Question about post-shave stropping

I was discussing the subject of straight razors with an authorized Dovo US distributor a while back, and she told me that once, when she had met with the Dovo representative from Solingen regarding products, he had told her that it was a common contemporary misconception that straight razors should be stropped both before and after shaving. She said he stated that it was actually bad for (excessively hard on) the blade to strop the edge immediately after shaving with it, and that the blade should be left to "rest" for a day or two before stropping it again, prior to shaving. She also told me that this was why, historically, most men owned at least two straight razors at any one time, so that they could let one rest for a day or two before stropping and using it again. She also stated that wealthy men, who could afford it, owned the once-popular seven-day set of straight razors for the same reason. Has anyone ever heard that? What are people's opinions about post-shave stropping?

That's been around for many years. And there are opinions about it for many years. Since shaving is not a science there can be no scientific method to determine it one way or another. Run an experiment to test the hypothesis. Be ready for the many posts coming your way on this.

I decided to test this theory by shaving with one blade seven days in a row while resting another razor to gauge the difference. The blade that I was continuing to use seemed to do fine, but the blade I rested seemed lazy, listless, was difficult to wake up and get shaving, and I thought I heard distinct "yawning" sounds while it was going through the whiskers. Maybe I made a mistake by dipping it in alcohol prior to putting it to bed? It seemed a little shaky as well. I've sent it off to a Sleep Disorder Clinic for a refresh.

I am going to try it for a couple weeks

I am going to see if I notice a difference in the shave and under a microscope. I doubt stropping afterwards has ill effects on the edge. I do have a growing rotation so all my edges are resting far more than working. I strop afterwards to dry, clean, and polish before the razor goes to the bullpen

SRP is awesome. I love testing all these ideas

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Originally Posted by JTmke

I am going to try it for a couple weeks...

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Thank you, JTmke. I'm sure many of us will be interested in reading your results once you conclude your study.

I have two Boker Edelweiss 5/8 razors. Both honed by me. I am going to strop the vintage and rest the new every other day. I will be using the same castle forbes and Kent brush. I will try to be as objective as a man in love with his razors can be. I will miss my other razors terribly but this is for science... well sort of.

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Originally Posted by JTmke

I have two Boker Edelweiss 5/8 razors. Both honed by me. I am going to strop the vintage and rest the new every other day. I will be using the same castle forbes and Kent brush. I will try to be as objective as a man in love with his razors can be. I will miss my other razors terribly but this is for science... well sort of.

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:) Sounds like a very sound operational design. Good control group, too!

"I strop afterwards to dry, clean, and polish....."

As do I. A few laps on the strop is a good way to help make sure the blade is nice and dry. I would much rather have "tired steel" than water spots, rust, or some other nasty discoloration due to moisture. Seldom if ever do I use a straight razor two days (or more) in a row. I surely am not set up to debate the merits of this issue with someone who works for a razor manufacturer, but I would be most interested to see by what method(s) Dovo was able to come to this conclusion.

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Originally Posted by Phoenix51

"I strop afterwards to dry, clean, and polish....."

As do I. A few laps on the strop is a good way to help make sure the blade is nice and dry. I would much rather have "tired steel" than water spots, rust, or some other nasty discoloration due to moisture. Seldom if ever do I use a straight razor two days (or more) in a row.

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No, I certainly would not want to suggest or encourage even the slightest omission in maintaining the blade and protecting it from any corrosion or oxidation. I'm very new to their use, personally, but even I acknowledge the vulnerability of carbon steel, or any steel, for that matter. I go over all my blades with a dry cloth, and a pipe cleaner for the tight spots, and then use Ballistol thoroughly to coat all my metal surfaces prone to degradation from moisture immediately after use. But stropping is more about realigning the metal at the edge of the blade (without removing any, as in honing) to increase its cutting effectiveness, right?

The resting has been mentioned countless times in many articles, from my own experienced its a myth. That said stropping after the shave yields a totally different outcome, read the articles below.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...my-1841-a.html
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ca-1841-a.html

I work with a bunch of metalurgist and materials engineers. There is no metalurgical reason to rest a razor. I have found no science to support the razor repairing itself while sitting on the shelf. If anyone has reference to any document other than the Dovo sight I would appreciate a link.

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Originally Posted by john3126

I work with a bunch of metalurgist and materials engineers. There is no metalurgical reason to rest a razor. I have found no science to support the razor repairing itself while sitting on the shelf. If anyone has reference to any document other than the Dovo sight I would appreciate a link.

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Here the link Here your looking for, the proof is in the pudding!

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Originally Posted by Martin103

The resting has been mentioned countless times in many articles, from my own experienced its a myth. That said stropping after the shave yields a totally different outcome, read the articles below.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...my-1841-a.html
http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...ca-1841-a.html

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Interesting article, Martin. Not intended for wives, I expect, especially the part about suggesting that an unresponsive one may need a "stimulant judiciously applied" comparable to "honing and stropping"! Sounds like it would be considered spousal abuse today!:whipped:

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Originally Posted by john3126

I work with a bunch of metalurgist and materials engineers. There is no metalurgical reason to rest a razor. I have found no science to support the razor repairing itself while sitting on the shelf. If anyone has reference to any document other than the Dovo sight I would appreciate a link.

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I received instructions from one of the vendors here that said for best results have two razors so one cod rest. But if I was a salesman I would say that too.

