OK maybe this is my imagination, so I'm asking if anybody else has tried this, or has noticed this???
I am actually doing a complete re-stropping of all my newly honed razors, after the first shave. Now I'm not talking about just a naked leather pre-shave strop, I'm taking them each back to a red paste paddle then the black then the linen the the naked leather. I am getting a way sharper and smoother blade edge this way.
Maybe you have noticed, that the first shave from a honed and stropped razor is pretty good, then when you revisit that razor, you do your normal pre-shave strop, and then shave. Now comes the revelation, WOW, that was a way better shave.... Hmmmmm must have let the blade rest, and the edge aligned, yeah, yeah, right. Here is what I think and maybe I wrong but I'm finding a whole new level of sharpness from not just 1 or 2 razors but from every razor I've tried it on. I think after you hone and strop you can only get the razor so sharp, then you shave, and I think that you create small serrations in the blade edge, then the blade rests at least overnight and the edge comes back a little. So when you strop in a normal pre-shave you smooth these serrations and get a slightly sharper blade and your happy.
So what I have been doing now is taking that second stropping a little farther, I wait at least 24 hours then take the blade back to a red pasted paddle then all the way back through step my step to naked leather and I am getting a significant improvement in sharpness...
Now your first thought was that I didn't have the blade very sharp to begin with You will just have to take my word for this that I did, and try this out for yourself... I think you might find a whole new level of sharpness there... And if you have already tried this please leave a post and let me know about your results
I am actually doing a complete re-stropping of all my newly honed razors, after the first shave. Now I'm not talking about just a naked leather pre-shave strop, I'm taking them each back to a red paste paddle then the black then the linen the the naked leather. I am getting a way sharper and smoother blade edge this way.
Maybe you have noticed, that the first shave from a honed and stropped razor is pretty good, then when you revisit that razor, you do your normal pre-shave strop, and then shave. Now comes the revelation, WOW, that was a way better shave.... Hmmmmm must have let the blade rest, and the edge aligned, yeah, yeah, right. Here is what I think and maybe I wrong but I'm finding a whole new level of sharpness from not just 1 or 2 razors but from every razor I've tried it on. I think after you hone and strop you can only get the razor so sharp, then you shave, and I think that you create small serrations in the blade edge, then the blade rests at least overnight and the edge comes back a little. So when you strop in a normal pre-shave you smooth these serrations and get a slightly sharper blade and your happy.
So what I have been doing now is taking that second stropping a little farther, I wait at least 24 hours then take the blade back to a red pasted paddle then all the way back through step my step to naked leather and I am getting a significant improvement in sharpness...
Now your first thought was that I didn't have the blade very sharp to begin with You will just have to take my word for this that I did, and try this out for yourself... I think you might find a whole new level of sharpness there... And if you have already tried this please leave a post and let me know about your results