Thread: I have been watching SRD stropping videos - now I am worried

First - I received my razor/strop set today from SRD. The shipping was unreal. It was mailed Saturday and I am in NC.

Second - Is it strange that I am equally fascinated by the stropping and touch up aspect of straight razor shaving as the shave itself?

Finally, I began watching Lynn's youtube videos on stropping. He was stropping so fast and easy I was blown away. I learned more from his dialog than the visual aspect.

I scoured this board for information. I was overwhelmed at first but the jargon and advice began making sense.

Now, after watching the videos, I am back to square one.

I guess I just need to go with it and do my best. I also bought his dvd. Hopefully that will help.

Does everyone strop as fast as Lynn?

Take care,
Jason

No. Some of us strop slowly and deliberately. Lynn has to strop a pile of razors, like barbers of old. You get faster as you need to.
I am old and slow. So is my stropping!

I'm pretty sure I strop faster than Lynn and I've even got a cut kanayama shell cordovan strop to prove it.

The point is not to go fast at all. I.E., you go slow so you can go fast. Stropping is second nature to Lynn, I'll bet he doesn't even think he goes fast.
So learn the basics, keep the spine on the leather, use a light touch, go slow...you're not sharpening the edge, you're polishing the edge. And when your muscle memory is dialed in (and you've ruined a stop or two), you'll be going as fast as you want to.

Awesome to hear the enthusiasm in your post.

As a beginner, I prefer/ed slow, precise strop passes. Also, if hand fatigued, I go back to slow and deliberate and take brakes, if necessary. I don't want to curl the edge by mis-stropping. Though, as you've indicated, there are a number of fascinating aspects about straight razor shaving. Maintaining the edge is definitely one of them.

If you haven't commited some travesty against all razor kind(as most of us have), for a touch up, I got a Naniwa SuperStone 12K and that did the trick. Oh, and watching Lynn's videos on honing with Naniwas. Then, I had an onset of HAD. Brief, but, productive(prolific?)

Slow wins the day, in my limited experience.

Kind Regards,
Simon

Slow and steady is the best way to go while learning. Some lat it flat out on a table also so tension isn't a factor. You will find it comes to you after a while and you do it without thinking. I was talking to my wife the other day and only realized after a bit I wasn't looking while stropping. Not something I would consciously do but proves that once the muscle memory is there is when it will look easy and the speed comes.

I too tried to "strop like Lynn" when I first started - which is why I'm on my second strop now. I've slowed WAAAY down.

Start slow and smooth. Speed comes later if needed. For me, the hardest part of speed stropping was keeping my pressure light. I tend to get heavy handed when stropping faster. Over time, it just becomes natural and in a while you'll be surprised at your improvement.

good advise all around, notice the theme? slooooww you wont save any time by rolling your edge! and Lynn has done this 10,s of thousands of times ,, (and hes showing off a little) so watch the video and you will get there ,, most new damage to our edges comes from trying to strop incorrectly or to fast good luck tc

I think if you watch my videos, particularly the one attached here, you will see that I STRESS not going fast and demonstrate that as well. The keys as I indicate are not to be tentative and not to try to go fast, but to use light pressure and develop a rhythm that will work well for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZffC...n-nCMQ&index=9

Have fun.

Originally Posted by realdog4

First - I received my razor/strop set today from SRD. The shipping was unreal. It was mailed Saturday and I am in NC.

Second - Is it strange that I am equally fascinated by the stropping and touch up aspect of straight razor shaving as the shave itself?

Finally, I began watching Lynn's youtube videos on stropping. He was stropping so fast and easy I was blown away. I learned more from his dialog than the visual aspect.

I scoured this board for information. I was overwhelmed at first but the jargon and advice began making sense.

Now, after watching the videos, I am back to square one.

I guess I just need to go with it and do my best. I also bought his dvd. Hopefully that will help.

Does everyone strop as fast as Lynn?

Take care,
Jason