Help, how do I maintain a sharp blade.

[joshwillson]

I recently upgraded from a DE to a SR and u wish I had done it sooner. I got the razors shave ready and a cheap strop (which I use dry) to start out with but its not enough. How do I keep the edge like it was the first time without sending it out?

J.A.Willson

 

[totorlekiller]

If your strop has a linen side, I recommend using that too. The linen is more abrasive than the leather.
What has kept my edges going is stropping 50 (25 round trips) on linen, followed by 100 (50 round trips) on leather before shaving.
After shaving, I strop again, this time 100 on linen followed by 50 on leather.
You can also get another strop and rub it with something more abrasive like Chromium Oxide.

 

[McVeyMac]

I recently upgraded from a DE to a SR and u wish I had done it sooner. I got the razors shave ready and a cheap strop (which I use dry) to start out with but its not enough. How do I keep the edge like it was the first time without sending it out?

J.A.Willson

Hey Josh, how many shaves do you have on the razor when you start noticing deterioration? The reason I ask is that often beginners techniques in both shaving and stropping can lead to edge deterioration.

I have heard of individuals getting over 100 shaves on a straight razor without taking it to the stones, and the only reason they stopped was they got tired of shaving with the same razor every day. So more data will help the good folks here help you better.

 

[joshwillson]

By what killer says, I'm just not stroping enough. Also the strop I've been using is leather only, no linen. I just bought a "cheap" strop and it has linen, hopefully that will help.

 

[totorlekiller]

I got a couple of those Rite Edge strop.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rite-Edge-P...925?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf1c96aed

The leather is not very good, but I managed to soften mine enough to be usable. But the point however is that the linen side is pretty good. And it is only $15.

You can also get one pound of chromium oxide for cheap at
http://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-D29...d=1422930446&sr=8-4&keywords=buffing+compound

You can apply that to a linen strop (but you should keep a clean one for everyday use) or you can apply it to a rough leather. Something like suede. Or you could sand lightly a leather strop you do not want to use for regular stropping and rub the crOx on it.

crOx would restore an edge that has been mildly mistreated (like the abuse my beginner stropping caused on mine when I started).

 

[l0pht]

I do 30 passes on linen and 20 on leather after I shave then 20 passes on leather before I shave.

 

[rockviper]

Stropping alone should keep your edge good for quite a while. How long will depend on how well you strop and also on how you shave, by which I mean that an non-optimal angle (too high) when shaving will have the edge scraping whiskers more than just cutting them. Poor stropping and poor shaving technique will reduce the "life" of your edge.

I have to ask a question though. What do you mean when you say in the opening post that you use the strop "dry?"

 

[joshwillson]

Dry, no paste or strop treatment.

Stropping alone should keep your edge good for quite a while. How long will depend on how well you strop and also on how you shave, by which I mean that an non-optimal angle (too high) when shaving will have the edge scraping whiskers more than just cutting them. Poor stropping and poor shaving technique will reduce the "life" of your edge.

I have to ask a question though. What do you mean when you say in the opening post that you use the strop "dry?"

 

[rockviper]

So "normal" then

If you have a second component, you can put a little paste on it it (not much, mind you) or you can use the back side of your strop if it isn't overly rough. The little TI paste works well and it's amazing how a little crayon can revive an edge. You would strop 10-15 on the paste, wipe your blade down to prevent cross-contamination of your normal strop, and then strop as per usual on leather. Maybe visiting the paste every once or two weeks as required.