Originally Posted by
Tomdraug
Good luck, this is fun.
My 2 cent from other side of the pond.
Indeed, in Europe we seem to strop less, hone less, fuss less. I remember my grandfather's strop and razor, you'd die if you had to use it. It looked like torture implement, rusty and all. Grandpa never nicked though.
I strop leather only, maybe 20 max. 30. I hone maybe twice a year, only refresh on coticule, very light slurry and clear running water then. Only few passes, maybe 20. Depends on razor, too. But, I rotate two, three razors. Not always, sometimes I like one for the whole week, depends on my mood.
One advice - don't overdo. Shave once, second time without experience you will get nicks. Shave slow and no pressure.
Get to know your beard. How it grows, where is the grain direction. Shave with the grain. You will get nicks, when you go against the grain. Second shave is against, but do it after you get some experience.
After shave don't clean the blade too aggressively, just remove water. I use hand soap to clean, but this part I am not sure, if it is correct. Don't try to polish with the towel, you will ruin the edge and blade polish. Just dab. Look if water came in between the scales, this is main reason of blade rusting. I use toilet paper to dab blade and clean inside the scales.
Strop lightly, no pressure. I don't strop after shave, just put my razor out of bathroom.
Have fun!
Greetings from Poland,
Tom