Thread: Curious about why razors need to rest

Originally Posted by alx

I am curious about the logic as to why razors need to rest. There seems to be out there a belief that it is best for the razor to rest between shaves, like a day or a week. Is there a logic as to why there are 7 day sets of razors? And why do some straight razor users have a rotation of razors?

Alx

I put this in the class of the pyramid honing method. It does
not meet my initial logic but folks have found great value in it
because it does work for many.

Since we are discussing the property of the very thin cutting edge
some unusual processes take place at a microscopic scale. Heck we
are not always sure what stropping does.

Thus this takes us into the world of speculation.... here are mine:

My bet is on room temperature thermal annealing at the micron
and sub-micron scale that anneals (softens) the work hardened
(by stropping) cutting edge. This in turn helps the strop reform
the edge (pull) and then with repetition renews the work hardened
quality of the edge.

Oxidation is another contender. Again at the microscopic scale
the edge oxidizes irregularly and those oxidized bits will have
differential response to stropping where the oxidized surface
thins resulting in a thinner sharper edge that is then revealed
on stropping. I do know that a tin can lid gets "sharp" when it rusts....

The authorities that would have had the best chance to observe
properties like this would have been professional barbers. Their
use habits are very different from the individual users that most
of us are. Tossing professional barbers into the hat very much
confuses the speculation game. Professional barbers would also
serve as local honemasters. In that context bringing a week long
box of razors to the barber for honing and stropping might make
more sense. What if I got to visit Lynn's town for bacon, lard, beans,
salt, sugar, flour and dry goods via horse and buggy. I would be silly
not to drop my set of razors off for a tune up a couple of times a year
when I got a haircut and perhaps a professional shave. In turn I would
also be silly to not alternate through my set (of one, two, ... twenty two)
razors and use them equally.

Alternating through a set of two seems like the real winner.