Tony Miller Strop

[Loner16]

Well, I guess I'm headed into the world of the straight razor, whether I'm fully prepared or knowledgable enough or not.
My $19 G.H. Pumacker "Black Diamond" straight and my Tony Miller Red Latigo Heirloom strop both arrived in the mail today.
Mr. Miller's artistry is quite evident and extraordinary, and I'm very pleased with the strop, and even the practice strop that I figured I had better include.
The Black Diamond razor from Solingen is in flawless condition, and the full hollow blade shines like a mirror.
I'm expecting another straight this week, and when that one get's here, they will both go out for honing, until I aquire the equipment to do it myself..
So, I thought I was dipping a toe to test the waters, but it seems as though I'm taking a plunge...

First shave to be announced...

 

[JPM]

Congrats! The Tony Miller's are beautiful. Be sure to use that practice strop until you get the hang of it.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

Truly an Heirloom. I want a Tony Miller Horsehide strop to add to the Latigo and Paddle Strops I already own produced by Mr. Miller. Enjoy yours!

 

[JPM]

I have a Latigo and just got a Horsehide from him a little while ago. The Latigo is almost sticky it has so much draw and the Horsehide is like glass compared to it. I love them both. I do 30 linen, 50 Latigo and then 50 Horsehide.

 

[ouch]

I'm expecting another straight this week, and when that one get's here, they will both go out for honing, until I aquire the equipment to do it myself.

Even if you had a full set of hones, it's a good idea to have someone with some experience under their belt (and I'm not talking about a couple of months) hone it for you. It's invaluable to have a target to shoot for. Who knows? You may even find that you can do it better yourself, but it's nice to know what an experienced honemeister considers sharp.

 

[Loner16]

Even if you had a full set of hones, it's a good idea to have someone with some experience under their belt (and I'm not talking about a couple of months) hone it for you. It's invaluable to have a target to shoot for. Who knows? You may even find that you can do it better yourself, but it's nice to know what an experienced honemeister considers sharp.

Yes!
That's my thinking exactly. The first thing I need to learn is exactly what a properly honed razor feels like in my hands. This is the only way I'll know if my efforts are leading me in the proper direction.
And, I will probably have my razors professionally honed from time to time until the feeling of "sharp" is ingrained.

 

[prrfan]

If I was starting all over again, the one thing I would do is to stick with one razor, one shave cream/soap. I think that using multiple razors and creams made my learning curve a bit longer than if I would have stayed with one standard and worked on my technique.