As a rank beginner, i have no idea what i'm doing. This morning I stropped my razor before shaving, when I had finished i noticed a fine dust on my blade, it was fine particles of leather off the strop. Is this normal or is it my poor technique?
Am I doing something wrong here?
- Thread starter FrankD
- Start date
Never had it happen. Is this an old strop?
Any chance you could film yourself stopping? You're not leading with the sharp edge are you? As a rule should not happen, but if you have an old dilapidated strop that also could be the reason. When you reverse, do you take the blade off the strop or just flip it? Sometimes when you actually take the blade off the strop, you cut into the strop when you return to it.
i too get some leather dust on my blade as of recent.. while still very pliable, i think it could use some conditioner.. it's a scrupleworks buffalo hide with significant draw
what strop are you using?
what strop are you using?
- Thread starter
- #5
I think the guys have found the cause, it's an vintage strop i bought recently, i put a few drops of neatsfoot oil on it and rubbed it in the day before i used it. It's a Koken Moose Brand. I'm thinking to maybe put some leather care product i have for my lay z boy chair on it? Don't know if that's a great idea though?
Sounds like it is time for just a dab of leather conditioner. Just a tiny bit goes a long way! Different leathers require it at different times, but sooner or later they all require at least a dab. I routinely observe for this leather dust as my gauge of when to apply. See the dust, apply, don't reapply till I see it again. Latigo goes long periods between applications. My Kangaroo leather produces only a tiny amount of dust, but gets hyper slick and sounds dry when it is ready. New split side Walkin Horse is an unknown yet, but Jarrod tells me it will need a dab more often. Can not stress tiny amount too strongly. Remember you can add more, but removing it is problematic. I got a dab too much on one of my latogo strops once and it took weeks of stropping to make it feel right again. I typically use about the same amount that I would apply to my lips if it was lip balm! The amount is really that small. If that means I have to apply more often then so be it.
I have had this happen on occasion, and to date, it has never been the strop's fault.
Once (that I know of) I had a rolled edge on my razor. The edge was running along and scraping up the surface of the strop. Re-honing the razor, and a bit of neatsfoot oil took care of the problem.
Another time I was using a razor with a very wide bevel. The top edge of the bevel was making a sharp angle with the top (normally very round) spine of the razor. The result was this edge scraping up the surface of the strop. Some high grit sandpaper took those edges off the razor, and a bit of neatsfoot oil once again put the strop and I back on speaking terms.
Both of these cases were VERY hard for me to diagnose, but both were very easy to correct once the problem was identified.
Once (that I know of) I had a rolled edge on my razor. The edge was running along and scraping up the surface of the strop. Re-honing the razor, and a bit of neatsfoot oil took care of the problem.
Another time I was using a razor with a very wide bevel. The top edge of the bevel was making a sharp angle with the top (normally very round) spine of the razor. The result was this edge scraping up the surface of the strop. Some high grit sandpaper took those edges off the razor, and a bit of neatsfoot oil once again put the strop and I back on speaking terms.
Both of these cases were VERY hard for me to diagnose, but both were very easy to correct once the problem was identified.
