My first straight razor shaving experience...a failure

[Titleist]

I have made several damage to the leather strop in three days, but today my movements were fast without any cut in the strop.

I would strongly recommend to you that fast is the last thing that you want to do when stropping. Forget what you may see on videos. Instead of "fast", learn to strop "properly". "Fast" only gets you a rolled or damaged edge and a damaged leather strop.

Slow down and focus on performing the flip properly.

Good luck, keep up the good work.

 

[albsat]

I am getting some great tips here. Thank you to all.

Today the shaving was almost perfection. I did 6 X laps in the Feox side of the balsa strop to smooth my sharp edge a bit. Impressed. Near BBS shave.

As you know I just have a pasted balsa with Cr/Feox on each of the sides of it. I have been getting a lot of help on the pasted balsa by @rbscebu on how to use it. Today as I said it was great. I need to improve on leather stropping. I wonder if I can maintain the edge with this strop only for some months. I would be very happy if I can maintain the razor sharp enough for 6 months.

One thing is certain for me. I get the best post skin feeling using a straight razor.

 

[Titleist]

I am getting some great tips here. Thank you to all.

Today the shaving was almost perfection. I did 6 X laps in the Feox side of the balsa strop to smooth my sharp edge a bit. Impressed. Near BBS shave.

As you know I just have a pasted balsa with Cr/Feox on each of the sides of it. I have been getting a lot of help on the pasted balsa by @rbscebu on how to use it. Today as I said it was great. I need to improve on leather stropping. I wonder if I can maintain the edge with this strop only for some months. I would be very happy if I can maintain the razor sharp enough for 6 months.

One thing is certain for me. I get the best post skin feeling using a straight razor.

Congratulations on your progress. I don't know if you can maintain an edge just on a leather strop for 6 months. But I can tell you that a leather strop when properly used will maintain an edge for a long time. Time of course being a subjective term based upon your number of shaves, your ability to use the strop properly without rolling an edge and your ability to protect the edge from damage.

There really is no need to hone or even touch up an edge after each and every shave. I use a leather strop and I have been able to maintain an edge for some 20+ shaves before even thinking about taking my edges back to the stones for a touch up.

Learn to strop properly, protect your edge. That's really the key for someone who doesn't hone for himself (yet).

 

[albsat]

Congratulations on your progress. I don't know if you can maintain an edge just on a leather strop for 6 months. But I can tell you that a leather strop when properly used will maintain an edge for a long time. Time of course being a subjective term based upon your number of shaves, your ability to use the strop properly without rolling an edge and your ability to protect the edge from damage.

There really is no need to hone or even touch up an edge after each and every shave. I use a leather strop and I have been able to maintain an edge for some 20+ shaves before even thinking about taking my edges back to the stones for a touch up.

Learn to strop properly, protect your edge. That's really the key for someone who doesn't hone for himself (yet).

Great tips. I need to improve in the leather strop area.

There are some members here that keep the razor edge perfect by using a diamond pasted balsa. I hope I can do the same with my FeOx pasted balsa.

I will try to do the FeOx pasted balsa after each shave and then experiment every two shaves, every 3 shaves ore between a week. Maybe I find the perfect stropping interval.

P.s. Somehow I want to get another affordable shave ready razor. This will be a difficult task for me, as I am based on East Europe and nobody sells straight razor here. Let me say it loudly. Vintage shave ready straight razors are expensive. they should be under 50$ !...)

 

[Titleist]

Great tips. I need to improve in the leather strop area.

There are some members here that keep the razor edge perfect by using a diamond pasted balsa. I hope I can do the same with my FeOx pasted balsa.

I will try to do the FeOx pasted balsa after each shave and then experiment every two shaves, every 3 shaves ore between a week. Maybe I find the perfect stropping interval.

P.s. Somehow I want to get another affordable shave ready razor. This will be a difficult task for me, as I am based on East Europe and nobody sells straight razor here. Let me say it loudly. Vintage shave ready straight razors are expensive. they should be under 50$ !...)

Another route could be using paste on a section of denim material. The use of abrasives (diamond/CROX) would keep an edge going for a long time provided you protect the edge.

 

[albsat]

Well, I had my 6th shave with the straight razor. So far, Fe/Chr pasted strop and leather strop are working for me, but it is too soon to confirm this for sure. Maybe after 2 - 3 months, would be the right time to tell if I can maintain the razor with this setup, right?

 

[rbscebu]

Well, I had my 6th shave with the straight razor. So far, Fe/Chr pasted strop and leather strop are working for me, but it is too soon to confirm this for sure. Maybe after 2 - 3 months, would be the right time to tell if I can maintain the razor with this setup, right?

