Strop and pastes vs honing

[John_B]

I got into old-school shaving a couple of years ago, back when I got fed up with spending my student loan on cartridges. I started with a Merkur safety razor, then moved onto an Invisible Edge branded Dovo Classic (at some point I seem to have acquired a Wade and Butcher near wedge and a vintage Sprock along the way). I was enjoying using them until I got to the point where they all needed a good hone, or at least more care than merely stropping, and I never really got around to doing anything about it, so now my straight razors are sitting in a drawer (suitably oiled, I should add!), while I alternate between 2 DE razors and my various soaps, creams and brushes.

I think it's about time I brought my straight razors back into rotation, so my question is this: To what extent can strops and pastes bring a razor back to/keep it in shaving condition? Are abrasive pastes an alternative to honing, or just a way to prolong their use before honing is needed?

I'll buy hones if I need to, but money and storage space being limited, I'd prefer to get a third strop and some pastes if that will do.

Cheers chaps, and apologies if this is answered already in some terribly obvious place that I've overlooked.

John

 

[Mike H]

Are abrasive pastes an alternative to honing

No

...or just a way to prolong their use before honing is needed

Yes


Have you considered lapping film?

 

[John_B]

Have you considered lapping film?

No, in fact I just had to look up what it was. Lapping films sounds like the less scary way to try my hand at honing (both for the $ and not having to store a load of stones somewhere in an apartment). I think that was just the suggestion I needed!

Thanks!

 

[Slash McCoy]

See the thread called "Lapping Film... Try It!" or something like that, started by Blix. It is about 14 or 15 pages long by now and just about every aspect of film honing is discussed. Several newbies are walked through their first edges in the thread. Save and read every page.

Pasted strops are great for maintaining an edge, but not really a good tool for bringing an edge back IMHO. I strop on pasted balsa after every shave and generally I don't have to re-hone my razors unless I just feel like it. (I do feel like it, now and then!) I paste my balsa with 1u diamond on one side, .25u on the other. A half dozen or a dozen light laps on the coarse side and a couple dozen on the fine, will gitter done.

In your case, likely you will want to start with 3u film and then 1u, followed by 1u film over damp paper. See the thread. That should be all you need to bring those edges back to life.

 

[gash]

I use 3um and 1um lapping film (and then damp paper under the 1um), followed by .5um chromium oxide paste on a piece of balsa wood, followed by stropping on leather. I also bought a DMT 600/1200 plate for setting bevels, which is very important. With all of that, I can maintain a bunch of straights forever.

 

[gary haywood]

i just rehoned a dovo for a chap who kept his razor ging for a year with crox on a small leather hanging strop. the bevel had to be reset and a full honing on the coticule . The razor was a extra hollow dovo prima klang.. any how pasted strop will do the trick. I my self prefer to do touch ups on my coticule .

gary

 

[Slash McCoy]

Yeah abrasive paste on a hanging leather strop will eventually convex the bevel. That's why I only use pastes on balsa or a leather bench strop. It doesn't convex the edge very much, if at all.

 

[John_B]

Looks like I have a bit of research ahead of me! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction though. I'll pick up some lapping film, and give it a try. If I'm feeling up to the task of cinematography with a blackberry, I may document the learning process so other people in my position can see how easy it is (or not) to pick up these edge maintenance skills from scratch. I'll probably experiment with pastes at some point in the near future too. I'll confess that "bevel setting" intimidates me, but luckily I have a cheapie razor that came completely unready to shave in a starter set, so at least I don't have to worry about ruining something older than me.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

John

Nothing wrong with sending them out to be honed, then keeping them up with a pasted strop... if space and funds are an issue. You get the best of both worlds. A pasted strop can easily keep a keen, shavable edge on a razor for well over a year. CBN even longer.

 

[John_B]

As I have more than one razor, I'll probably send one or two off to be honed, and practice on the one that I'm not too attached to. That way I'll have a good basis for comparison (and I don't think I'll ever attempt to sharpen my wedge razor myself).

 

[Slash McCoy]

As I have more than one razor, I'll probably send one or two off to be honed, and practice on the one that I'm not too attached to. That way I'll have a good basis for comparison (and I don't think I'll ever attempt to sharpen my wedge razor myself).

Good plan.

 

[Legion]

Of course, if you do decide to go with proper hones (cough! Mojo!), they need not take up that much room. Now I have scaled back my shaving rig, my entire honing station fits in one small case. I have a couple of coticules (and you could make do with just one, and a slurry stone). On top of those I can fit a DMT for heavy damage removal, and a CrOx bench strop, plus a loupe and a sharpie marker, and still close the lid. Sure, it all cost more than lapping film, but it gives me a lot of options as far as what I can hone, is small enough to travel with if you live out of a suitcase, and has mojo up the wazoo.

 

[rockviper]

I'm in Ajax but work Yonge and Finch. If you're interested in hooking up one day after work or on a Sat/Sun morning, I can bring some hones for you to play with (barber's, DMT, cotis) and perhaps a small pasted strop to tide you over until you get your full kit together.

 

[bastimret]

I have the balsa planks and the diamond pastes now. What's the best method for applying the paste evenly to the balsa? I recall Slash stating you only needs a bit, a few small pea-sized dabs, but then what? Do I spread it out across the balsa with my fingers? Just let the razor distribute it squeegee style? How do I make sure it's dispersed evenly?

 

[Seraphim]

Of course, if you do decide to go with proper hones (cough! Mojo!), they need not take up that much room. Now I have scaled back my shaving rig, my entire honing station fits in one small case. I have a couple of coticules (and you could make do with just one, and a slurry stone). On top of those I can fit a DMT for heavy damage removal, and a CrOx bench strop, plus a loupe and a sharpie marker, and still close the lid. Sure, it all cost more than lapping film, but it gives me a lot of options as far as what I can hone, is small enough to travel with if you live out of a suitcase, and has mojo up the wazoo.

This is what Legion's suitcase looked like before:

 

[Slash McCoy]

I have the balsa planks and the diamond pastes now. What's the best method for applying the paste evenly to the balsa? I recall Slash stating you only needs a bit, a few small pea-sized dabs, but then what? Do I spread it out across the balsa with my fingers? Just let the razor distribute it squeegee style? How do I make sure it's dispersed evenly?

No, more like a couple of bb size blobs initially, and once a month refresh with another bb size blob. You don't want a layer of paste. You want to rub it in. The diamond particles embed into the balsa. A few pea size dabs would be way too much. Anyway, just rub it around with your fingertips so the whole surface gets some love. Rub it in and don't leave a coating.

 

[tomjr]

^ what he said +1

 

[Brianskeet]

Of course, if you do decide to go with proper hones (cough! Mojo!), they need not take up that much room. Now I have scaled back my shaving rig, my entire honing station fits in one small case. I have a couple of coticules (and you could make do with just one, and a slurry stone). On top of those I can fit a DMT for heavy damage removal, and a CrOx bench strop, plus a loupe and a sharpie marker, and still close the lid. Sure, it all cost more than lapping film, but it gives me a lot of options as far as what I can hone, is small enough to travel with if you live out of a suitcase, and has mojo up the wazoo.

That is a sharp looking set up!! pun intended Beautiful coticules