Slippery slope strop+paste+hone

[MWS]

I’m moving from DE shaving to the SR and am trying to get a handle on my kit without breaking the bank. I’ve read through The Interactive Guide to Straight Razor Shaving, and Straight Razor Newbies: What you need, and why you need it. many times – wonderful guides, both.

I’ve got all the soaps/creams/brushes, and I’ve got a nice starter straight picked out and a beginner strop. Now comes the tricky part – I don’t mind sending my blade out for professional sharpening, but how much additional equipment do I need to stay shave ready?

At first I figured I needed a low maintenance hone…say, the Chinese 12K or the Norton 4K/8K. Hummmm…they need to be lapped/flattened on occasioned, so now I have to buy a DMT D8C. With my limited experience, this might be a little overkill as my blade is already shave ready. Maybe I just need a 4 sided strop paddle, but what past grits do I need…a 3 micron, a 1 micron and a .25 micron? Sound about right?? Each Thiers Issard paste is almost $50! Again, since I don’t mind sending out my blade, perhaps just a double sided paddle strop might just do the trick…with a 1 micron past and a .25 micron (with a paddle and 2 pasts coming to almost $175).

I’m not too concerned with the start up costs, and I want to keep a shave ready blade – but I guess my question is this…how far down the rabbit hole do I need to go? At the moment I figure I can get the strop, the double sided paddle (with 1 and .25 micron pastes)…strop regularly and perhaps paddle once a month, and that should keep me well for a year or two when I need to send it out. Does this sound about right?

Sorry, I’m sure this has been asked many times before, but I’m still sifting through this wonderful wealth of information…thanks!

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

If your straight is properly honed, a leather strop plus another pasted strop (.5 CroOx) should be all you need for a good while. You can even make your own paddle strop if you so choose; not difficult at all. Another good option is to go for a Filly strop from KenRup. The smooth side is for normal stropping and the back is pasted with CO, so you'd be getting two birds stoned at once killing two birds with one stone.

 

[leighton]

If you don't mind sending your razors out, I think the best and most cost effective option is to:

1) Learn to strop properly. This is the most important and often overlooked aspect of straight shaving. Stropping properly also means having the right equipment. Yes, you should start out with a practice strop because real strops are very expensive and your 99.9% going to nick it when starting out. But once you've got the motion down, you need to upgrade. If you jumped in with both feet, you just pull out that Tony or Paladin strop you've got stashed away somewhere. If not, this is what you need: Leather strop (I prefer horsehide) and a cotton/linen component. I like the linen because it is more abrasive than the cotton.

Ok, now that you've got the equipment, lets talk about number of laps. 50 laps is not enough. Period. To stretch the edge the furthest, you need to do at least 75 laps on leather and 50 on the linen. More if time permits.


2) If you want your razor edge to last longer than 6 months, pastes are the most bang for your dollar. Buy it from HandAmerican or another reputable source. The quality is important. Diamond sprays work too, but I prefer Chromium Oxide (the green stuff). Apply it to the back of your cloth strop (it should be removable) and use it every three months or until the razor gets noticeably duller (but don't wait too long). Do about 10-15 laps, no more. When the Crox stops working, send the razor out. Aprox. once a year or more. When your done with the crox side, flip the cloth component back to the clean side for normal stropping.

 

[Leche]

I like the linen because it is more abrasive than the cotton.

Leighton really knows what he is talking about. A cotton strap loaded with Dovo White Paste works really well also.

 

[mparker762]

If (when) you decide to get a stone, you can lap it on 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper on your counter top or (if your wife objects) a $2 slab of artificial marble from the local hardware store. One of the guys on SRP put one of those on a runout gauge a few years ago and found they were flatter than most of the consumer-grade lapping plates.

 

[Engine]

50 laps is not enough. Period. To stretch the edge the furthest, you need to do at least 75 laps on leather and 50 on the linen. More if time permits.

Hi leighton,

Do you recommend 75 laps before AND after a shave, or are you talking occasional maintenance? I'm also pretty new to the routine and have heard a lot of conflicting reports on what number of laps is appropriate.

 

[leighton]

Hi leighton,

Do you recommend 75 laps before AND after a shave, or are you talking occasional maintenance? I'm also pretty new to the routine and have heard a lot of conflicting reports on what number of laps is appropriate.

Just before, or after. No need to strop twice. But you can break up the laps into before and after laps. I do 20 linen laps after I shave.

 

[Engine]

Gotcha, thanks kindly!

 

[azmark]

Leighton knows his stuff. I've been with a stra8 for almost a month and haven't noticed a difference between the keen edge from then to now. Have not use the new Tony Miller strop at all except for the cotton and still with my practice strop.

 

[professorchaos]

I could tell you what hones I like to use, but they produce edges that I like. Instead, you need to figure out what kind of edge you like. Then buy the gear which will produce that edge.