Should I stop with the pasted strop for awhile?

[straightman]

For the last 7 shaves or so with my new TI Blond Horn Silver Steel my routine has been 30 round trips on a pasted strop with .50 diamond paste, 30-50 round trips on a hanging strop before and after each shave. My razor passes the hanging hair test over the entire blade, no problem. And it shaves well. But you know how us "anal types" are...once we find something that really works we're reluctant to give it up. However, I don't want to wear out my blade, so should I forego the pasted strop for awhile and just use the hanging strop until I sense the razor isn't sharp? Any other recommendations?

Tom

[sensei_kyle]

I'd recommend using the plain leather until the blade starts to develop a slight pull. Then hit the pasted strop for about 30 round trips, clean the blade, strop on plain leather and you should be good for a while. Pasted strops are great for refreshing an edge, but it isn't necessary but around once a month or so.

[vladsch]

Unless you beard is extra tough you don't need to strop on the paste every day, only when the razor starts to feel less than sharp.

I doubt however that you are adding any significant wear on the .5 paste. I recently posted a thread on razor restoration where I sanded out pits in the blade with 100 grit sandpaper and it took almost 3 hours of uninterrupted sanding.

So if you don't want to change your routine, you don't have to. Even with everyday .5 micron stropping, the blade will probably outlast you and a couple of generations of your decendants.

[Tony Miller]

Tom,
I am the pasted strop guru and I think that may be overkill. I would stick with the naging strop before (and after if you like) but limit the pasted trips to once every two weeks or so if even that much. I may go back to a pasted strop a few times in a week when first refining a razor but once it is doing well I don't revisit the pastes for weeks. I would use nothing more coarse than 0.5 if using them frequently.

Tony

[jmorehead]

I am right in there with Tony.
I have performed miracles with a pasted strop lately. I have "experimented" on a pasted strop instead of "Nortonizing" and have been VERY please with the DOVO pastes. I just bought a sweet Belgian stone, but I am still am a "paste-stropping fool".
I have used them on my good "anti-personnel" knives too with remarkable success. I was even hitting my DOVO pasted strop with an M16-A2 bayonette weeks ago and impressed the hell out of an armourer that had been around since 'Nam.
But I usually hit my pasted strop about, oh, once - maybe twice a month with a razor and "I" am VERY demanding and anal when it comes to a good edge!
But "every" time you strop??? What are you shaving? The celia off of paramecium???