I really thought I'd lost the skill!

[onotoman]

I finished restoring the blade on a vintage Dorko at the weekend and honed it on Sunday.

On Monday morning I 'shave-tested' it and to my horror, it just didn't shave at all well. Half of the hair was left on my cheeks.

The blade was fine, I've honed hundreds of razors but I'd really thought I'd lost my Mojo!

Then I remembered - In my haste to watch Downton Abbey on TV (popular period drama in the UK) I'd forgotten a vital step.

Stropping!

I'm still enthralled by how much a blade is influenced by stropping.

Needless to say, I stropped and then re-tested the blade this morning and all is well with the world once more

 

[Brooksie967]

Hilarious! Nice to hear

 

[onotoman]

I would say that my memory is getting worse, but my wife would say that it's never been good

 

[PapaFish]

I do that more often than I care to admit. Usually I still wind up with an ok, but not "wow" shave, then realize that I forgot to strop. Stropping still does wonders, however. Maybe someday I can do away with the leather altogether .

I now have a system for how I store razors that have been honed (or still need work) vs razors that have been honed and stropped. I have a razor box, and store them with spine to the left if they have been honed, to the right if they have been stropped. It saves a lot of confusion in the morning when looking for a razor that will comfortably remove facial hair.

 

[Doc226]

I always strop post honing and check my HHT, then put away.

 

[Gamma]

Downton is pretty popular on this side of the pond too ya know!
We have to wait till January for the new season - so I'm jealous.

 

[onotoman]

I won't spoil it by telling you the latest happenings then, but it's the best series yet, so you'll enjoy

Downton is pretty popular on this side of the pond too ya know!
We have to wait till January for the new season - so I'm jealous.

 

[onotoman]

Hi Doc,

I usually do too but at the same time I was also wrestling with a no-name vintage blade that has the strangest profile I've seen - I'm not even sure if it's actually a shaving razor. I eventually managed to get an edge on the thing but it took an hour on a diamond hone before it even looked like an edge!

Then the programme started and red wine had been poured for me, so the Bismarck stropping was neglected.

I always strop post honing and check my HHT, then put away.

 

[onotoman]

Very organised

I'll have to get a better system as I have 30 or so of my own razors in need of restoration, my own 'shave-ready' ones, other people's in need of restoration, other people's honed and stropped and other people's ready to post off.

Then there's the Safety Razors in various stages.

Some sort of pigeon-hole setup would be good - the sort of thing seen in mail sorting offices

I do that more often than I care to admit. Usually I still wind up with an ok, but not "wow" shave, then realize that I forgot to strop. Stropping still does wonders, however. Maybe someday I can do away with the leather altogether .

I now have a system for how I store razors that have been honed (or still need work) vs razors that have been honed and stropped. I have a razor box, and store them with spine to the left if they have been honed, to the right if they have been stropped. It saves a lot of confusion in the morning when looking for a razor that will comfortably remove facial hair.