Strop/honing/paste question

Okay, first step made.
Bought my first straight today, this one to be exactly.

Walto also threw in some tubes of honing paste, I have found some information in here, but I still have a couple questions.

Should I get two strops? One for daily stroping and one for honing?
Or should I get a two-sided paddle strop, and use one side with paste and one without?

And how often should I strop/hone it with paste?

Which pastes did he send you. The only one I would use daily is the DOVO white, any of the others have too strong of abrasive property to use for anything other than an occasional touch up.

Hanging strops are best in the long run, but using a paddle might not be a bad idea till you get your technique down. And you will need one pasted and one non pasted, just leather.

Some use the back of the leather strop for the paste. Myself I would buy a second strop somewhere, probably second hand or use my current strop for the pastes and buy a new strop for my daily stropping.

I don't know what brand, but he said one was black and 1µm, the other one was brown and 3µm.

Can I use both sides of a hanging strop? One with and one without paste?

Edit: Got my answer while writing it.

What do you think about the razor? Would it be okay for a first timer?

Rune, that is an excellent razor, and you got a great deal, if you don't mind my saying. Assuming it is shave ready, it will be great for a beginner.

Please don't start with pastes right away. For a quality razor like that, you should be able to keep the edge sharp for MONTHS with simple, daily stropping, and until you learn proper stropping, there's no reason to start in with pastes and hones.

Good luck and welcome to the best shaves you will ever experience in your life!

Zephyr said:

I don't know what brand, but he said one was black and 1µm, the other one was brown and 3µm.

Can I use both sides of a hanging strop? One with and one without paste?

Edit: Got my answer while writing it.

What do you think about the razor? Would it be okay for a first timer?

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It's not the first time that I look at Walto's razors and think, I'll be back tomorrow and if it's still there, I'm buying it! He has nice blades... So far, I didn't buy any, everyone wants them more than me!

It's big but you will be fine with that!

Luc said:

It's not the first time that I look at Walto's razors and think, I'll be back tomorrow and if it's still there, I'm buying it! He has nice blades... So far, I didn't buy any, everyone wants them more than me!

It's big but you will be fine with that!

Click to expand...

That's good to hear, if I have understood it right the blade on this one is 13/16 of an inch which equals 20,6mm while a 5/8 equals 15,8mm?

Zephyr said:

That's good to hear, if I have understood it right the blade on this one is 13/16 of an inch which equals 20,6mm while a 5/8 equals 15,8mm?

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mmm, yes.

13/16 is the height of the blade or how wide the blade is from the cutting edge to the spine.

Excuse my drawing but just to be sure, I put a red line where the measurement is done.View attachment 131168

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to punch the conversion in google back to MM so my answer just changed from no to yes... You are correct.

Yeah, I was meaning to say height

I guess a blade that wide would be pretty scary

Zephyr said:

Yeah, I was meaning to say height

I guess a blade that wide would be pretty scary

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I forgot to convert it to mm on my side so I wrote the wrong thing anyways on first try...

Great score!

I'd get a hanging strop and a piece of balsa. Use the leather hanging strop every shave and both pastes on the balsa as and when. A paddle strop would work instead of the balsa but to be honest I really like the balsa.

Broke down and ordered a Dovo hanging strop

If I want to make my own paddle strop, how tight should the leather be attached to the surface?

Zephyr said:

Broke down and ordered a Dovo hanging strop

If I want to make my own paddle strop, how tight should the leather be attached to the surface?

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It doesn't need to be very "tight" as such. That is just going to shrink as the strop ages. Just make sure it is completely flat with no creases or bumps.

Proinsias said:

I'd get a hanging strop and a piece of balsa. Use the leather hanging strop every shave and both pastes on the balsa as and when. A paddle strop would work instead of the balsa but to be honest I really like the balsa.

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Does the balsa work just like a strop? Same technique except put the paste on it?

Yip, I prefer using it to my 4 sided Tony Miller 4 paddle strop

Here is a good example of a homemade paddle strop its easy to make and not expensive at all.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=173642

If I go on with the same speed I will be broke before I go to bed on monday
In two days I've spent more on this than I've spent on DE's and blades the last month.

Razor $75
Dovo strop $65
RR Filly strop $39

Zephyr said:

If I go on with the same speed I will be broke before I go to bed on monday
In two days I've spent more on this than I've spent on DE's and blades the last month.

Razor $75
Dovo strop $65
RR Filly strop $39

Click to expand...

[Cough]Pictures...[/Cough]

Luc said:

[Cough]Pictures...[/Cough]

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Pics will be posted, I just have to wait about a week before it arrives

Hello Zephyr,

the pastes I sent you are Solingen brand stropping pastes. I did not need them and I included them as freebie for you. (Sometimes the shipping costs exeed the value of the pastes if you order them separately)

You will not need the pastes for the next couple of weeks. The razor is shave ready and you will need the pastes, when you feel the blade is getting duller from continued use. For a more detailed instruction I sent you a PM.

Happy shaving.