Thread: Not clear on how one could nick a strop ...

Hi all - first post. I'm absorbing all I can re straight shaving and one item which puzzles me are the comments that "you can damage/nick a strop". Since one is moving the razor away from the blade's edge at all times, I can't see how one would ever cut into the strop's surface. Can someone enlighten me as to what I'm missing?
Toonfully yours
Crowden

Pressure on the blade, not keeping strop taught, twisting strop while stropping...lots of things can and do happen.

I just nicked my roo strop last night. Lost focus and flipped blade before reversing direction. Happened in a flash. Sounds dumb because it was. But it happened.

Slow, steady, and total focus you will be fine.

Good luck!

No one is perfect every time. We all make mistakes now and then, just to irritate ourselves.

Originally Posted by SS502MC

No one is perfect every time. We all make mistakes now and then, just to irritate ourselves.

I'm fine with mistakes, I just couldn't visualize a mistake that would do it!

Just as EdG says it can and we all have done it from time to time. You may be lucky an never experience it but like most things it hard to visualize till you do it.

Bob

Originally Posted by Headcrowny

I'm fine with mistakes, I just couldn't visualize a mistake that would do it!

Next time you sneeze, picture a razor in your hands. :<0) It's basically going the wrong way at the right time. When it happens your kind of glad it wasn't your finger this time.

Usually it's caused by changing direction before flipping, or flipping before changing direction. Both are caused by going too fast before having the motions down.

Ja, now I understand. Flipping too soon and going edge-first - makes total sense. I'll probably do that on my second try, due to overconfidence from my first attempt ;-)

Same strop for a decade. One nick. Usually a nick occurs when guys stop the razor.

I've noticed on a lot of people's strops that I've seen (my early ones too), small nicks on the dominant hand side at the end where you hold the strop. So also be careful to keep the razor parallel to the surface throughout the movement and don't start dropping the elbow.

James.