Thread: Stropping after a shave?

Hi all,
I've read that stropping after a shave helps avoid problems with rust, etc., so after every shave I've been stropping 10 laps on the cloth side and 20 on the leather before packing the blade away.

My worries are:

1. That this is just a myth, and it doesn't actually do any good at all.
2. It just increases the chances that my newbie stropping style will cause damage.

Can anyone comment on this?

Thanks!

I always strop after my shaves. In my opinion you can never over-strop. If your stropping technique is flawed your razor will begin to pull and tug on your next shave. If the razor stays sharp and your happy with the performance your stropping technique is sound.

I do 20 on linen and 20-30 on leather after my shave. Not sure about this protecting from rust but probably does clean off the edge of any skin or lather residue that may hold some moisture and may clean off better at this stage rather than the next day when it is completely dry. I do notice a difference in the feel of my edge the next day if I do not strop afterwards. Strop 40-70 laps prior to the shave on leather only.

I really don't know but will continue to strop before and after the shave.

If nothing else, it gives you more practice time.

I have two newspaper strops, both of which are lightly impregnated with mineral oil. One is used after honing to clean the blade of grit to avoid transferring it to the strop. The other is for honing after shaving. In both cases, the bevel of the blade is lightly oiled by transfer of oil from the paper strop.

After the paper stropping the rest of the blade is wiped with a blue shop paper towel also lightly impregnated with mineral oil.

Newbie stropping ability or not you will have to strop correctly if you want to shave, its unavoidable.
I have been doing this also for some time now and it gives me some piece of mind that no moisture is left on the edge to do damage. Can I prove this no, but I have never had rust on my blades in almost two years and I have a bad habit of never oiling my blades. So I will continue.

I have always stropped post shave, and in fact until recently didn't strop pre shave at all.
As has been said, at the least it is extra practice. That Stropping shouldn't take you more than a minute or so anyway?

Been stropping after shaving for several years now and have noticed my edges are lasting longer before needing a touch up. I also run hot water over the blade before stropping to heat the blade which also helps drying, of course I do wipe the water off the blade before stopping.

I stopped for a long while after I tested the benefits of post shave stropping by going two weeks with the same razor only stropping before and then two weeks stropping before and after the shave. I touched up the edge between the two periods to be fair a realized no real benefit to stropping post shave.

I do however enjoy this sport of ours and have since resumed the post shave strop. Now I do about 20 laps on linen only just because.

I'm in the 10 & 20 post shave strop crowd....
And I often strop the next days razor if I have time...ok that does not happen often.

I

Originally Posted by Utopian

I have two newspaper strops, both of which are lightly impregnated with mineral oil. One is used after honing to clean the blade of grit to avoid transferring it to the strop. The other is for honing after shaving. In both cases, the bevel of the blade is lightly oiled by transfer of oil from the paper strop.

After the paper stropping the rest of the blade is wiped with a blue shop paper towel also lightly impregnated with mineral oil.

This is substituted for linen Ron? Sounds interesting, I always knew it was good for my knives. Now as far as post shave ,, it sure doesn't hurt to gave that edge clean post shave to eliminate oxidation and I,m a firm believer you can't strop too much unless your stropping sucks. I,m doing 20 linen 30 leather post shave and 30 linen 60 pre shave and have not seen one spot of rust oxidation or ugly edges and I can get several weeks from an edge. Tc