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Strop before and After?

I see some people suggest stropping a bit after shaving. Why can I not do all my stropping after shaving, thus cleaning and drying the blade and it is completely ready for next shave?
 
That works. I often do that. And then for some reason I always take that completely stropped razor to my strop for 30 laps pre-shave.
 
I see some people suggest stropping a bit after shaving. Why can I not do all my stropping after shaving, thus cleaning and drying the blade and it is completely ready for next shave?

as far as i remember, the approach was to give the Bevel a certain time to recondition itself....
Actually i have never seen any analized approach that it was compared whats the best way to do it...

I usually leave the razor 24 hours and then i strop before the new shave, if the other way works for you and youre
comfortable with it, just Do it your way...
 
Well in theory, the metal will repair and straighten it self in 24-48 hours if allowed. Again in theory stropping after shaving will brake off microscopic pieces of the edge. This is all on such a microscopic bases i can't see it with a 100X magnifier, nor can I feel it. YMMV
 
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Before, after and during, sometimes.

As for those who poo-poo metal moving when resting, some hagane (if that's the right term) doesn't show up until 24 hours after sharpening. Or ask a true blacksmith if he would trade his 60 year old anvil for two new ones. Or ask a millwright how he picks a piece of steel out of his yard.

All I know is I have quite a few razors sitting in mugs and toothbrush holders and each time I pick one I haven't used in a while, it is scary sharp. One of the reasons I keep a journal. Later
 
So two reasons I strop before and after

After: to clean and recondition the razor edge and to dry the razor a bit

Before: It splits the stropping time into two sessions to help with arm fatigue... Also it could be a month or two before I used the razor last.. So cleans micro oxidation on the edge surface
 
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as far as i remember, the approach was to give the Bevel a certain time to recondition itself....
Actually i have never seen any analized approach that it was compared whats the best way to do it...

I usually leave the razor 24 hours and then i strop before the new shave, if the other way works for you and youre
comfortable with it, just Do it your way...

Well in theory, the metal will repair and straighten it self in 24-48 hours if allowed. Again in theory stropping after shaving will brake off microscopic pieces of the edge. This is all on such a microscopic bases i can't see it with a 100X magnifier, nor can I feel it. YMMV

I wonder how this theory would have been applied in an old barber shop where the barber might be shaving several clients during the day with the same razor.

Lately, I've just been stropping after shaving, to remove any detritus that may still be there after rinsing and wiping it off with a bar towel. Then the blade is dipped in an alcohol-mineral oil solution. Normally, it seems to be ready for the next shave.
 
I wonder how this theory would have been applied in an old barber shop where the barber might be shaving several clients during the day with the same razor.

Lately, I've just been stropping after shaving, to remove any detritus that may still be there after rinsing and wiping it off with a bar towel. Then the blade is dipped in an alcohol-mineral oil solution. Normally, it seems to be ready for the next shave.

Alan As mentioned that what i "heard" and was "told" to do and actually thats whats all around on the German Boards....

Here is an older reference to a well known german lecture about razor honing and stropping and microtomes. The reference here is to wait 24-48hours as in "theory" the steel of the razor is working on its own and has to rest. The other theory here is that a bevel is a very thin area of the blade and due to cutting hair or plants (microtomes) it occurs that micro parts of the bevel are bended so that a toothy edge is created....if you would strop directly after shaving it could happen that pieces break out. If you give the razor the time to rest the micro parts will move back to the beginning status

http://www.klaus-henkel.de/cut-messer.html

Actualy thats the theory mentioned by Klaus Henkel here. Iam unsure if this theory is correct...ive seen many high rez pics (high optical magnification & SEM pics) of razor bevels. Some members showed these type of a serrated bevel some others showed totally cleen bevels where you couldnt see any toothy or serrated area....

So i never saw any scientific approach to this topic, thats why i mentioned what works for you is the right way. I personally wait the 24h because it makes no difference for me to wait and strop before shaving...
 
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