New Stropers

I've stropped knives before but needed a refresher, especially using a straight. I just watched Lynn Abrams great YouTube video on Stropping for Beginners. The three points that immediately came back to me were: Keep it light and you'll be right. Turn on the spine and you'll be fine. And, Don't strop fast, the strop won't last. Musicians will get the speed thing. If you start stropping at 60BPM (beats per minute - that's one stroke per second), and work up to no more than 80BPM, you'll be a pro before you know!

Sounds like you have the gist of it. It really is that simple. The only thing I will add to what you have already said is to keep the spine always on the strop.

I would add to make sure the spine always leads :)

I would say that 60 BPM is a bit fast start at. How about 45 or 30.

For anyone interested in stropping, check out the Stroptober thread from a few years ago. Tons of good information, tips, and videos there.

I'm with Cris Wilson on this on...as with most things in SR shaving, take your time, start slow, speed adds nothing good. In addition to that be very careful to flip the razor while still moving in the direction off the spine, so as not to have a small glitch that nicks your strop!

I'm pretty sure when I started, I was barely doing 20 laps a minute. Going faster will come with practice, but do your strop and razor a favor and start slow with emphasis on good technique, not speed.

Also, I would recommend starting either with a bench strop or resting your hanging strop on a table. It will save your strop from getting sliced to bits and your razor from getting dulled.

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Originally Posted by criswilson10

I would say that 60 BPM is a bit fast start at. How about 45 or 30.

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Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I'm with Cris Wilson on this on...as with most things in SR shaving, take your time, start slow, speed adds nothing good. In addition to that be very careful to flip the razor while still moving in the direction off the spine, so as not to have a small glitch that nicks your strop!

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Originally Posted by apipeguy

I'm pretty sure when I started, I was barely doing 20 laps a minute. Going faster will come with practice, but do your strop and razor a favor and start slow with emphasis on good technique, not speed.

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Sorry for the suggestion of 'speed' to begin stropping. As a musician (or anyone with a watch) will find 60BPM an easy reference point (it would be a stroke per second). I didn't mean to imply that was the lowest beat with which to begin. Going slower to start would be entirely appropriate, in fact, recommended to avoid mistakes. Happy stropping everyone! Thanks, oldmandon

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Originally Posted by Ernie1980

Also, I would recommend starting either with a bench strop or resting your hanging strop on a table. It will save your strop from getting sliced to bits and your razor from getting dulled.

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I would prefer to practice my technique with a razor and strop analogue prior to having to use my proper strop, then just use a hanging strop but that's just me. Nothing wrong with this advice.

I recommend you forget the metronome and go to the complex syncopation of bebop.