Thread: Another Stropping Question

My stropping has improved dramatically and I am able to actually improve my edge with stropping, most of the time now, instead of degrading the edge.

Question is: after my shave I do 15-20 laps on the premium fabric and then 20 on leather. Prior to my shave should I again do additional on the fabric prior to the 50 laps on the leather? At times I seem to get better results without doing the fabric prior to the 50 on leather. I know YMMV but curious as to how other more experienced people do this.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry, I can't help I only use leather. Hopefully you will get a few responses from these who know.

It is a ymmv thing for sure. There are those here that never use the fabric and boast the same results. Personally I do 20 ish on the fabric to warm the blade up for the leather and then do 60-100 on the leather. Everyone has their routine that works for them.

I use fabric only after honing as it seems to clean the blade up prior to using leather. For daily shaving I find that 40 or 50 laps on leather is adequate beforehand and 20 or so afterwards. I use a specific strop afterwards - it had some neets foot oil added which leaves a small protective coating on the edge. I used to wipe with Ballistol Oil before putting away but now find it unnecessary.

Before the shave I do 30 on fabric and 50 on leather (more or less). After the shave I do 30 on fabric and 30 on leather.

ymmv i used to do 30 on febric then 30 on leather now i do 60 on a 3 inch leather only but i do finish with a 15k now so if it lanks i just do five or six laps on the stone strop and im back.....

Originally Posted by apipeguy

My stropping has improved dramatically and I am able to actually improve my edge with stropping, most of the time now, instead of degrading the edge.

Question is: after my shave I do 15-20 laps on the premium fabric and then 20 on leather. Prior to my shave should I again do additional on the fabric prior to the 50 laps on the leather? At times I seem to get better results without doing the fabric prior to the 50 on leather. I know YMMV but curious as to how other more experienced people do this.

Thanks in advance.

I always do at least 10 fabric and leather after cleaning the blade after a shave to insure no soap/crude is on the edge. Then I do 30/50...fabric (web..usually)/leather prior to shaving.

However, I've also just done the 30/50 after the shave and nothing before the next shave.....Difference?......nothing perceptible. I think either way is workable and it just comes down to how you want to do it.

Why your edge is degraded with the fabric...

Try making sure your tension on the fabric is the same as the leather. Also, I've found that the SRD web or a true natural linen work the best for me. They're a much more consistent weave and texture than the premium fabric, IMHO.

Which ever method you choose, I encourage stropping at least 10/10 laps after clean up from a shave.



Howard

I will strop before the shave and after. Before the shave it is normally 30/50 then after the shave i do 20/20 just to ensure the blade is clean before i put the razor away.

Still just trying to learn all I can. I understand the purpose of fabric/linen/webbing for after the shave to help clean and dry the blade and then additional laps on leather prior to putting the razor away.

But then the next day prior to shaving what purpose is the fabric/linen/webbing accomplishing prior to your decided lap amounts on the leather? I've read that this heats the blade to prepare it for the leather but I guess I just don't really understand what that process is really doing.

In response to SirStropalot: I don't think that the fabric is degrading the edge as much as my technique. It really has improved greatly but I'm still learning and improving. I am able now to maintain/improve the edge with my stropping, the vast majority of the time. In the beginning I was probably doing more harm than good due to poor technique.

Just trying to take my stropping to the next level and if I understand the reasoning for each step, that makes the process easier for me.

Thanks again for the replies.

I find that the fabric is abrasive enough to act like a really mild hone. Therefore whenever you use the fabric you might need to do a few more than 20 laps on the leather to smooth the edge back to the shave ready level.