Thread: Strop Emergency

The advice you have gotten so far seems pretty good
you can also try to find out if theres any members nearby(you may luck out)

If in a hotel room and no time to grab a newspaper, use the phone book; big print ads in the yellow pages seem to work.

I won't suggest the hotel room Bible, as I've not tried that . . . .

And the obvious answer. Take a razor with you that is already honed.
Shouldn't need CrO in a week of shaves unless you have a tungsten carbide beard

Wow. What a bunch of great ideas. I thought the green paint/balsa thing was a joke, but I guess not. I just happen to have a free copy of the WSJ weekend edition with full front page color. I'll give that a go tomorrow.

Here's a little more of the story. I'm a new straight razor shaver who owns only one razor at this point. I bought a new Dovo razor and as you all know it was plenty sharp. I also bought the web/bridle strop and a SRD #3 brush. So I was in pretty deep for someone who had never used a straight razor before. While I did most of my homework, I didn't realize that my razor might need touch up with something more than the web/bridle combo until after I started shaving. I kept meaning to purchase the stuff to make a pasted strop, but just haven't gotten their yet.

I've been shaving off and on for 8 weeks and, though most of the last couple of weeks have been "off", I started getting really good shaves this week. Then all of the sudded, I could feel the blade really pulling though my thick, course beard. Yesterday, it basically skipped over whiskers on the WTG pass and gave me one hell of a burn on the XTG pass. But I was able to do my chin with no cuts, so I guess there is a trade off with everything.

So, I will try the newspaper while traveling and will definitely be in the market for a barber's hone. Oh, and a new razor so I can send this one off to Lynn for my free touchoup without having to "buy a disposable". Perish the thought.

Thanks so much for all of your help. Now, if you can just fix my brush problem in the brush forum, I'll be back in the game.

--David

art supply, grab a tube of chrome green, brush and solvent.
Dilute the paint and paint it on newspaper or on wood.

The thinner is so you get no lumps. You can also suspend
the paint in thinner let the pigment settle out decant off
a layer of solvent and dilute again.

Apply to bare wood, canvas (art stores have canvas), denim. etc...

I would, and have, gone to the local Home Depot and bought some chromium oxide. It's the green buffer polishing paste available in their hardware section...works like a charm.

Man, we got some stropping McGiver's here
just to throw out a really wacky idea, I remember a part in a Kenrup stropping video in Wiki where he talks about G. I.'s using the side of a tire

Originally Posted by jakeinkalispell

Man, we got some stropping McGiver's here
just to throw out a really wacky idea, I remember a part in a Kenrup stropping video in Wiki where he talks about G. I.'s using the side of a tire

I'd just grow a beard if all I had was a tyre to strop my razor with

Found a solid piece of cedar, a full color page of the paper, and went to town. Here's the formula I used:

200 laps on the newspaper/cedar
100 laps on the webbing
60 laps on the bridle

Very happy with the results. I imagine some CrOx or diamond spray is in my future, but thanks to you guys I'm shaving again. In fact, I got my first full shave ever in tonight. The cartridge never touched my face and I'm sleeping on a bleached white pillow case with no red spots.

The bad news: I bumped the faucet two nights ago and the extra shiny blade revealed a small nick. Not so deep as to be through the bevel, but deep enough to pick up some webbing/bridle. I'm hoping Lynn can straighten it out when I send it back for my free touch up.

Now I just need a razor to use while it is away! Oh yeah, and a new strop so I can make the old one the CrOx strop.

Thanks for all the advice!

--David

Originally Posted by raneyday

The bad news: I bumped the faucet two nights ago and the extra shiny blade revealed a small nick. Not so deep as to be through the bevel, but deep enough to pick up some webbing/bridle

That's really unfortunate. I would suggest you use a dry towel to wipe the lather off your blade between strokes, the way a barber does. That way, your edge only approaches the faucet one time -- when you rinse the blade just prior to oiling it for storage.

Microfiber towels are dirt cheap. I found them at BJ's, 40 towels for $14.99.
Namaste,
Morty -_-