Thread: No longer a virgin

Originally Posted by pcdad

lol..u mean "Shave Virgin"..better hope not the other!..lol

pcdad

Congrats would be in order in either case

And yeah, you really should be stropping between each shave.

My strop arrived so I went to town on a 2nd shave. Shaved WTG everywhere except the stash and even did a little ATG on some easy spots. Felt nice. Just a couple wee nicks that aren't visible a few hours later.

As one who has been at this now for about 3 months, what I've learned about stropping--and these guys will tell you--is the words tight and light. Keep the strop tight, and strop light. Somewhere on this board someone said the hone is for making the razor cut whiskers, but the strop is for making the razor comfortable on your face. Once I realized I was not using the strop to sharpen the razor, but basically to smooth and polish it, I realized I'd been stropping way to hard. A light stroke on a tight strop will do it, and if you strop rightly, I can't see how you'd over-strop though I guess it's possible. I do about 20 strokes (both ways) on the fabric strop, then about 40-60 strokes (both ways) on the leather before and after shaving. When I started doing this I noticed immediately the comfort of the razor on my face increased.

Good luck, and remember it's not a competition or a challenge, it's just shaving.

"As one who has been at this now for about 3 months, what I've learned about stropping--and these guys will tell you--is the words tight and light. Keep the strop tight, and strop light."

I think Lawson has got it, PSB. I too have only been at this a few months, but am really enjoying stropping "tight and light" with my Tony Miller 3" Latigo (well, I actually got it for my son for Christmas), and haven't even nicked it to speak of. That, and 10-15 laps on CrOx'd linen, maybe 100 on colored newsprint when it starts to tug a bit, is keeping my Fili shaving well. I find it engrossing in a mindless zen sort of way now to keep that blade zinging lightly across a strop, then test it on my (increasingly bare) legs. A light touch with the razor, with short strokes on stretched skin, properly-prepped with good lather, will take you far. Keep us posted.