Is it a waste of time to try and strop Personna hair shaper blades in a Weck? I got 11 shaves out of the last blade before it started tugging the whiskers. Not sure if this is typical.
Stropping Personna hair shaper blades
- Thread starter drummer_boy
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If you have some of the original Weck blades that were thick carbon steel, they were made to be honed and stropped (and they hold an edge very well). However the Persona and all newer hair shaper blades are stainless steel and weren't meant to be stropped. Eleven shaves is about average. You might want to go with a lesser angle (like having the spine of the blade almost touching your face), as the Weck type blades are very thin compared to regular straights. I usually get around 15-20 shaves, but I been shaving with a Weck off and on for about 40 years now.
+1 I get about 15-20 also with Fromm and Personna out of my Weck Medical Corps.
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Thanks for the info. I did try stropping the worn out blade; seemed a lot worse. I may try to find a pak of vintage blades and try some honing & stropping. First I need to work on technique 
. I'm really enjoying the challenge of shaving with the Weck. No major blood-letting so far.
. I'm really enjoying the challenge of shaving with the Weck. No major blood-letting so far.
I strop a feather ac blade on a towel after I shave. These razors will go in excess of 40 3 pass shaves this way. Cant see why other blades wouldn't do the same.
I get about 5 good shaves out of a Personna or Fromm blade in my Weck. Stropping can bring it back a bit but not enough for me to want to get into it.
As a Feather AC shaver, I'm curious about this. Do you use a terry cloth towel or a smooth cotton/linen towel? And do you see any value in stropping the Feather AC on a leather strop?
I use a cheap terry cloth hand towel, placed on the counter. Just 6 or 7 easy, slow laps to clean the edge. I've tried stropping on leather, but found the stropping angle too awkward, and I didn't want to slice my strops to ribbons. So I really don't know what impact, if any, that might have on the edge. But if you try it, let me know what you think, please.
Will do.
PS: My current experiment is to use a flat eyeglass case -- oblong, about six inches long and two-and-a-half inches wide -- made of a sturdy but soft (no doubt synthetic) cloth material. I lay it down on the counter and strop 10 times or so. It's easier than cracking out the paddle strop every time. Will let you know how it works.
Not a great success, as far as I can tell. I'm now trying towel-stropping. Haven't tried leather yet.
Stropping on a towel after every shave makes a definite difference -- really smooths out the Feather AC blades. Will report on how it affects the longevity of the blade when the current blades in the SS and DX run their course. Thanks to Larry for the towel-stropping tip! Maybe no need to try leather since the towel is so handy.
Excellent!
Tonight will be shave 27 with my current Feather AC Pro Super blade. I strop it, 15 round trips, on a terry-cloth towel after each shave. For the last 5 shaves or so, I've also been stropping it before each shave, about 15 round trips on a Herold Russian leather paddle strop. Stropping on soft leather makes a difference. The blade feels almost-new on the first 1 or 2 passes, and nicely forgiving on the 3rd pass. I must say I'm deeply impressed with the quality of Feather AC Pro Super blades. And indebted to Lmarkow for the whole idea of towel stropping. Larry: stropping a Feather AC blade on soft leather is worth a try. It's made a real difference for me -- 27 and counting! 
A pasted strop sagged very loosely so that it hits the bevel might do it for you. There is a thread where Seraphim talks of stropping his Feather AC.
32 shaves and counting with the Feather DX. No tugging -- the blade is just more forgiving than when it was new. Still getting BBS in 3 passes.
I"m not sure how I missed your prior post. I'm glad this is working out for you too. But be careful. You may also turn into a B&B blade prima donna cynic! Happened to me around 40. lol32 shaves and counting with the Feather DX. No tugging -- the blade is just more forgiving than when it was new. Still getting BBS in 3 passes.
I'd be happy to add B&BBPDC to my (invisible) list of clubs. My biggest fear is that the next time around I only get 15-20 shaves. Will I be so crushed that I have to go into residential treatment, or an ashram, or something....
I've just started on my third Feather AC Super blade since July 22. After six years, wet-shaving is finally saving me money! 
I've settled on the kamisori-style Kai Captain Excelia as the holder of choice for these blades. Nice weight, perfect balance, and blade-holder shaped to deliver the maximum range of usable angles. I just bought a backup yesterday. At $200+ a pop, it's still worth it -- though, what was I saying about finally saving money?
I've settled on the kamisori-style Kai Captain Excelia as the holder of choice for these blades. Nice weight, perfect balance, and blade-holder shaped to deliver the maximum range of usable angles. I just bought a backup yesterday. At $200+ a pop, it's still worth it -- though, what was I saying about finally saving money?
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