Dear Fellow Razorheads-Have watched numerous videos by Lynn, Sham and others, bought a Norton Whetstone set, a Naniwa 12K, a Chromium Oxide prepped strop , a Big Daddy Strop and several other razor mnt. items, I have run into a quandary. Been shaving straight for about 4 mos now, with about 1 year safety razor "Shavette" experience. With that in mind, I have a few questions.
Does a newbie shaver ever return to the honemeister sharpness, or does stropping just maintain the edge at a lower grade of sharpness? I noticed that two of my razors no longer grip the thumbnail, although they do passibly shave with several passes. Both were sent off around 2 mos ago. Both have been stropped regularly.
If the blade fails the nail test and 100 strops doesn't improve things, should the shaver go back to 12K? I've tried 20 passes on the Chromium Oxide treated strop to no avail.
Does anybody have any input on pre-shave oil? I have a 2 oz bottle coming and thought that it might help with the problem areas around the mouth.
I now fully understand why safety razors from Gillette were greeted with such enthusiasm!
Doubly frustrating for me, as I perform mnt for a living, restored over 100 tube radios while laid off, motorized a bike after 4 foot ops and consider myself very handy. Helped restore and own a 1963 Falcon and restored around half of my gun collection (Several of my guns are close to 100 years old!). Thanx for ANY feedback-Gearhead
Thanx for any input, as I cannot continue to send blades away at $20.00/pop!-Gearhead