Thread: Blade Metal

One question so far: Is a high quality carbon steel or stainless steel better for shaving?....

I call it silk versus satin. With a well honed razor this question will go on forever. Especially with the honing talent available here!

I guess it is preference, then?

Is Kropp Sheffield a pretty decent razor. Just reads "Made & Ground in Sheffield England" on the box. Has an 11/16" wide blade. Slightly pitted on one side with a bit on the sharpened edge.

More questions:

1) What are the advantages to having a narrow or wide blade?

2) What brand and type of strop? I know of the leather. But I've heard canvas and linen in addition to the leather.

3) Would the 4K/8K Norton stone be good? Should I get a 16K and/or 30K? Is the Belgian Blue and the yellow Coticule a better stone?

Thank you again for your time,Tony.

But that would only take you away from getting to know what you like. Take your time, and cut up all your credit cards.

Resistance is futile!

Kropp's are very good, but getting a tatty razor to shave ready is more likely to put you off a straight. There's too much to learn in one go. Think about getting something shave ready from the classifieds.

HCS gives a slightly smoother shave, i feel.

There's really not that much difference between HCS & stainless with regard to honing. Stainless might take a little longer. The technique is slightly different maybe. In my experience the stainless responds well going from a BBW with slurry to either a coticule with water, or maybe a thuringian. Those are stones i have, but lots of other rocks can produce the same results.

Narrow blades are easy to manouevre round the face, but more awkward to judge the correct angle on the face & harder to keep flat on the strop.
Wider blades lay flat on the strop easier, but can be a bit unwieldy while learning to shave.

A 5/8 is a good place to start.

A Norton is a great stone to begin with. You can add a Chinese 12k as a very cheap polisher.
The BBW & coticule is just different. I like them & that was the route i took instead of the Norton.

I just got this off eBay. Received it a couple of days ago. The blade easily falls out of the scales when you hold it upside down. Can the pin be peened to tighten up the pivot?

I need to get a stone. Have to wait until we get back from vacation next week.

Any words of wisdom for a strop. Linen verses cotton and why?

Originally Posted by Tony

What are the considerations for preferences? I honestly do not know what to look for. Should I have cotton or linen in addition to leather as part of the stropping process? Am I splitting hairs here?

Thank you for the time.

Tony

Not really. In the purest sense the cloth is a catch for microchips and corrosion. The stronger, and finer the fiber the better the effect of snatching these buggers from the blade's leading edge prior to further aligning and smoothing the blade with the leather. In the last 20 years most folk use the cloth as a medium for pastes which really negates this. As I mentioned earlier. or perhaps in a previous post/thread, I just purchased the SRD premium strop. I have sworn to keep this in pristine condition with absolutely no doctoring. I love the texture, draw, feel, and material. It really is "Old School", and in my opinion a work of art. It really is a pleasure to see this kind of quality nowadays.

I am still on the look out for the silk linen combo. Very hard to find but a solid catch for any aficionado. For the time being I would say flip a coin or ...BUY BOTH! You will eventually want/ need another.

I did warn you to cut up your credit cards right?

Originally Posted by Bladerunner

... As I mentioned earlier. or perhaps in a previous post/thread, I just purchased the SRD premium strop. I have sworn to keep this in pristine condition with absolutely no doctoring. I love the texture, draw, feel, and material. It really is "Old School", and in my opinion a work of art. It really is a pleasure to see this kind of quality nowadays.

I am still on the look out for the silk linen combo. Very hard to find but a solid catch for any aficionado. For the time being I would say flip a coin or ...BUY BOTH! You will eventually want/ need another.

I did warn you to cut up your credit cards right?

Yes, you did mention earlier to cut up my credit cards! Every time I read that it cracks me up!Reminds me when I built a street/strip 340 motor. That was back when I was an Airman in the Air Force with no money. That motor was powered by VISA!

Would you use the silk after the linen, but before the leather?

I will just have to read about both and make a decision. Maybe buy the other later down the road?

Thank you again for the input.
Tony