Thread: newb strop questions

so i'm slowly building up my shaving kit. so far all i have is a nice tosuke japanese razor. I've used it a few times, but on the third shave it was rough, so i've put it away until i could buy a strop. well, the time is nigh and i wanted some opinions. This is a pretty small razor, so i don't need anything huge...i would think a 2" strop would cover it. My question is what do you guys recommend for total newb? I'm going to be going overseas (Japan, oddly enough) I need something that is somewhat portable (needs to fit easily in a suitcase/duffel bag and easy to maintain (buying leather pastes, oils, etc. will be problematic for the 10 months i'll be there). I was thinking of buying a double sided paddle from one of the vendors. It is russian leather on one side and a very fine material (similar to ark. black stone?) on the other. I'm guessing you hone it, get some good runs on the stone side, then finish off with the leather. then every so often you strop on the stone part to keep the blade keen. I was going to get that, or just a standard dovo 2" russian leather/linen hanging strop. What do you guys think would be best for my situation?

Also, i'm going to need a hone (i would think it needs to be honed since i got it brand new, hopefully i dont fark it up). I'm thinking a norton 4k/8k to get me started, then after getting to japan picking me up a nice natural there (usually 10k-15k range, no?)

all recommendations appreciated, thanks

Tosuke razors are famous for coming very shave unready. The recommended hone for a japanese straight is a 12K with about a 3 to 1 ratio of back and forth strokes (more on the concave side) with considerable downward pressure. A strop alone will be useless, you need the hone. You could also use a diamond pasted strop as an alternative.

so should i steer clear of a norton 4k/12k and just buy a 12k+? also, do i need a strop at all? or do i just need to hone it from time to time? i was thinking about getting a paddle strop with leather on one side and a 10k/12k stone on the back. thoughts?

thanks

Originally Posted by Journer

so should i steer clear of a norton 4k/12k and just buy a 12k+? also, do i need a strop at all? or do i just need to hone it from time to time? i was thinking about getting a paddle strop with leather on one side and a 10k/12k stone on the back. thoughts?

thanks

The stone you are thinking of is a 4k/8k. Likely the 12k mentioned is a Chinese 12k.

For your first question concerning the strop, a 2 or 2.5 inch strop should be fine. Strop widths are rather a personal choice. While I do not have a Tosuke, it is my understanding that they are honed on a very fine hone such as the Chinese 12K or one of the Shapton glass hones in that grit range. Since your razor was shaving well, this may be all that is necessary to freshen it up. I would also recommend the use of Cromium oxide to put the final polish on the blade before stropping. I have found that this makes a tremendous difference in the comfort of my shaves.
You also asked about a traveling kit. If I were going to Japan for an extended trip, I would pick up a Feather Artist Club (straight or Japanese style) that uses disposable feather blades. This eliminates the need to pack any equipment for honing or stropping. While these razors can be picked up here, they can be picked up in Japan as well, naturally. The blades are very sharp and provide superlative shaves IMHO. YMMV and all that...

Originally Posted by Journer

so should i steer clear of a norton 4k/12k and just buy a 12k+? also, do i need a strop at all? or do i just need to hone it from time to time? i was thinking about getting a paddle strop with leather on one side and a 10k/12k stone on the back. thoughts?

thanks

You have a variety of options. The 12K is the standard for the japanese razor. Does that mean you can't use the 8K side of the Norton? No it doesn't . You just have to experiment and adjust the strokes and the pressure you apply. As far as 12Ks go any hone at that grit will do whether its a shapton, the chinese or a Kitayama.

If you want to go the pasted strop route Japanese razors do better with diamond in the .5 and .25 micron range. Most razors come off the .25 on the harsh side but with japanese razors I find that is not the case.

thanks for all the info fellas...i went ahead and bought some stuff from some vendors i saw off of the vendor corner. here is what i got:
Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories - china 12k hone
VintageBladesLLC::Razor... - two sided paddle strop (russian leather/ .5 micron chromium pasted cow)
i also got me a nice travel brush and some other smaller stuff (soap, etc.)

what do you think? seems like this setup should do be well

some questions though:
1) should i treat the russian leather side with anything or just use it as is?
2) when using the pasted side of the stop, should I strop it backwards like with a leather strop, or hone it forwards like with a hone?
3) the hone said it was a waterstone, so i am guessing all i need to do to get it going is splash some water on and go to town. obviously i should use the hone in a forward motion to sharpen the blade. any reccomendations with this particular hone and blade though? i know i'm supposed to do a 3/1 or 2/1 stroke with a tosuke and more than normal pressure, but what able angle, etc. I'm going to do some researching and video watching before using it, of course.

again, thanks for the help ^_^