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Is there a way to strop/hone a de blade on a regular hanging strop or regular hone without some kind of contraption? Is there some kind of simple setup? I don't use a de very often (every couple of months) but I would like to get more than one shave out of a blade before it corrodes too badly and not have to worry about keeping it oiled.
I would think that getting it dry would be the foremost concern. If you're going to have it sit for a long period of time, that might be easier said than done, especially if you're keeping it in a humid bathroom.
My friend Dave over at one of the other wetshaving forums has this tip on hand stropping that's very useful. Check it out!
Best of luck!
My brother told me he used to sharpen his DE blades by rubbing them on the inside of a straight sided drinking glass with his finger. He was in the Army and economizing the best way he could.
bj
Interesting video, John. My main thought was "If a guy is shaving with a cartridge and decides his razor isn't sharp enough, goes online to see how to get a better shave, and still doesn't switch to something else, something odd must be going on in his head."
It can be done but for 0.20 a blade it seems like quite a bother. However, if you sneak over to SMF or TSD and search for posts by Dave Irving (DIrving69?) you will come across a thread that he started on honing and stropping de and se blades. He had one anomaly DE that he was able to stretch out to 30+ shaves.
cheers,
rick
edit: John, I just noticed that you posted the video was of Dave stropping the DEs and SEs.
Blades cost between $0.05 - $0.50. If you really want to to replace blades, i say go straight.
When I use the DE (a Merkur Slant-Bar), I unscrew the head a number of turns so that the air can get to the blade. Actually, I loosen it when I rinse the thing, then leave it loose so that the air can get in. The blade seems to dry out quickly that way, without my having to take it all the way out of the head.Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnInPeoria
Could you decode this for me please? 'SMF' 'TSD' ????
Quote:
Originally Posted by rsrick
This is only an educated guess, but try "shavemyface.com" and "theshaveden.com".Quote:
Originally Posted by HugoVonStype
smf = shave my face
tsd = the shave den
I think both are shaving forums. I know the shave den is geared more toward de's.
I think that TSD is The Shave Den...not sure on the other.
When I was DE shaving I never knew you could do this. Weird. :rock:
I'll try this on my Gem Micromatic SE blades when I feel like using it again. Hard to not use the straights though! :rock:
A Lillicrap hone is tailor made for the job, from what I read they worked fairly well, they sold millions of them and they can be found on the 'bay quite often.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Sharp
A Lillicrap's Hone
Attachment 23259Attachment 23260
I have seen those on ebay but haven't been able to get one as cheap as I would like. Eventually I gave up on it. I did find one that was paper based and seemed to have a sheet of sandpaper glued into it. It did not make for a very good shave, even with a brand new blade. I'll probably try just a kitchen glass or mug next time I use one.
I have tried using the inside of a drinking lass and it worked okay, the blade was noticably sharper.
I like the idea of being able to do it on the palm of your hand too, simple is best!
it seems to work for me. I have gotten 6 shaves so far. I usually get 2-3.
You can protect your DE blades the same way I protect my straight razors. You can just loosen the DE handle slightly and then submerge the entire blade into a 0.5% solution of mineral oil in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. The alcohol will cause residual water to quickly evaporate and the oil will remain to protect the blade. That's all you need to do.
with the price of DE blades being so cheap, pitch the blade and use a new one.
if you are looking to hone a blade to prolong its life so as to use the least number of blades as is necessary, you might as well try straight shaving...in theory you could purchase one blade and learn to maintain it for your entire life (that beats getting 4-5 shaves out of a DE!)
I disagree. There is no reason to throw away DE blades so quickly when there are easy ways to maintain them to allow them to last much longer. My oil/isopropanol method allows a used razors to remain protected during long periods of storage.
I hand strop mine after a shave and put on a thin coat of oil (same oil as my straights) and the DE blade last almost twice as long.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
I've got a DE Strop, a 'New Strop'
If any one wants it, I'd only want $5 plus a couple for postage. Pretty cool for the DE guys.
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...6/100_1176.jpg
Have you looked in to Rolls Razors? High-tech shaving - circa 1950
They are kind of a cross between straights and DE's. I've got one I'd be willing to sell if you are interested.
How has the shave been with your Rolls?
It's been pretty solid. No complaints.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmiller87
I found that I got a better shave with the Rolls than my DE at first. I figure because of it's design and its included hone and strop not only was I shaving with a sharper razor but I was taking my time. I was also more conscious of blade angle and pressure. After using the Rolls for a while I went back to my DE and was getting fantastic shaves with both.
I did a lot of research before getting into straights and felt a Rolls was a great way to see if I really wanted to transition.
In fact after singing it's praises. I no longer think I can part with it. :fim:
However there are a lot of Rolls on Ebay. They avg. between 10-20. Just make sure the Hone and Storp are intact. Some minor nicks in the Strop side will not hinder its sharpening quality. Also be sure to inquire that all parts of the razor are present. The detachable Handel has two parts if you need pictures or any further explanations let me know and I can post pics of all the parts.
Under communism, people in Poland had the money, but they did not have anything in the shops. There was no meat, toilet paper, basic things. There were no razor blades.
VIP communism had everything.
Other people buy sharpeners, but it was hard to get it.
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/38/2640k.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/324/1640u.jpg
another method
sharpened on a stone with frosted glass
other method is the aforementioned drink glass
