This is probably a dumb question but I've nothing to lose...
If I strop 30 passes after a shave and then 30 more times before my next shave, is that the exact same thing as stropping 60 passes before my shave?
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This is probably a dumb question but I've nothing to lose...
If I strop 30 passes after a shave and then 30 more times before my next shave, is that the exact same thing as stropping 60 passes before my shave?
Sounds reasonable to me..I strop after each shave and before the next one as well.
ya me too. I was just wondering from a time perspective, could I opt to strop it all after my last shave or is there something deeper and more magical about stropping right before the shave :)
I think the correct answer is YMMV;)
Seriously, I think you should try it both ways, AND try 60 before and 60 after. Everyone is potentially different. I think the differences between 30+30 and 60 and 60+60 are probably quite slight honestly, but you just have to practice and see.
Honestly, I think I am pretty good at stropping, but I still have enough variability that my stropping is going to offer up more variability than the differences between 30+30 and 60 and 60+60.
In my experience stropping before the shave seems to be more effective (correct me if I'm wrong here). I only strop a few passes (5 usually) after the shave, to remove microscopic dirt and moisture from the edge itself.
An old barber told me the razor edge is distorted by shaving and slowly returns (mostly) to its former shape after a shave. It's better to leave the razor alone for a while after shaving and strop right before using it again.
I agree with this. IMHO the edge does get a bit deformed from the act of shaving and the steel needs time to reset itself. But then it needs to be stropped just before each shave to bring the edge back "in line" and to remove any oxidation that has occurred ( and it will) and also to remove any "gunk" leftover from the last shave.Quote:
Originally Posted by eod7
The only reason to strop on leather after a shave is to help the edge dry out but IMHO it also runs a slight risk of damaging the edge.
Just my 2¢ :)
i know some guys strop the night before when they shave in the morning and the shave is fine. Also when you get a blade from a honemiester they tell you not to strop cause they have already done so. So in my opinon once you strop it should be good atleast as long as the blade doesn't sit for to long a period of time without protection.
Stropping after shaving is just like stropping before shaving. If you are just shaving the next day then I'd bet it makes no difference when it's done between shaves.
Stropping in the evening and then shaving in the morning works. I have done this a couple of times (not sure it's quite as good though. I will try it again and see). However, at least one razor I received from the pro honers definitely needed some stropping, so I guess too many days had passed (even though the blade was oiled, it had to cross over to Canada so it took a while). Still, I have become quite picky about my stropping so it could be a personal preference thing. But maybe a newbie should leave a honemeister-honed blade alone the first time so they don't mess it up completely.
The only way to answer this is to try it both ways for 2 weeks each.
Then decide which way suits you the best.
yeah I'm not good enough to know yet :) Honestly, I can't even tell when I've had a good stropping or a bad one. I just do it cuz I'm supposed to. I'm only into this for a month so far and I'm juggling way too many variables (stropping, soap, blade diffs, mood, etc).
I will get there - it was just a question I was pondering as I was stropping post-shave last night and I wanted to ask. I feel comfortable asking questions here no matter how dumb they seem :)
I've never stropped immediately after shaving. First I clean the blade with water and tissue, dry it, then put it away. I don't really want to use my strop to remove whatever gunk might be left on the blade. I take my strop-treating seriously, and putting gunk on it is something I prefer to avoid.
When I strop after shaving, I always clean the blade first.
Ive done both for extended periods All I've been able to tell is that they wind up the same.
Michael
It depends on the number of years between shaves. If the answer is none, then it's the same. If the answer is like 4 or 5 then it's not the same.
In my opinion, 30 + 30 = 30. But I've met plenty of people who can tell a difference between 30 and 60. For me, anything over about 10 = 100, same sensation.
Years? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by AFDavis11
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/4/40...beard-man.jpeg
Do a search in the stropping forum for "the grand experiment". it will answer your question.
interesting... :lurk:
On weekdays I strop the night before to save time in the morning, and on weekends I strop immediately before I shave. I've never noticed a difference.
I'm familiar with the view that the steel should "rest" before being stropped. However, barbers from the past would use the same straight all day, stropping it throughout the day. Professional cooks use their knives all day and take them to a steel throughout the day. It's an interesting concept and I'd like to hear more about the basis of it.
I've heard this concept too, and I'd also like to see more information on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLegalRazor
Try this: hone a blade that passes hht before stropping, strop and shave then try the hht. At this point it won't pass the hht, then clean and dry the blade and let it rest for a couple days. After a few days try the hht again before stropping, and see if it passes, mine usually always do. This test proves the edge does in fact grow back. Obviously I don't strop after shaving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hardhead
This is a good piece of common sense. :tu
Hello all! New to the forum!
I'm a butcher/meat cutter and I put my well kept blades through up to 8 hours of continuous punishment on extremely demanding days (such as the holiday season!).Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLegalRazor
I've found that honing with a knife/butcher steel is a balancing act. A knife edge has "memory", something that will suffer from the eventual diminishing effects of metal fatigue. A brand new edge requires few passes on a polished steel to realign the edge and stay kept. But with continued use more maintenance is required.
For instance..I steel 2 light passes per side of a new edge after... Let's say roughly 15 minutes of use. Fewer extremely light passes keeps the edge in good health, but overdoing it will shorten the edges life in the long run!!! However, the more worn the edge becomes, the more passes I have to make to get a smooth response from my blade.
An edge that rolls from use and realigns from steeling will eventually lose its "programmed" edge due to fatigue. I find the best option to combat fatigue is to set the memory one last time when I pack my knives up so they don't go to bed with the wrong edge memory.
But again, its a balancing act where how often, how hard, how many passes and even when play parts of their own.
Think of a knife edge as a sort of battery. Use kills the battery and diminishes performance. Steeling restores performance, but also happens to slightly diminish the battery as well in the long run. Steeling at the right time with proper technique and the correct amount of passes when compared to the condition of the edge will slow the death of said battery.
I'm happy to go into more detail if anyone would like! But I'm aware this is a "Straight Razor Place".