Thread: How do I know if I am stropping correctly?

Hey Y'all!

I am about 2 months in to straight razor shaving and I love it. I am still trying to figure out as much information as I can, so any advice is much appreciated. I have a question with regards to stropping. I have been stropping usually right after my shave. Usually first on linen and then going over to leather. I was curious if there was a way to tell if you are actually stropping correctly or not? I have noticed that I am no longer receiving as close of a shave as I first did when I received the razor from SRD. I did not know if it was time for me to do some touch ups on a 12,000 grit or if it is a stropping issue?

When I strop, I try to replicate what Lynn shows in his videos. I try not to add pressure and watch out for the whistle noise that can occur when only the blade is in contact with the razor. I inspect the edge of the razor after my stropping and notice that I still have a polished edge, with few irregularities in the reflection. Is the best way to remove the irregularities to use the 12k? By irregularities I am just referring to the reflection on the edge is not consistent throughout.

Thank you again for all of the advice!

If you got 2 months out of your first edge you are probably doing fine. Technique develops and if you messed it up in the beginning and we're still learning to shave you did alright.

I would send the razor out for a pro re-hone rather than learn that as well.

Check out stroptober thread for more stropping videos and conversation

If you still don't have you can get pocket microscope, for example on eBay for less than 5$. Than you will be able to look on your edge. And you definitely will see difference between stropped and unstopped razor.

As for honing I agree with JTmke, send it to somebody to re-hone (after that you also can check and remember how edge must look like in microscope), if you want to practice in honing find some used razor or buy gold dollar off eBay, but don't try to learn on your only shave ready razor.

Stropping is one of those things that just takes time to learn, without magnification, you will only know if you are doing it wrong and the edge degrades.

Typically new stroppers use too much pressure or lift the spine and break the edge, causing a chip.

As said get some magnification, the Carson Micro Max and a 60x lighted loupe are common inexpensive magnifiers, but any magnifier/loupe/scope will work.

Look straight down on the edge, like the photos below any shiny reflections are where the bevels are not meeting and are chips. A side view at high magnification will show the chip.The 1st photo shows the chips, second after some honing and third fully set bevel.

Take a look at a thread in the Honing Forum, Second Try at Honing for a photo pictorial of a new honer going from bevel set to shave ready. There are lots of good photos on what to look for.

I would say that if you have been getting just as good of shaves as when you got it, then you are stropping correctly. Some pictures of the edge would help people visualize what you are describing by "irregularities."

My personal opinion is that you should strop 5-10 times on chromium oxide to refresh and if that doesn't work then do 10 or so very light laps on the 12k, strop, then test and use the CrOX if needed after that. If all that doesn't work for you then I'd try refreshing on the 12k a couple more times after which I'd use your free rehoning from SRD and try to get a cheaper shave ready razor to try your rehoning skills on while keeping the one you have shave ready after it comes back from SRD. Never know, you could end up refreshing it well after the first or next couple attempts. The pressure has to be very very light on the 12k while still keeping the edge in contact with the hone though. From experience though, if you're going to use your free rehoning, you should do it now before you learn to hone or you'll never use it. I'd focus on shaving with a good shave ready blade for now.

That was very helpful! I will try to get some photos of the edge when I get home. Now when you say CrOx, how do you correctly apply that?

I will be back with some photos. Thanks again!

Sorry for the poor photos, I did my best to capture the edge. The area I wanted y'all to look at is about half way down the edge (a little closer to the tail). Thank you again for your advice.

That sounds like about the average time for an edge to start to deteriorate. CrOx would be the first logical step in making your razor sharper. Lynn Abrams has a video that shows how to use CrOx or the like here: https://youtu.be/ You can buy CrOx or the diamond spray from SRD by following the "The Sharpening Center" link. You can get the .5 micron in either spray or crayon form. When keeping any blade sharp, one wants to do the least destructive thing possible to get the edge back to where it should be. Stropping on a linen/canvas, etc. strop with some CrOx on it will bring the edge back to it's original sharpness (refer to the video for details). You should be able to refresh the razor several times before you will need to be to hone the razor on a 12k stone. I think the average time between CrOx stropping would be two to three months. You probably would only need to hone the razor on a 12k about once a year.

Originally Posted by littlej2455

That was very helpful! I will try to get some photos of the edge when I get home. Now when you say CrOx, how do you correctly apply that?

I will be back with some photos. Thanks again!

I got the CrOx crayon from SRD and applied it to the back of the linen side of my strop. I do 7 laps when the blade starts pulling and it worsk most times.

Originally Posted by wantagr8shave

I got the CrOx crayon from SRD and applied it to the back of the linen side of my strop. I do 7 laps when the blade starts pulling and it worsk most times.

Thank you for your advice. I think I'm going to purchase that from SRD when it becomes available again. I looked on Amazon for CrOx in the meantime but I wasn't sure if it was the same grit or not, so I will wait and support SRD. Thanks again!