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First time stropping went well.... What am I doing wrong ?

OK, so I am new to SE Shaving. I just acquired a few straight razors along with a couple of Tony Miller Strops thanks to everyone here making me spend my money. No more money left. I hate all of you !!!

I performed my first SE shave last night which was less than stellar. You can read about it in the General Straight Razor Talk forum. After the shave, I dried off the razor and left it alone for the night due to the long experience of my first SR shave.

I now performed my first stropping of the razor I used last night on my Tony Miller Strop. From what I read from everyone here in the past was that you will butcher your first strop, so purchase the economical one, and then when you get your technique down, go for Tonys premium strop. Tony offers both, so I purchased it from him based on the wisdom of the shaving people here on B&B. The strop I used today was the economical one.

I first shaved on the linen 25 passes back and forth - North to South motion. Or is it south to north motion ? You get it. Must have taken me 5 minutes or so to complete. I then turned it over to the leather side. 50 passes back and forth. My arm started to get tired on the 20th pass. With a little break, I completed the whole 50 passes. It went well. No butchering of the leather. No cuts. No nicks. So now I ask all of you - what am I doing wrong ?

My first SR shave - although laborious and not the results I had wanted, I did not cut myself with the razor. And with todays first ever stropping - no nicks or cuts on the leather or linen. So as a new-be rookie to SR shaving - what am I doing wrong ? Isnt the right of passage to becoming an artisian SR shaver to have a few nicks and cuts along the way ???? On the face and on the strop ?
 
If you didn't cut up your strop or damage your edge, you aren't doing anything wrong. Welcome to using the Straight Razor!

You are going to make mistakes and you will cut yourself. I have been shaving with a SR for over a decade and this afternoon, I failed to mind the top point of my square point 6/8 Henckels and I "speared" myself a tiny bit. Just a pinhole drop of blood appeared but it happens to everyone.

Be patient with yourself, read everything that you can here and follow our advice.

You will be fine.
 
Just a pinhole drop of blood appeared but it happens to everyone.
A taxonomy of "oops" for straights could probably include
  • the Kebab for the accidental self-spiking of a tender cheek with an unmuted point of any flavor
  • the Finger for somehow slicing the finger that was stretching skin nearby, or simply, innocently, hanging out in the neighborhood minding its own business
  • the Lobe for the impromptu ear-piercing by the distant forgotten end of a blade while the supposed brains of the operation was busy working near the condylar process of the mandible
  • the Kirk (Douglas) for losing the plot while faffing about in the chin neighborhood
Feel free to add more :p
 
For your first few shaves, the main objective is keeping the blood inside the skin. You will be unlikely to get shaves comparable to a DE or cart until your technique improves. That will take time, there are no short cuts.

You will probably initially notice you are improving with every shave or two, then find your shaves plateau for a spell. Then another bout of improvement kicks in, only to plateau again. I found this happened for the first 100 or so shaves.

Patience is the key to using a straight and developing technique.
 
A taxonomy of "oops" for straights could probably include
  • the Kebab for the accidental self-spiking of a tender cheek with an unmuted point of any flavor
  • the Finger for somehow slicing the finger that was stretching skin nearby, or simply, innocently, hanging out in the neighborhood minding its own business
  • the Lobe for the impromptu ear-piercing by the distant forgotten end of a blade while the supposed brains of the operation was busy working near the condylar process of the mandible
  • the Kirk (Douglas) for losing the plot while faffing about in the chin neighborhood
Feel free to add more :p

I didn't want to scare the Lad but ..... I can add cutting off half of my left lobule and having to Superglue it back together. True story. 😆
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Usually you don't nick a strop until you start to get comfortable with the motion, and get careless. The key is to treat the strop like its your own skin.
Spot on.

It took me about 6 stropping sessions before I started cutting up my strops (mid-range Chinese). In 6 months, about 200 SR shaves, I cut up two strops. One of those cuts went right through the leather.

After 6 months of not cutting my third Chinese strop, I only then splurged out on a TM strop.
 
I'm not too sure what you are talking about north to south or south to north. When I strop my strop is very close to parallel to the floor. And I strop away from me and then towards me. North and south sounds like your going up and down.

