Thread: strop paste or hone?

I have been shaving with a straight razor for just over a week. After my first shave my face looked like it got caught in a cat fight, but I'm beginning to get the hang of it now. But razor maintenance is more stressful to me than using the razor. I have tried to research this question on the forum to prevent asking a common newbie question yet again, but I am stlil confused. (1) If I strop diligently every day on leather, and every two or three weeks use a fine strop paste, do I still have to hone every once in a while? If so, how often, assuming every day shaving with 2 razors in rotation, both quality high carbon blades. (2) Can I use just the one grade of paste rather than several grades using several strops. (3) I have a double strop with an oiled side for every day and an unoiled one for use with paste. Both strops are smooth on one side but rough on the reverse. If I have to use a course paste, is the rough side of the strop OK? Many thanks for what is a confusing issue to me.

Originally Posted by Roadkill

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(1) If I strop diligently every day on leather, and every two or three weeks use a fine strop paste, do I still have to hone every once in a while? If so, how often, assuming every day shaving with 2 razors in rotation, both quality high carbon blades.

Sooner or later you'll need to hone. The paste can sometimes delay it for quite a while; depending on the razors, stropping technique, etc...
How often? Go to the paste when the leather doesn't bring the edge back any more. Hone when both of those no longer bring the edge back. It could be weeks or several months.

(2) Can I use just the one grade of paste rather than several grades using several strops.

Many use 0.5 chrome oxide only after 8k to 16k (or even higher). In honing film, 0.3 micron is available (Pinnacle brand is one). I, like some others, don't like pastes for various reasons. IMO, you should try pastes to see if they're for you. I like the honing film better, but rarely use either one.

(3) I have a double strop with an oiled side for every day and an unoiled one for use with paste. Both strops are smooth on one side but rough on the reverse. If I have to use a course paste, is the rough side of the strop OK? Many thanks for what is a confusing issue to me.

That depends on how rough the surface is. I have an old Torrey loom strop that was originally pasted on flesh-side leather. I've used a D8C to both smooth and rough up different leathers. In my part of the country, I've seen many old barber shop strops that were pasted on the rough side.

Roadkill ~ I think you're needlessly complicating things. All you really need is a leather strop. Some like linen as well but providing you don't have a tungsten wire beard or damage your edges somehow that's all the maintenance you will need for several months. If you damage your edges by stropping incorrectly, doing the same with pastes will only magnify the problem.
I 'd suggest you get your shaving & stropping down pat for now & if you wreck your edge get some one to repair it for you.

Yes, it’s starting to seem a bit more complicated than it really is. Take the two strops you have, keep one plain leather and use it for every use stropping before each shave. 50 full passes (1 pass = 1 trip down, 1 trip back) is all you should need. It will not hurt to strop between passes on the same shave if you feel the razor needs it. I can’t say your current paste is wrong since I don’t know what it is. But I can tell you the .5 micron Chromium Oxide paste that member Chrisl sells for $4 is all you need. Take strop #2 and smear the dry CrOx on very lightly onto the smooth side. It’s that simple. Do 15 full passes on that pasted strop when you just don’t get any results on the regular strop. Or every two weeks if you are not sure by feel. Don’t worry about the rough sides of the strops, you don’t need them. Eventually you will need to have the blades rehoned, that happens to us all about twice a year.