Thread: Stropping - lifting the razor off the strop at the end of a pass

Hi guys,

I'm fairly new to this but quite happy with my stropping rhythm.

My question is, does it matter if I lift the razor (spine and blade) off the strop at the end of a pass? I.e. turn the blade to go back again in mid air, rather than flipping the blade over with the spine still touching the strop?

i find it a lot more comfortable doing it this way but concerned I could affect the blade as I lift off the strop.

thanks for your help

John

my only concern would be that as you gain speed (i read some where a productive speed to be 40-60 laps a minute) it would be easy to set the cutting edge down before the spine. plus it may be difficult to reach a efficient speed that way.JMHO and YMMV

Originally Posted by tintin

my only concern would be that as you gain speed (i read some where a productive speed to be 40-60 laps a minute) it would be easy to set the cutting edge down before the spine. plus it may be difficult to reach a efficient speed that way.JMHO and YMMV

That's interesting, thank you

Someone will probably say it is bad. However, I have lifted the razor slightly off the strop on the return for about 20 years with no problem. Just don't smack it down when you make contact.

Originally Posted by bouschie

Someone will probably say it is bad. However, I have lifted the razor slightly off the strop on the return for about 20 years with no problem. Just don't smack it down when you make contact.

Thanks Bouschie

If you lift the spine before the razor stops, just once you will roll the edge.

The spine should never leave the strop.

Life is short, do what makes you happy, on the bright side… your honing will improve…

Lifting the razor off the strop complicates the process, adding an unnecessary motion. If you can strop well when lifting the razor from the strop, you can do just as well without doing it and therefore avoid problematic mistakes.

It is one of those quirky things. To me it is more important that your stropping is effective and you are comfortable with the technique. I think there are more places for things to go sideways doing it that way,however if it feels natural and you can do it well, you are probably further ahead than trying to learn a technique to satisfy a textbook example. If it feels good and is effective do it.

Originally Posted by ace

Lifting the razor off the strop complicates the process, adding an unnecessary motion. If you can strop well when lifting the razor from the strop, you can do just as well without doing it and therefore avoid problematic mistakes.

This . . . K.I.S.S. The fewer variables, the better. but, I am still less than ten shaves into my Straight razor journey, so what do I know?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

If you lift the spine before the razor stops, just once you will roll the edge.

That is simply not true. At least not in a general sense. Now if you were to exert a lot of pressure on the strop while doing that, or if you lift the spine to a 45-degree angle or something, then yes a rolled edge could result. But lifting the spine a tiny bit during normal stropping is not harmful, and could actually aid in straightening out the edge.