Thread: question

correct me if i am wrong but just trying to make sure i am doing it right

step one strop blade before use ...2 shave...3 rinse off blade ...4 dry it and 5 strop it again

do i have to oil the blade after every use and if so will the oil that came with my clippers work

ok one other question ....what should i use to dry off the blade after i clean it.....

Yes, that is essentially correct. Strop before you shave, shave, clean up the blade (I rinse but I know some people simply wipe), then dry the blade and leave it out to air, open if possible (away from little hands if that is an issue for you). Don't forget to get the moisture between the scales if there is any - a good blow (and, if you have a good firm grip, a rapid wave through the air) can achieve this.

I do not bother stropping after drying very often, but there is not harm in it. If this is your regular razor, there is no need to oil it. I only oil if I know I will not be using that razor for an extended period of time. I do not know what kind of oil comes with your clippers, but I imagine it is a light machine oil. If so, it is OK for oiling straights.

I use a towel to wipe my blades. I use the towel like I use a micro fibre cloth on a pair of glasses - fold it so that the ends are between my thumb and forefinger and the fold is in the palm. Then put the spine end into the fold so that the two open ends of the towel are over the edge, and wipe, being careful to not damage the edge or your fingers.

James.

To help dry the razor, first run the blade under really hot tap water to heat it up, then immediatly wipe it off (I use a tissue). The heat will help evaporate the water to avoid those pesky little water spots...

-Chief

Well, technically you missed step 1.5 Beard Prep, but yeah, that's right. I wipe my blade with a towel and blow the final moisture from the shoulder pin.

Hey! As others have said, you got it pretty much right. You don't *have* to strop afterwards.

As far as oiling, well, depends. I'm in New Zealand, where it's humid and muggy even when it's cold. I've been oiling once a week with olive oil, but I was told I could do it less frequently if I used mineral oil.

Up in the Northern Hemisphere, it's winter, and for most of the North America and Europe, which is where most SRP members are from, that means cold and dry. No need to oil really. Even the summer in most of these places isn't quite humid enough to make it *necessary.*

If you're worried, it couldn't hurt. But you don't need to oil every day.

As far as drying, I just use a towel and carefully wipe the edge and pivot dry, then run a piece of tissue paper between the scales to get any water that might have gotten in there.

Some people like me suffer from Shaving Related OCD. I use a hair dryer to blow dry my blade after I finish shaving. I also use the hair dryer to dry my shaving brush before I put it away.

+1 to the above advice. Jimbo's reply mentioned something very important that can be easilly over looked and that is: making sure the inside of the scale is dry. I do everything he mentioned except I go a step further. Most scales have a wide enough opening to where you can easily fit the corner or edge of a standard face towl into it. I shake it first, then blow in it, then make one swipe inside the scale with the towel from end to end on both sides. Be very careful if you shake the razor by insuring you have a good grip on both the razor and scale where the razor can't pivot around and chop you in the hand. When I first started str8 shaving, I had a water spot appear on the edge of my blade. As soon as I saw it, I knew what it had to come from. Be very careful when you are drying it to make sure you are constantly aware of where the blades edge is at all times. For some reason, when drying the razor, I worry more about cutting my hands or fingers and am more cautious than while shaving. I think it's because the shaving motions are so repititious but drying it is always a little different each time.

I never oil the razor I'm using on a regular basis and I live in Southern Louisiana where the humidity is, for most of the year, between 80 to 100%. Now, it's a different story if your bathroom, or where ever it is you keep your razors, is not in an air conditioned part of the house. I used to live in an extremely old shotgun house where the bathroom was not air conditioned, only heated. If I still lived there, I would probably keep the razor somewhere it is air conditioned.

I also strop after shaving as the friction does help further dry the metal. I like doing it because it helps me to split up a really good stropping between two different times. After shaving, I do 15 linen and 30 leather. Before shaving, I do 20 linen and 40 leather and my razor always shaves like a dream.