Thread: Not enough stropping or not sharp enough?

I have been shaving with a straight for about 9 months. I can get good end results, but the shaves themselves feel a little bit harsh.

I am trying to isolate whether this is a problem with my stropping or if i just haven't been maintaining my razor properly.

What are the symptoms of not stropping enough versus a razor that isn't sharp enough?

That is a hard question. I think, in my opinion, would be that your face can tell when a blade is not sharp enough. Generally, the sensation on the face is that a strop only maintains the edge.

So I would guess that in your case your edge needs honing and your stropping is pretty good.

Both can cause similar symptoms, along with many other factors.

Only way to find out what your issues are would be to start experimenting with your own gear to see what changes and how they feel.

Even a wicked sharp edge can seem harsh depending on what you like, I lean twards the smooth shaving edge vs the ultimate sharpness edge. I just did one last night that was crazy sharp and it was just a bit to sharp for my liking. Could be the razor not liking that kind of edge, I've been experimenting with hardness of steel vs edge feel off Jnats vs Coticule and Cro2. Still early in the process so I don't have enough to go on yet...

Good stropping can help keep a razor shaving nice and smooth but to tell you the truth in instances where I had honed a razor and it was harsh all the stropping in the world didn't change that quality. Sometimes certain razors seem to do better with one hone over another or maybe one technique over another. We all know .25 diamond can leave a really harsh edge and Cr0 often times can smooth a harsh edge.

I think you have chipped edge. how bad or just little i have no idea.
This may be too much stropping sign too.(it will take really long time to get there at least 7-10 shaves)
Try get new honed blade and shave with it see what happens. if you don't have feeling then that will help you out to figure it out .
next easier one will be to buy some loop etc and check the edge on 20 or 40x and see what is going on with the edge.
please look the edge not the bevel.
hope this helps.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

I think you have chipped edge. how bad or just little i have no idea...

With time and stropping, I believe a blade can deteriorate in sharpness and/or in straightness. A blade can be quite sharp, but not straight. Or, straight but not sharp. Or, any combination.

I am sure this varies with razors and strops and individuals. My experience is that stropping maintains sharpness for a very long time. But, that the edge slowly becomes more jagged. I think this is what Hi_Bud_GL refers to. And, when this develops, my whiskers are cut as easily as before with no increase in pulling. But, the face just doesn't feel quite as good as it should.

Sharpness vs Straightness... You have to consider both possibilities.

not enough stropping seems to be the answer at this point.

I have a 60x microscope so i looked at the edge to compare it with the edge that it had when i originally had it honed. It appeared to be about the same as when i had it honed.

I also mowed down some arm hair on the inside of my arm near the pulse point of my wrist. That seems to have worked ok, but my arm hair is significantly thinner than facial hair.

I don't have a linen strop so here is what i have been doing to simulate one. I place my jeans on my bed so the seam of the leg is parallel to the length of the foot board and smooth out the wrinkles. i did about 5-10 laps just to see what would happen to the feel of the draw on my strop. I did about 20 laps on leather after that. For giggles, i laid some newspaper out on the kitchen counter and did about 20 laps on that. Then, i went back to the leather and did about 30-40 more laps. This time, i did it differently in my mind. I had a different mental focus. i concentrated on keeping the entire length of the blade on the strop with even pressure while applying the actual pressure to the spine.

The razor felt sharper and there was significantly less harshness and no pull. My shave feels a little bit closer too.

There are too many variables to conclusively determine what is the real cause was unfortunately, but this was uplifting regardless.

Maybe i should get a linen strop and see what happens.... I think i am probably not stropping enough. Is the effect of not enough stropping cumulative? E.g. if it takes me like 50 laps to get a razor ready and i don't strop for like 10 shaves, does that mean that i will need to do 500 laps or will i be able to get it back with some smaller number like 50-100?

It just occurred to me that you didn't say in the OP how many laps you're doing; kinda makes it hard for us to tell if you are indeed not stropping enough.

Let's start at the beginning. It is not uncommon for many of us to do 50/50, as in 50 laps linen, 50 leather. Or 40/60, which is my preferred ratio. Try it for a few consecutive shaves and see what happens. Don't forget to let us know how it works out for you

I do 20 strops linen then 60 leather, both before and after shaving. That's been working well for a variety of blades.