Thread: Pasted Strops "The Experiment"

I am 99% sure this has probably been done in the past, but with all the questions about pasting in the last 2 weeks it occurred to me that it hasn't been done recently...and we have new equipment and pastes out there...

There have been some statements that have been bugging me when the topic of pasted strops comes up...

First one usually accompanied by graphics, states the the edge will become rounded until it can no longer take and edge or the "Convex theory"...

Theory number 2 "the Failing Edge" this is the other thing that people tend to say when they answer pasted strop questions "the edge will become thin weak and eventually fail due to "overhoning"...

Now I don't know about you, but honestly both of these things can't be true according to me...

So on Tuesday Sept 1st 2009 I started my own experiment..

The Razor: Kamisori 306 Paladin why you might ask??? easy it doesn't have a great rep and I am hoping not to still be doing this next year.. How fast it fails will tell me much...

The Everyday Strop: SRD Premium 1 25 laps on the webbing and 50 laps on the leather before every shave... Why you ask??? Because that is just my everyday routine..

The Pasted Strop: SRD Felt Hanging strop, one side with .50 Diamond spray and the other with .25 Diamond spray... The razor will get 15 laps on the .50 and 20 on the .25 every Sunday. Why you ask??? This was the newest type of pasted strop out and some of the newer types of pastes I could think of...
I also was thinking that the number of laps was pretty high, so as to cause a failure of some type faster...

The razor was honed using the Shapton System on Aug 30th and I started shaving with it on Sept 1st...

I will post here each Tuesday with the amount of shaves each week, this varies because I have to test shave Restores and Honed razors too, unless I have 8 in one day the Kamisori will at least get in on the action...
I will have to estimate how many shaves for the week...
Also keep in mind even when I say full shaves I still shave around my beard, some of you might tend to think that is easier on the razor but honestly I tend to disagree because of the terrible angles we have to use, I think more than make up for less cutting

Week one: nice smooth shaves I would count 4 shaves

Thanks for doing this gssixgun. It would be good to know some facts to what happens to the edge. Your experience will make it a viable experiment.

I look forward to your findings.

I remember a highly esteemed member of this venerable site saying "This is what happens every time somebody tries to nail something down and set it in stone... way to little of razordom fits neatly into a little scientific box, and maybe that has it's own appeal... The romantasium and small mysteries that keep popping up that need solving..... ", ie will not your experiment only prove that this method works - or does not work - with one single razor, in your hand, on your face? I vaguely recall someone saying something to that effect in a closely related context.

Couldn't a person use magnification to verify if the "convex theory" is valid or not? Take pictures once a month to see how the bevel changes over time. Most of the bevel pictures out there are from the side. Is obtaining a setup that allows viewing the "V" shape (both sides of the bevel) cost prohibitive?

Yep Robin yer right...

Although I am still reading through my post to see where I am out to prove anything to anyone else

I think this is my statement if you actually read "How fast it fails will tell me much"...

Notice I never said I was going to prove a thing to anyone else... and trust me if I do come to a conclusion, I really won't be dumb enough to ever say it is written in stone... because after all it will only apply to this razor on these strops and most importantly in my hands...

One thing that we do know is that pasted strops can be a great tool in experienced hands and an edge destructor in the wrong hands...

I don't think anyone is looking for the scientific method here are they? Its just a very subjective exercise which should provide some useful information. The utility of the result will be left up to each individual.

Yo, the curious among us,

Has anyone heard from MParker about the possible electron microscopy and its verification pf stropping technique that he was attemping to do or have scoped by another contributor here?

This would lay to rest many of the speculations we have about how much, when, and whadda ya use for stropping your razor.

Almost all other testing is muchly subjective. Pictures at the micron level would probably lay to rest the dilemma of what exactly a finned apple seed really looks like and what shaves better, Haralson or Fireside.

I gotta say I am a subscriber to the convex edge idea, purely from an armchair academic perspective of course. My argument is that if one is prepared to accept that a taped hone job can be stropped on leather without tape and still hit the edge, then continued use of abrasive media on a leather strop will eventually lead to a convex edge by the same logic. So I will be interested to see the outcome of your experiments Glen!

James.

Originally Posted by Bruce

Yo, the curious among us,

Has anyone heard from MParker about the possible electron microscopy and its verification pf stropping technique that he was attemping to do or have scoped by another contributor here?

This would lay to rest many of the speculations we have about how much, when, and whadda ya use for stropping your razor.

Almost all other testing is muchly subjective. Pictures at the micron level would probably lay to rest the dilemma of what exactly a finned apple seed really looks like and what shaves better, Haralson or Fireside.

Not about magnification but in this post here I asked mparker762 about the wear related to use of paste and he gave his opinion based on his experience.

Interesting experiment Glen. I'm expecting to see the 'overhoning' scenario but looking forward to your results.