When I started I had to replace my cheap strop around 6 months in. It was beyond fixing anymore and I was feeling every little cut I ran across so it bothered me too much. I got another cheap one. For my 1 year, I figured I was safe and bought a Kanayama 80K. I was so afraid of cutting it that I never did. Now I have still made a couple of tiny slices in the last five or so years but not on a Kanayame. I have 3 of them now and 11 others. It all comes together for ya with time. Just don't rush it.

BTW, When I strop after all these years I'm guessing up and back and up and back and up takes about one second. But that's is after many years! If it takes you 3 seconds to go up and back then so be it. Do it right, Not fast for now.
 
I'm not too sure what you are talking about north to south or south to north. When I strop my strop is very close to parallel to the floor. And I strop away from me and then towards me. North and south sounds like your going up and down.

North to south, south to north for me means up and down the strop. That is the pattern I was trying to convey.

Now if I did it east to west.... then we are talking a whole different ball game. :-D
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
If you really want to get the motion down with no danger cutting your strop, just get a table knife and do the motions on your pant leg while you’re sitting around watching TV. Good way to get the muscle memory in.
 
OK, so I am new to SE Shaving. I just acquired a few straight razors along with a couple of Tony Miller Strops thanks to everyone here making me spend my money. No more money left. I hate all of you !!!

I performed my first SE shave last night which was less than stellar. You can read about it in the General Straight Razor Talk forum. After the shave, I dried off the razor and left it alone for the night due to the long experience of my first SR shave.

I now performed my first stropping of the razor I used last night on my Tony Miller Strop. From what I read from everyone here in the past was that you will butcher your first strop, so purchase the economical one, and then when you get your technique down, go for Tonys premium strop. Tony offers both, so I purchased it from him based on the wisdom of the shaving people here on B&B. The strop I used today was the economical one.

I first shaved on the linen 25 passes back and forth - North to South motion. Or is it south to north motion ? You get it. Must have taken me 5 minutes or so to complete. I then turned it over to the leather side. 50 passes back and forth. My arm started to get tired on the 20th pass. With a little break, I completed the whole 50 passes. It went well. No butchering of the leather. No cuts. No nicks. So now I ask all of you - what am I doing wrong ?

My first SR shave - although laborious and not the results I had wanted, I did not cut myself with the razor. And with todays first ever stropping - no nicks or cuts on the leather or linen. So as a new-be rookie to SR shaving - what am I doing wrong ? Isnt the right of passage to becoming an artisian SR shaver to have a few nicks and cuts along the way ???? On the face and on the strop ?
I cut myself later, when I thought I was good at it and stoped paying attention. Nothing crazy but the point got me.

Strops? Never really butchered any, the occasional small cut that was easy to sand out.

First shaves were not great either. I would say the same as driving a car the first time. Shifting aint smooth etc. You get the point.

Get a properly honed razor and practice. It will get better.
 
Stay away from palm stropping, unless your insurance in paid up. A few folks swear by it here; pure lunacy in my book. But hey if you‘re looking for ways to go wrong SR shaving, DM me for ideas. On a serious note stay safe, keep your blades sharp, and happy shaves.
 
Stay away from palm stropping, unless your insurance in paid up. A few folks swear by it here; pure lunacy in my book. But hey if you‘re looking for ways to go wrong SR shaving, DM me for ideas. On a serious note stay safe, keep your blades sharp, and happy shaves.

Lunacy? That's a bit strong and melodramatic.

I use palm stropping after honing and and rinsing and before going to linen and leather. It's a safe means to remove Nagura grit from the edge. I also use it after a shave to remove soap from the edge. I don't use the palm strop method in place of linen and leather but as means to compliment it.

There's no lunacy involved actually.
 
Lunacy? That's a bit strong and melodramatic.

I use palm stropping after honing and and rinsing and before going to linen and leather. It's a safe means to remove Nagura grit from the edge. I also use it after a shave to remove soap from the edge. I don't use the palm strop method in place of linen and leather but as means to compliment it.

There's no lunacy involved actually.
Also a great way to get cut for no reason. I’ve never witnessed a professional edge sharpener place their hands near an edge; granddad sharpened tools and blades for extra income. I do see YouTubers and barber wannabes playing with their blades like fidget spinners. Play with snakes and you’ll get bit sooner or later. I would rather use a soft cotton cloth to remove grit than my skin.
 