The main thing is to enjoy your shaving. One day you might wish to see if your edge can be improved for greater shaving enjoyment.

 

[albsat]

I was doing my 60 laps in the leather strop. Just when I was starting to enjoy stropping and was at the end, I did a lap with the edge. Oh, I remembered the song "it cuts like a knife"... 2 big cuts. This is the result. Is the strop gone for good?

 

[rbscebu]

Not gone for good. Just sand the edges of the cutouts so that they are not obtrusive to stropping and continue on. You most probably will put in a few more cuts before you have your stropping technique working.

I cut up two strops before things settled down for me. I'm a slow learner but I do learn.

 

[thombrogan]

I get the best post skin feeling using a straight razor.

If you can entertain unsolicited questions:

When you say your skin feels best, is that independent of the shave’s closeness or because of it? Asking for a me. Thank you.

 

[albsat]

If you can entertain unsolicited questions:

When you say your skin feels best, is that independent of the shave’s closeness or because of it? Asking for a me. Thank you.

When I have used the straight razor, (my only one) I feel less skin burning, or let's say none. Honestly the shave is not bbs, as I go only for two passes. I can achieve the same feeling using an ac shavette but I should use a light touch. Using the straight razor I am more carefree on the movements . Yet it takes a bit longer than the shavette as I do more short clean up passes. I have no red spots using the straight razor too. It is a pain to maintain it though for me at this stage.

 

[thombrogan]

Thank you, @albsat Curious if I can mimic your success and will certainly make efforts towards it.

 

[Sukeroku]

It sounds like you are making some progress (except the damage to the strop).
Question: are you regularly testing the edge with tree topping onrhanging hair
tests? These can be better objective ways to evaluate the state of your edge?

 

[albsat]

It sounds like you are making some progress (except the damage to the strop).
Question: are you regularly testing the edge with tree topping onrhanging hair
tests? These can be better objective ways to evaluate the state of your edge?

The damage to the strop hurts still as I can't source another one easily. I do that test after doing the feox pasted balsa stropping. I saw a video on how to see the quality of the edge but I couldn't not understand a thing on my razor. I don't think the edge is perfect but I am going with it. I have to buy a loupe yet.

 

[albsat]

Thank you, @albsat Curious if I can mimic your success and will certainly make efforts towards it.

I am sure you will do better than me.

 

[albsat]

Last thought for today. I was thinking that the ac blade cost for a shavette is equal to the cost of a leather strop + balsa strop. If I was good at leather stropping, then the cost would that of the balsa strop (or a finishing hone). In my case the pasted balsa costs 20 usd (-shipping). I would need to maintain this straight razor for a year at least to equal in theory the cost of using ac blades in a shavette. Let's see...

 

[rbscebu]

@albsat, here is a leather strop that should be within you budget and is available on AliExpress. You may consider getting a couple of them in one order.

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1394001338.html?spm=a2g0n.productlist.0.0.5f847e18QegTSS&browser_id=b32ba71a5b13441a92e5cd4c3dd41a18&aff_trace_key=&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=001181e058d94d135996da024cb10ff5a39248e71e&gclid=&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21AUD%21%2111.94%21%21%21%21%21%402101e9cf16573263246597515e1105%2112000016731576117%21sea&algo_pvid=7bf4db02-22ff-4790-af29-cca3acb6e0cd

I started with a few of these (cutting the first two up). I still have two in regular use, one as a travel strop and the other for everyday use. The denim component of the strop is good for cleaning and drying the bevel after a shave and before using your pasted balsa.

They are not made of "thick" leather so you need to use it holding both the leather and denim at the same time. Here is the one that I stropped on this morning. I have probably stropped on this leather for about 300 SR shaves.

​

 

[Possum092]

I was doing my 60 laps in the leather strop. Just when I was starting to enjoy stropping and was at the end, I did a lap with the edge. Oh, I remembered the song "it cuts like a knife"... 2 big cuts. This is the result. Is the strop gone for good?

View attachment 1484558

Going 20+ laps is a good recipe for nicks, rolled edges, and cut strops. A proper edge never really needs more than 10-15 laps. Nothing more usually results in a lack of user attention and concentration. Keeping the spline on the strop while changing direction and throughout the stroke will also greatly reduce problems. Happy shaves.

 

[albsat]

My situation so far. I have cut the strop in several places. Beginners. Never buy an expensive strop in your start.

The edge is sharp but not that comfortable. I am finding a shavette smother and more comfortable . Something is wrong with the straight razor that I need to fix.

 

[albsat]

I bought a loupe to check the edge. I find some areas which are not that flat and there is a small point in the edge.

Those could be the issue.

I guess I need to give a lot of laps in my fe/chr pasted strop.