scratches from stropping

[SteveH]

Wondering if the scratches on the tip of this razor are from stropping. I have used this razor twice and stropped with canvas a few laps and then with a leather strop forty laps.

New to straight razor shaving. This is one of two razors the other a Ralf Rust off being honed. Still learning (obviously). Everything about straight razor shaving is new to me.

thanks in advance for any help.

Steve

 

[Luecke3262]

Wondering if the scratches on the tip of this razor are from stropping. I have used this razor twice and stropped with canvas a few laps and then with a leather strop forty laps.

New to straight razor shaving. This is one of two razors the other a Ralf Rust off being honed. Still learning (obviously). Everything about straight razor shaving is new to me.

thanks in advance for any help.

SteveView attachment 107971

Hi Steve,

We are here to help, keep these questions coming. I'm not thinking those scratches would be coming from your strop, unless you have a strop paste on your canvas strop. They appear horizontal in nature and I couldn't imagine them occurring from regular stropping. Now, if you're wiping the razor after using a pasted strop, I could definitely see this happening. It is also possible that this occurred during the honing process when the person honing the razor wiped away the swarf from the blade as he was moving on to the next stone. You either do this or spray the blade down with a jet of water and the latter makes a mess. I would say this is the most likely culprit and it is 100% part of using & maintaining a razor. None of them will stay new looking forever unless they are kept in a cabinet unused. These blades with very high gloss finishes will not remain glossy and picturesque for long especially if they are a carbon steel, which will with time take staining(this can happen with as little as 60 seconds of idle time) and the scratches will come as you hone and use pasted strops. You can use a metal polish such a Flitz to polish these scratches out, but they will return and in the process, you will likely ruin your edge.

I hope this helps and I hope you're starting to get some great shaves in the near future!

Matt