits in the mug to make a scuttle) $2
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Total $152.00
Theres a lot more there than just a single razor blade holder. In fact theres more there than I really need for a lifetime. There is just enough there to provide some variety and full luxury though.