Thread: Less is More when stropping?

Pjrage,

Thanks for your experiment. That's a bold move, taking one for the team, and all that.

Let me just say one thing: perhaps your razor never actaully got "dull", but you merely folded over the cutting edge on the glass bottle? The glass is smooth and hard, not abrasive, so it probably did not remove the metal, and may have only bent it over, like a rolled edge?

Perhaps then the return to sharpness was simply a result of re-straightening that cutting edge? Not so much of an abrasive re-honing going on?


Just something to think about as we review your findings.

I for one, know that my white pasted cotton strop is truly abrasive, if only very mildly so, so I will certainly say that it can be used to freshen an edge.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Pjrage,

Thanks for your experiment. That's a bold move, taking one for the team, and all that.

Let me just say one thing: perhaps your razor never actaully got "dull", but you merely folded over the cutting edge on the glass bottle? The glass is smooth and hard, not abrasive, so it probably did not remove the metal, and may have only bent it over, like a rolled edge?

Perhaps then the return to sharpness was simply a result of re-straightening that cutting edge? Not so much of an abrasive re-honing going on?


Just something to think about as we review your findings.

I for one, know that my white pasted cotton strop is truly abrasive, if only very mildly so, so I will certainly say that it can be used to freshen an edge.

Excellent point.. I did kind of think of that, but I didn't really put two and two together that it was different from regular dulling / rounding the edge. For my next test I was kind of planning on trying to cut some carpet or something to simulate cutting a ton of hair and try to dull it that way. Any ideas?

Originally Posted by pjrage

Excellent point.. I did kind of think of that, but I didn't really put two and two together that it was different from regular dulling / rounding the edge. For my next test I was kind of planning on trying to cut some carpet or something to simulate cutting a ton of hair and try to dull it that way. Any ideas?

It's going to be your most consistent medium.

I've been frustrated almost to the point of giving up straight razor shaving because I cannot keep an edge on a blade. It ususally starts to dull about half-way through the shave and finishes really rough -- dispite starting smooth and passiing the HHT after the hones.

Before reading this thread and The Strop is King thread I usually stropped ~20 passes before and after a shave. Usually 20 on linen after the shave and 20 on leather before the shave. Saturday and today I did 50+50 before and after shaving, finishing on the leather after reading about the micro-oxidation of the edge. Both days gave nice smooth shaves all the way to the end. And I expect that the next shave will be the same. Stropping reall is King. (at least for this week)

I speculate that the linen probably does more to clean the blade than the leather. However, I wonder of the oil of the leather strop helps to keep some of the micro-oxidation at bay as well as add a little polish to the blade. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by Iron_Beard

I've been frustrated almost to the point of giving up straight razor shaving because I cannot keep an edge on a blade. It ususally starts to dull about half-way through the shave and finishes really rough -- dispite starting smooth and passiing the HHT after the hones.

Before reading this thread and The Strop is King thread I usually stropped ~20 passes before and after a shave. Usually 20 on linen after the shave and 20 on leather before the shave. Saturday and today I did 50+50 before and after shaving, finishing on the leather after reading about the micro-oxidation of the edge. Both days gave nice smooth shaves all the way to the end. And I expect that the next shave will be the same. Stropping reall is King. (at least for this week)

I speculate that the linen probably does more to clean the blade than the leather. However, I wonder of the oil of the leather strop helps to keep some of the micro-oxidation at bay as well as add a little polish to the blade. Thoughts?

this is the effect i was referring too when I said it aint hard to see that linen will sharpen the edge.

there is something more afoot if you loose so much half way. What is it; vintage? How many times have you reset the edge- resharpened it I mean?

Originally Posted by kevint

...there is something more afoot if you loose so much half way. What is it; vintage? How many times have you reset the edge- resharpened it I mean?

True enough. I have several straights that I rotate through, which has kept me from totally giving up since I don't want to touch up on a stone daily. I go through 5 or 6 then hone them all. But... I think that I've actually been honing too far and the edge is too thin and crumbles. I don't get a wire-edge. I can see that under the x200 scope. I use the Spyderco's medium, fine, and ultra stones for honing.

I did have my face professionally shaved about January of this year and the barber did comment that I had about the toughest beard he'd ever shaved.

After a high number of passes on the strop, though, the same blade lasted an entire shave and with post-shave stropping and later pre-shave stropping 2 days later the blade was still in good condition. I speculate that I took of the over-sharpened edge and rehoned to a still sharp but possibly deeper beveled edge. Don't know. Just know that I'm currently at 2 for 2 - further use will tell.

No mysteries here. The linen is mildly abrasive and if your razor is just starting to deteriorate doing a bunch of passes 60+ will bring it back.

As far as leather stropping goes do a search here under "the grand experiment". It will tell you of a stropping experiment I did a few years ago.