Thread: Anxious Newbie

I just ordered a Dovo Carpe Diem, Castle Forbes lavender cream and a bunch of related accessories from SRD. I also have a dirty bird scuttle on order as well. I caught my wife in a generous mood, (her recent high end hair style didn't hurt either). Anyway since I have never shaved with a straight razor before and will probably screw up on the stropping should I skip the stropping on my first shave since Lynn will be honing and stropping the blade prior to shipping?

Yeah, skip the stropping for your first shave so that you know what the edge is supposed to feel like.

You don't need to strop the first time since the blade comes ready to go.

My advice is to take things SLOW... The first shave just do a WTG pass on cheeks and see how that feels, then if U feel ok you can go further. When you strop the first time also go SLOWLY, concentrate on slide and flip on spine.... Remember this is a journey not a destination, take the time to enjoy the ride

I made sure to shave with my razor from SRD for my first time so that I would know exactly what an edge should roughly feel like when done correctly. Afterwards, Be sure to check out the wiki on this site for info on many related topics. It is a great help for newbies and also can answer almost any question you might have!

There are varying opinions on stropping a freshly honed razor. I believe it is a personal choice; however, when I got my first straight from Lynn, I did not strop it for my first shave. But now I strop before and after each shave.
Speaking of stropping here is a tip that may or may not be of assistance to you. Practicing stropping with a butter knife as a way to keep the blade flat on the leather. I know the butter knife is nowheres near a straight razor, but the goal is to keep the blade flat to avoid lifting the spine and possibly rolling the edge. Other members may agree or disagree with me, but the final decision is up to you as to how you want to approach stropping. When I learned how to strop, I only had one straight and made the mistake of rolling the edge and sent it back to Lynn to get the edge repaired. So while the straight was being rehoned, I practiced with a butterknife to learn to keep the spine down and for me, it paid off.

Originally Posted by Link8382

I just ordered a Dovo Carpe Diem, Castle Forbes lavender cream and a bunch of related accessories from SRD. I also have a dirty bird scuttle on order as well. I caught my wife in a generous mood, (her recent high end hair style didn't hurt either). Anyway since I have never shaved with a straight razor before and will probably screw up on the stropping should I skip the stropping on my first shave since Lynn will be honing and stropping the blade prior to shipping?

I have read in a few of the posts that stropping a butter knife was good for practice and I am going to spend some time doing that. I don't want to mess up a freshly honed razor because of impatience. Thanks for the advice.

You're welcome. I hope it works out well for you.

Just keep your strop taut and start out slow and focus on your technique such as keeping the spine on the leather, blade flat, use the blade's natural pressure on the leather (do not press down on the razor), and flipping on the spine to change directions. Having the strop set at waist high is ideal, also before I forget, based on my own experience, keeping your stropping arm's elbow level with the strop help keeps your razor level and flat on the leather. Your shoulder should remain stationary and your arm's movement should only be from the elbow.

Originally Posted by Link8382

I have read in a few of the posts that stropping a butter knife was good for practice and I am going to spend some time doing that. I don't want to mess up a freshly honed razor because of impatience. Thanks for the advice.

Good advice!

Pmburk's advice.I second it. Excellent advice for the reasons he gave... Plus... You Don't want to slice your new leather!! I butter knife is a safe alternative if you don't have a spare Dull Razor.
It's really easy to cut it and it's there forever!

I'm pretty sure Lynn actually strops the razor prior to shipping it back.