Thread: Stropping is King

I don't think you can ignore heating or pressure. Pressure increases friction, which is abrasive. Heating comes about from frictional rubbing, so if the razor heats up it's a sign that you did generate some abrasion.

Sufficient abrasion is the missing piece that would explain it all.

Joe
I will get a microscope some how and take a look at one of my razors that has never seen a hone for 16 years. I'll post pictures if possible. Has me intreaged anyway. (sharpest razor I own)
I still believe that this forum has nurtured the honing side of SR shaving to the detriment of correct stropping technique. One cannot live without the other but both play at least an equal part in the final outcome.
Do you all think that this favour is granted to hones because the act of honing is many faceted but clear to understand. Or is it stropping has too many variables in its practice that can effect the outcome, that people just dont understand that this could be where they might be going wrong when they get razor burn. Emphisis is put on poor honing as the root of the problem, when infact poor stropping could be just as much to blame. An adequate honing job on a razor can still be made to shave excellently if properly stropped. On the other foot, an excellent hone job can be made useless by poor stropping technique. 50/50 don't you agree?
So my point is, lets discuss stropping as much as honing if possible so we get a more comprehensive knowledge.

"In search of knowledge"

PuFF

[quote=PuFFaH;74349]

I still believe that this forum has nurtured the honing side of SR shaving to the detriment of correct stropping technique. One cannot live without the other but both play at least an equal part in the final outcome.

That's what I thought, but there are some here who do only honing, at least when traveling. There's a recent thread about it (or part of a thread). In other words, they get down to a very fine hone or pasted strop and touch up when needed. My only comment was it wears out your razor unnecessarily.

There's no right or wrong here. It works for these guys. Just like stropping alone works for others.

Do you all think that this favour is granted to hones because the act of honing is many faceted but clear to understand. Or is it stropping has too many variables in its practice that can effect the outcome, that people just dont understand that this could be where they might be going wrong when they get razor burn.

No, I think stropping is so deceptively simple tha it just doesn't receive enough attention. On the other hand there are some that use only strops (pasted strops included). At the same time, it's amazing how often a newbie will mess up his razor on the strop before he ever uses a hone.

An adequate honing job on a razor can still be made to shave excellently if properly stropped. On the other foot, an excellent hone job can be made useless by poor stropping technique. 50/50 don't you agree?

No. You could also be a superb stropper and never get your edge to the point of being able to use it because of poor honing technique. I think each of us eventually develops an approach that works for them. The typical approach is to use both.

But apparently, once your razor is shave ready you can keep it that way with a hone only or (a slightly abrasive) strop only.