Thread: Lost my edge...

So I after using my razor again tonight i think i lost my edge. It was able to split hairs but after stropping before hand and shave testing it was horrible compared to the first night. Im afraid that while stropping I bent the edge or some how lost it. Even laying my strop flat on a block of wood I can not get it to pass the hht test. Any suggestions on how to get it back. Also I dont have a finishing hone (4k 8k or chinese 12k) yet so should i just start using the newspaper method and just have patience.

you more than likely rolled your edge if you have a linen strop i would hit it about 50 times on linen and about 100 on the leather make sure the spine is touching the strop and dont apply much pressure if any when its time to switch sides roll the razor on its spine to prevent cuting the strop and dulling your edge

How fast are you stropping? Although a beginner should start out slowly until sufficient skill is developed, rapid stropping is necessary for a keen edge. This isn't just my opinion, but is backed up by Thorpe, (Standard Text of Barbering).


Scott

Magnification. The advice I give to beginners that always gets the most excited "Thank you!" emails is to get some decent magnification like the Radio Shack illuminated microscope and take a close look at the edge. It's the only way you'll know what's actually going on. You may have rolled the edge as someone suggested and you may have lost the edge . . . you'll know for sure when you go spend $10 at Radio Shack to get their little, lighted microscope. It's not a loupe but instead more of the form factor of a Zippo lighter.