Also a great way to get cut for no reason. I’ve never witnessed a professional edge sharpener place their hands near an edge; granddad sharpened tools and blades for extra income. I do see YouTubers and barber wannabes playing with their blades like fidget spinners. Play with snakes and you’ll get bit sooner or later. I would rather use a soft cotton cloth to remove grit than my skin.


We're all "playing with snakes". In case you haven't noticed, we're placing these same blades and their edges on our faces. Palm stropping is done with a light and short spine leading stroke, flat and just like on linen and leather and is no more dangerous than straight razor shaving itself.

But you do you, I'll do me. It was a suggestion to the OP and not a mandate.
 
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Go slow.

Hold the razor with the thumb and forefinger on opposite corners of the tang. Do not flip the razor until you have stopped forward motion.

Use enough pressure to keep the strop taught, not tight and enough downward pressure to keep the blade flat on the strop, edge, and spine. Never lift the spine off the strop.

Make one pass, stop, and flip the razor with the spine on the strop, start forward motion and let the edge land gently on the strop when the blade is moving forward, about an inch or so of travel.

Flip the razor using your thumb, like flipping a light switch, you want the edge to land gently on the strop with the blade already in forward motion, edge trailing. It is impossible to cut your strop if you do this.

Practice on your linen, it is much more difficult to cut linen than leather.

Use your linen to clean the blade of soap, rust, blood, and add a bit of polish/ keenness. Use your leather to straighten the actual cutting edge and add a bit of polish, 15 -20 laps of each are plenty.

It does not hurt to strop on linen after shaving to clean and dry the edge before putting it away.

Where guys get into trouble is stropping too fast, using too much downward pressure, flipping while the blade is still in forward motion or slamming the edge into the strop. If you look at micrographs of the actual cutting edge, you will see how fragile an edge really is.

Do not talk while stropping, do not strop while someone is in the bathroom with you or walking behind you. Stropping takes all you attention. After over 40 years of stropping, if my bride comes in the room, talks to me, or is walking my way, I stop stropping.

Go slow nothing good comes from stropping fast.

Did I say, go slow?
 
OK, so I am new to SE Shaving. I just acquired a few straight razors along with a couple of Tony Miller Strops thanks to everyone here making me spend my money. No more money left. I hate all of you !!!

I performed my first SE shave last night which was less than stellar. You can read about it in the General Straight Razor Talk forum. After the shave, I dried off the razor and left it alone for the night due to the long experience of my first SR shave.

I now performed my first stropping of the razor I used last night on my Tony Miller Strop. From what I read from everyone here in the past was that you will butcher your first strop, so purchase the economical one, and then when you get your technique down, go for Tonys premium strop. Tony offers both, so I purchased it from him based on the wisdom of the shaving people here on B&B. The strop I used today was the economical one.

I first shaved on the linen 25 passes back and forth - North to South motion. Or is it south to north motion ? You get it. Must have taken me 5 minutes or so to complete. I then turned it over to the leather side. 50 passes back and forth. My arm started to get tired on the 20th pass. With a little break, I completed the whole 50 passes. It went well. No butchering of the leather. No cuts. No nicks. So now I ask all of you - what am I doing wrong ?

My first SR shave - although laborious and not the results I had wanted, I did not cut myself with the razor. And with todays first ever stropping - no nicks or cuts on the leather or linen. So as a new-be rookie to SR shaving - what am I doing wrong ? Isnt the right of passage to becoming an artisian SR shaver to have a few nicks and cuts along the way ???? On the face and on the strop ?
Winning a battle isn't winning a war. You either are lucky, gifted or just wait......
Good luck and keep on doing well.
 
I’ve been at this for two and a half years and I still haven’t nicked a strop. The trick I think is to rotate the edge off of the strop at the end of the stroke while the razor is still moving. Likewise rotating the edge onto the strop at the beginning of the strop once you’ve started moving the razor forwards, or at the same time. At all times ensuring that the spine is the first and last part of the razor to touch the strop.

After roughly 900 shaves my SR injuries have amounted to a couple of papercut sized nicks. I could count those on one hand. Plus a few little ones on my fingers. I guess I’m one of the lucky careful ones.
 
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