Thread: Question for those who don't use linen.

How long do your edges last? No touch ups, no pasted strops, just leather.
How long on just leather stropping and nothing else?

I am interested to know the answer to this question. After reading the legendary "Stropping is king" thread, I strop like a madman! 60 on linen, 40 on latigo, then 40 on horsehide. I've got a Wacker that Max rescaled and honed in June, and I'm still shaving off that edge, no touch ups on any hones or pastes. Of course, I can't get any of my edges to last that long... Maybe he does know a thing or two about honing

Okay then. Does anyone get more than 2 weeks on an edge just using leather? 1 month? 6 months? How about 1 year.
I know that I get more than 3 months on an edge using linen and still going strong. Several of my razors have lasted much longer, more than 6 months I would say. There are some here who get more than a year on a razor. I know this is so for me on a couple of mine.
When I first started I often dulled my blade on the linen often, but after a year or 2 I got the hang of it and now, after more than 15 years my edges are lasting considerably longer.
If this is just experience please post and show me that its just experience. Until then, I believe it is the linen that allows me to go so long between touch ups.

I'll get along with the leather only say 2 weeks maximum, but it needs more stropping on a second week.

Nowadays i use linen say about once a week and the rest goes with leather. By this i get along without using 12K or barber hone about 2-3 months.
Propably just my lack of experience.

Somewhere between 5 and 15 shaves for me, Mark

Originally Posted by JMS

When I first started I often dulled my blade on the linen often, but after a year or 2 I got the hang of it and now, after more than 15 years my edges are lasting considerably longer.
If this is just experience please post and show me that its just experience. Until then, I believe it is the linen that allows me to go so long between touch ups.

I think ya touched on the "Rub" there Mark.... Linen once learned will extend the life of the edge, just like many other factors, like proper prep and proper angles, even proper stropping on leather...

But yes I agree with your theory here about the linen I use a 25/50 linen/leather every shave and I truly think it extends the life of the edge....

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I think ya touched on the "Rub" there Mark.... Linen once learned will extend the life of the edge, just like many other factors, like proper prep and proper angles, even proper stropping on leather...

But yes I agree with your theory here about the linen I use a 25/50 linen/leather every shave and I truly think it extends the life of the edge....

I am feeling another Glen experiment in the making.........

Actually, I am surprised by some of the findings here. I can go months on some razors with only stropping on leather.



Lynn

I'm qualified to respond to this post since I don't use linen and only leather for stropping. I have some linen strops and some NOS Hess Hair Milk linen strops still in the wrappers, but I don't use them at this point. I can get a good week of whisker wiping (a "perfect" edge) freshly honed with only stropping on plain leather. Then, at the end of the week, the edge can still be great off of plain leather, but it requires more passes and gradually as time goes on, more passes, etc. Finally, prior to touching up using chrome ox or some such thing, the edges need 100 passes on the plain leather. The time frame from first shave after honing until I go to some sort of abrasive? I'd say a range of two weeks to a month depending on the razor.

Starting out I'd always heard of the guys that said they could go for months and months and months on one edge before needing to rehone. That was both a goal to ascribe to and a source of frustration for me. I have since learned in reading people's posts, that at least some of the guys who report long lasting edges between honing use linen and/or linen pasted with something such as Dovo white strop paste before every shave. In my mind, yes, such a practice does not negate a statement of being able to take edges stropped on pasted linen to months and months and months of use between "honing" sessions; however again in MY mind, I don't consider such descriptions entirely accurate in the literal sense. Chalked linen is abrasive. If I did just 3 passes on a chrome ox pasted linen strop prior to stropping on plain leather, the range of the duration of edge integrity I gave for my edges would go up considerably.

So, +1 on your original question in this post and reiterate WHEN USING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE BUT A PLAIN LEATHER STROP? No strop pastes, no chalk, no linen, no denim, etc.

Lynn has answered the question as I see it in regard to his practices and experience.

Chris L

I too am interested in this, as looking to get into SR shaving, I don't want to rehone every month. It would cost a ton more than using a mach 3 then.

Originally Posted by Lynn

I am feeling another Glen experiment in the making.........

Actually, I am surprised by some of the findings here. I can go months on some razors with only stropping on leather.



Lynn

NOOOoooooo more experiments man, I am sick of shaving with that damn Kamisori