Thread: Does stropping and paste eliminate need for honing?

I'm new here, having started razor shaving only four months ago. I bought the Ralf Aust from SRD, and it came shave ready. I strop 100 complete (back and forward) turns after every shave. When the blade started pulling a little, I applied chromium oxide paste to the backside of my fabric strop and stropped seven complete turns, per instructions. Wow, it was sharper than when out of the box from SRD.
I have stropped the paste one more time, with the same results.
My question: Does leather stropping and occasional paste refreshing eliminate the need for honing?

It can, if a razor is already sharp (as in the geometry is good when you get it).

Doing that with a razor from SRD works well because SRD set the razor up nicely and put a good bevel on it.

For maintaining, you can probably do just what you did indefinitely if you don't damage the razor or roll the edge when pasting it (as in, widen it accidentally).

You can do it with paste, or you can use a vintage linen and good leather to stretch out the razor (though I don't know that the vintage linen would stretch it out indefinitely - but in experienced hands certainly a year or more).

If, in a long time, you start to notice the shape of the edge looking a little funny (geometry getting out of whack), then it's time to correct it with the stones.

I suspect like the rest of us, you'll catch the disease, and you won't be able to wait for the razor to get dull before you acquire some hones and can't resist using them, though, so all of the above is "in theory".

I personally don't put my razor to abrasives any more often than they absolutely need to be on them - which is when they're new and you need to set the geometry properly (as SRD has done for you), and when I damage them. I want them to look little different decades from now.

It's been claimed so by some shavers over the years, but I would imagine that there will come a time when even re freshening the blade on a 12k isn't sufficient and a bevel set to shave ready would be necessary.

Well, I can only speak of my own experience here, but here's what's worked for me. I can get 12 to 15 shaves from a razor before it starts to feel a bit uncomfortable. Then I do 20 laps on a CrO strop followed by 20 laps on a FeO strop, then strop on leather 60-80 laps. The next time that razor starts to feel like it's not cutting comfortably, I do 8-10 laps on a barber's hone, followed by the pasted strop routine and ending on leather. I've been following this routine for several years now and it seems to be working fine. Have fun!

Your stropping technique, especially when stropping on the green stuff, will determine how long you will be able to get good shaves.
It probably won't matter much as you could get the urge to buy more razors and a hone or two.
If you decide to get a hone and find yourself ordering two or more you will know that SRD has set in. (Straight Razor Disease)

Yes it can, but for most novice stropper, the problem is perfecting the stropping technique. Stropping with a pasted strop can ruin an edge much faster.

The trick is to go slow, keep the spine on the strop and pay attention when stropping. Though lifting the spine just once could ruin the edge.

The amount of metal you are removing is so minimal that altering the blade would take many, many years for you to see any difference in the bevel.

There are a number of pastes available and each produces varying results depending on a number of variables, edge condition, substrate, pressure and stropper’s ability.

Chromium Oxide is a good paste to begin with, make sure you are using a pure Chrome Oxide, designed for razor use. Do not use woodworking or hardware store “Green Compound”.

Proper stropping on linen and leather alone can keep you shaving for a long time. Many guys maintained a single razor for hundreds of years with linen and leather. Again the trick is Proper Stropping.

Welcome to the forum, read the library and go slow when learning.

Originally Posted by Durhampiper

Well, I can only speak of my own experience here, but here's what's worked for me. I can get 12 to 15 shaves from a razor before it starts to feel a bit uncomfortable. Then I do 20 laps on a CrO strop followed by 20 laps on a FeO strop, then strop on leather 60-80 laps. The next time that razor starts to feel like it's not cutting comfortably, I do 8-10 laps on a barber's hone, followed by the pasted strop routine and ending on leather. I've been following this routine for several years now and it seems to be working fine. Have fun!

This has been my experience, though as prior posts suggest, the razor has to be free of errant strokes (which isn't some self torture "do it exactly" kind of thing in the long term, the subconscious will gradually take over stropping for most/all? such that it's a reflexive thing to do it the right way). Anyway, I have not, in the last three years, needed to hone any razor that I have set with anything other than the final finish stone. With an ark, that's just using the last ark, with a japanese stone, it's using tomonagura for a minute or two and then using a clear stone for a minute or two. I don't intend any of those razors will ever have to go back to anything more abrasive. My every 10 shaves maintenance is on a vintage linen, and I find the edge to improve slightly for the first few weeks and then pretty much stay where it is on a good razor. I've found my favorite razor with 150 shaves on it to become slightly duller when I've refreshed it on a stone that is finer than an escher hone.

Of course, when getting a new razor, I've always had to set the bevel so that it's common to my stroke.

And I should have also said that, after the barber's hone + pasted strops + leather touch-up, the next touch-up is on the pasted strops + leather only, and just alternate back and forth like that. Since I run a 14-day rotation, I'm only touching up any given blade about every 7-8 months or so.