I am going to take up the challenge but I do believe if resting worked than your razor would have to be made of fluid metal. If it was made of some fluid metal how does it know when to stop resting? Wouldn't it just become a puddle?

Just going to play devils advocate here so please no one take offense, that coming from a Dovo rep, they also say their razors are " shave ready " when they leave the factory ,, Just saying. Tc

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Originally Posted by Martin103

Here the link Here your looking for, the proof is in the pudding!

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LOL. You should have heard the razzing I got about this at work.

I serve a lot of barbers, they don't let their blades rest. Never heard a butcher or chef let their knives rest.
I let my brain rest, don't believe in over working it.:dropjaw:

I changed up the test a bit. I figure the test would only be equal if I used the same razor for resting a day as I do for stopping daily before and after. I have been using a Dovo Silver steel 5/8 touched up on a coticule. I have been stropping daily before and after the shaves. Each day the razor has been getting better. Smoother. No Pulling, no irritation and it does not seem to be dulling.

My other razors are getting jealous.

Tomorrow I will touch up the Dovo, though it does not need it, to make it and equal test as I touched it up before the two weeks of daily shaving, stropping before and after. I will then shave with the Dovo every other day only stropping before and resting for a day between shaves.

As for rust, I normally store my razors out of my humid basement shave den. For this test I have been carefully drying the Dovo and covering it top and bottom with a microfiber towel leaving it in the moist environment. No oil. I have no stains, or spots on the razor. For the next portion I will do the same.

Well, I have completed the test.

Resting with no stropping after the shave seemed as good as stropping immediately after drying the razor. I will always strop before shaving but I think I have given up the post shave strop.

As for resting, besides this test my razors never see two days in service in a row and that will continue as long as I collect razors. Rust was never really an issue and I kept the Dovo in a humid shave den folded in a towel and rust never appeared. I did carefully dry it after each shave.

Jim

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Originally Posted by JTmke

Well, I have completed the test.

Resting with no stropping after the shave seemed as good as stropping immediately after drying the razor. I will always strop before shaving but I think I have given up the post shave strop.

As for resting, besides this test my razors never see two days in service in a row and that will continue as long as I collect razors. Rust was never really an issue and I kept the Dovo in a humid shave den folded in a towel and rust never appeared. I did carefully dry it after each shave.

Jim

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Well thanks for your effort, Jim. I can't say as I'm surprised with your results, given all the opinions I've received, in this and another forum in which I posted the same question. See:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...93#post6607893

I actually began post-shave stropping myself on the advice of a "straight razor mentor" who recommends it as a method to ensure thorough cleaning of the blade after use:

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Joe,

All great questions and I am flattered that my personal patterns are being used. To be honest, the 30/60 pre strop is my normal routine. Sometimes, the strop session just "feels right" and I go further than normal. Now, the exception would be anytime I put the edge to a hone and then, 100 on leather is a minimum for me.

As to the post strop, that is crucial to removing dried soap, hair and moisture or other gunk from the edge. Cloth/linen first to remove microscopic debris and then on to the leather to further burnish and straighten the edge before storage. The pre-strop could either include the linen or not depending upon the time spent between shaves. I like the linen because it helps to remove things that could ruin your strop over time as well as ruin the edge when stropped on leather.

Before and after stropping has a real purpose and all the most experienced shavers and barbers do it so that is why I do.

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This only complements a thorough cleaning and drying routine, though, and by no means replaces it (I also subsequently use a few drops of Ballistol to ensure rust prevention as well). In my neophytic stage of skill development, however, I only practice using a straight once a week anyway, so my own observations have no bearing on the "resting" issue.

So there you have it! I suppose it will always be primarily an issue of personal preference. Thanks for all your input, Jim!

Best regards,
Joe

If you consider it, post-shave and pre-shave stropping are identical. Every post-shave stropping occurs before the next shave, and every pre-shave stropping occurs after the last one.

The only function of post-shave stropping is to get the crud off your razor and onto your strop.

True, I have considered that, but there does appear to be a fair amount of support for the notion that they serve different purposes based on when they are performed: pre-stropping to enhance the blade's function of cutting the beard and post-stropping to enhance the preservation of the edge itself. :)

Still, post-shave stropping done 24 hours prior to the subsequent shave has the same effect as stropping right before the shave.

I'm dumfounded that this is even being discussed with some level of seriousness.

I dip my razors in Gypsy tears after shaving and forgo stropping altogether - works like a charm - literally.

-john

Seriously? Me?

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Originally Posted by ocelot27

I'm dumfounded that this is even being discussed with some level of seriousness.

I dip my razors in Gypsy tears after shaving and forgo stropping altogether - works like a charm - literally.

-john

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Isn't the salt in the tears corrosive? 😂


B.

I can't see why any piece of metal would need a "rest" after a shave. My own pattern has been that after shaving, I go 40/70 cloth and leather, mainly so that if the next morning I have to shave in a hurry, I will have the razor already stropped. I give the razor about 30 strokes on the leather prior to shaving simply to insure it's fresh, though it might not be necessary. I"ve done it all kinds of ways. Sometimes I just stick with one razor for a week, other times I get about 3 and rotate through them, just depending on what I feel like. I have a little system for categorizing each razor's quality in shaving, and when I use razors that are comparable, whether it's every day or alternating, they all shave equally well.

I have stopped all post shave stropping. I strop well before each shave and most razors don't come back to shave again for a couple of weeks. I am drying more carefully and they get stored in sack ups. I have noticed no difference in shaves stropped after and then again before.