What is the easiest, simplest, or cheapest way to maintain a straight razor?

[Sisyphos]

Looks cool
Can you give a link please?

Long blade shavette:
Cloud shavette

Regular half DE-blade shavettes:
Lordmance
Feather knock-off

First two are very cheap. They look cheap. They feel cheap.
But give a very good shave.

Third one, Feather knock-off, looks and feels much better. There are two kinds of clones -
AC blade clone (real clone?) and half DE-blade clone (not a clone?). Gives also very good shave,

 

[Ladit]

I just came from the start and the question was about the cheapest way to get a sharp straight razor. If the edge is set correctly and you only have to strop it, use a newspaper or a comicbook to strop. This will give you really impressive edges. For my first SR I used an Uncle Scrooge comicbook from Don Rosa and because of the used ink it worked very well. If the edge has to be set new, then use proper honing stones, put some tape on the back of the SR and work concentrated. In the end it is no rocket science, straight razors are very easy to hone, because they normally have a straight edge, just go back and forth, keep the stone wet and don't give pressure. It is a time consuming process and there are no short ways.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I just came from the start and the question was about the cheapest way to get a sharp straight razor. If the edge is set correctly and you only have to strop it, use a newspaper or a comicbook to strop. This will give you really impressive edges. For my first SR I used an Uncle Scrooge comicbook from Don Rosa and because of the used ink it worked very well. If the edge has to be set new, then use proper honing stones, put some tape on the back of the SR and work concentrated. In the end it is no rocket science, straight razors are very easy to hone, because they normally have a straight edge, just go back and forth, keep the stone wet and don't give pressure. It is a time consuming process and there are no short ways.

Wow, you are easily impressed if you are impressed by a comic book stropping. Was it because you enjoyed reading your strop? I think pretty much any newbie would be better served by a proper hanging leather strop than an Uncle Scrooge comic book. Or even Superman, Green Lantern, or Batman, or Richie Rich, for that matter. Now Furry Freak Brothers or Mr. Natural, all bets are off.

So you believe in using tape on a razor's edge, no matter what? Without even measuring the bevel angle first? That is well, interesting.

 

[Ladit]

I was honing things for years and SR are no rocket science, there is room for improvement, sure. But the question was the cheapest way, not for high end. If you like honing voodoo it is ok, but please don't make such a complicated thing out of it.

 

[Ladit]

BTW, the cheapest honing stone you can get is a sand lime brick and a marblestone as finisher, this will not give you a high end honing but will be a good start nothing more nothing less.

 

[Gord A]

• Hard pasted strop (balsa or something else)
  • If someone sells a prebuilt balsa strop, I may buy one.
• Unpasted leather strop + lapping film
• Unpasted leather strop + sharpening stone + lapping stone
• Pasted fabric strop?
• .....

The Classic Edge sells balsa strops

 

[Slash McCoy]

I was honing things for years and SR are no rocket science, there is room for improvement, sure. But the question was the cheapest way, not for high end. If you like honing voodoo it is ok, but please don't make such a complicated thing out of it.

Film and balsa are not even close to "high end", cost-wise. When it comes to creating an edge with a practical level of sharpness by today's standards, film and balsa are pretty much rock bottom. This is far from voodoo. You should hang out with some of the Jnat guys some time. And following a systematic set of instructions as per The Method is only complicated for those who can't or won't follow instructions.

Honing "things" for years does not necessarily give you a leg up on honing razors. And sure, you can hone on a brick. Or a $15 fleabay rescue barber hone. But I am not gonna put that to my face. I know better and I expect better. A noob following your advice would probably decide that his old cartridge razor doesn't shave that bad, after all, and wonder why all those crackpot straight razor zealots put up with crappy shaves every day.

I think, and I will only say this once because those who won't listen won't listen anyway, that you need to spend some more time here and learn a bit more about straight razors before you profess to having an insider's clarity into the art and science of honing. No, it isn't rocket science. It is razor science.

 

[Ladit]

It,s OK, just honed a SR my way and ir will give me a decent shave. Cheap and simple. That was the task.

 

[Tomo]

I tried the films for the first time last night and had great results. I used a 20mm (3/4”) cast acrylic block as a backing and went to town. I was amazing how well the sheet stuck with just water.

I had a ‘shave ready’ razor from Ralf Aust which I used last week. It was cutting hanging hairs but did not catch them every time. The razor tugged a fair bit so I decided to see if I could improve it.

At first I went easy with 30 laps on a 9u, 5u, 3u, 1u, and 0.3u with paper. This didn’t make much of a difference and if anything made the blade worse.

Back to the drawing board. Set the bevel on 12u film until I got a full length burr after 80 laps. Did same on the other side, then about the same again altering sides. Then went through the grades 9u, 5u, 3u, 1u. Really worked the grades and tested periodically. Worked each film until I could see definite improvement then went a bit more for good measure. Skipped the 0.3u. Then about a 100 laps of the horse hide strop.

Wow. The blade has improved a lot. It’s now catching hanging hairs every time. Much more quietly. Tree topping plenty of chest hairs too.

I started to get a technique going of altering the angle every 8 laps or so. I paid very close attention to keep the spine on the film at all times and rolling on the spine. Particularly on the last stroke before lifting. Also started to roll the edge off the film while still moving.

The balsa strops are all set up and ready for diamond paste. The diamond paste has not arrived yet but this razor looks shave ready fur sure.

 

[eezee]

The only simple and easy way is to never venture into straight razors. They are like heroine either you don't use them or they will steal your wallet and your soul.

This.

If you ignore this I think you never get out of the habit of stropping. My mentor in SR shaving was/is B&B member tortorlekiller. I followed in his footsteps and probably go overboard with the stropping.

Before the shave, 25 round trips on canvas and 50 round trips on leather. After the shave, 50 round trips on the canvas and 25 round trips on the leather. Occasionally, I will refresh the blade on a canvas strop that is dedicated to CrO2. I rarely if ever have done anything on the stones after the initial setting the bevel and honing.

That's my two cents.

 

[Steve56]

Easiest, simplest, cheapest? A paddle strop with CrOx on it. Used for centuries. Still bring used. OK in the short run.

 

[rbscebu]

Easiest is to buy a few hundred SRs that you know are shave ready and toss each one after use.

Simplest is to have multiple SRs and send each one away for honing after each shave.

Cheapest is buy just one SR and do all your own work using The Method.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I think easiest, simplest, and cheapest filters should only be applied to effective methods. Easy, simple and cheap are irrelevant unless a great edge results. So, of only the truly effective ways to maintain a sharp edge, which is easiest, simplest, and cheapest? I say it is a lapped and stabilized balsa strop treated with .1u diamond paste. Assuming that the edge was sharp in the first place.