Thread: Stropping

Originally Posted by Seraphim

So, is there some slight pressure you are supposed to apply? Or are you just trying to glide the razor along with just the blade weight?

I'm using a TM starter strop and am just trying to glide the razor along it as lightly as I can. Should there be a tiny amount of downward pressure component?

I can't really answer this question. I will say that you should emphasize the evaluation of the blade over any directions on how to strop.

I believe, that if all things are optimal, a razor on a taut strop with no pressure should strop up properly. Deflection, in my mind, is for shaping an edge that is screwed up and pressure is used for when a blade is not properly sharp in the first place. You can literally shape the edge with these two techniques and then strop properly and attain a good edge. I would say both of these would be advanced stropping concepts.

To strop correctly, stropping that leads to a perfected thumb pad test and a perfect shave, is usually done with no pressure and a little bit of speed, not much, but a little. What you have to watch out for is a strop that cups or gets out of whack, a strop that isn't treated right (go oil), light pressure screw-ups, and sag when its not called for.

Okay, now I'm going to move into some mindset ideas. These are to give you insight, please don't get all wrapped up in the fact that this stuff might not be actually happening.

The mindset when stropping is to think of the edge as needing to be swept away (outward) from the edge, straight out, and not deflected in any way. Its almost as if minute deflection is the most likely effect when stropping and perfection is more unlikely without practice. The way the edge extends into a shaving tool seems sort of magical. A near perfect visual for the motion is the way a fly fisherman can cast a line with no weight or downward pressure out away from himself 20 yards. The shank would be the fly rod, the blade the weighted line, and the lead the "fin" of the razor. Any downward pressure would throw the line at his feet. Its the motion that does the work. The key in a razors edge is a perfectly straight extension out beyond the edge. Due to the incredible delicateness of the edge, any unbalanced pressure on either side would likely deflect the edge.

Another more simplistic visual for the action on the edge itself is to think of it as honing. You hone with a very light touch. Now your honing the edge with a .001 micron hone. You'd have to go so wicked light on the strop as to almost defy your imagination. Imagine the razors edge, no longer the original edge, but created from the micro-extension of the steel. More delicate then even the thinly honed edge. Now more just the whisps of steel extending beyond the edge.

Now, if that visual doesn't leave you with a love of this art, nothing will.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

More delicate then even the thinly honed edge. Now more just the whisps of steel extending beyond the edge.

Truly beautiful

Where does the concept of drag fit into all of this? Does drag define the properly treated strop or is it an indicator of the stropping itself?

Originally Posted by Seraphim

So, is there some slight pressure you are supposed to apply? Or are you just trying to glide the razor along with just the blade weight?

I'm using a TM starter strop and am just trying to glide the razor along it as lightly as I can. Should there be a tiny amount of downward pressure component?

Ok also to Alan +1 but if I was starting out... No pressure would confuse me when stropping or honing. You have to have some pressure to keep a blade flat. It is all about how much though. And the weight of the blade is not a good measure cause it would want to sit unevenly with all the weight on 1 end of the blade and you moving back and forth on a semi flat surface.

You have to apply some pressure to keep the blade down but when I do it I try to apply the majority of my light pressure to the spine as I roll the blade and do laps with it but not the blade as I roll it through my fingers. This is how I do the zero pressure. Lets face it... we are guys. And so pressure to us gets taken as PRESSURE but the truth is that if you are using just the weight of the razor your blade is probably not on the strop flat or you are going to accidentally lift the spine or something like that. I would say that it is all a matter of roughly exact ammounts being estimated in ways that can't quantify that. I would say to try and communicate in the best possible way for something so vague make the strop taught but not tight so it does not cup and can react to the blade and apply JUST the pressure you need to know the spine will stay on the strop and not lift off. You will see the strop deflect slightly when you do. Then roll the razor between your thumb and forefinger back and forth to get it to flip over on the strop. Keep your thumb on the flats of the tang where it meets the blade to get traction and leverage. Also the razor should be in motion before you put the edge down so you never accidentally cut your strop. It is alot to take in at one time but practice and GO SLOW.

Oh and as to the advanced honing... I am not talking that much deflection. I am talking 1/4" in the middle of a strop that is having pressure applied allong its length. Any suspended item like that will have to deflect according to basic physics so that is minor. You can definatly reshape an edge like that and resharpen and edge by playing with the stroping tension and angles and so on but this is basic stuff. I did not mean to open this can of worms.

Originally Posted by The Topher

Ok also to Alan +1 but if I was starting out... No pressure would confuse me when stropping or honing. You have to have some pressure to keep a blade flat. It is all about how much though. And the weight of the blade is not a good measure cause it would want to sit unevenly with all the weight on 1 end of the blade and you moving back and forth on a semi flat surface.

You have to apply some pressure to keep the blade down but when I do it I try to apply the majority of my light pressure to the spine as I roll the blade and do laps with it but not the blade as I roll it through my fingers. This is how I do the zero pressure. Lets face it... we are guys. And so pressure to us gets taken as PRESSURE but the truth is that if you are using just the weight of the razor your blade is probably not on the strop flat or you are going to accidentally lift the spine or something like that. I would say that it is all a matter of roughly exact ammounts being estimated in ways that can't quantify that. I would say to try and communicate in the best possible way for something so vague make the strop taught but not tight so it does not cup and can react to the blade and apply JUST the pressure you need to know the spine will stay on the strop and not lift off. You will see the strop deflect slightly when you do. Then roll the razor between your thumb and forefinger back and forth to get it to flip over on the strop. Keep your thumb on the flats of the tang where it meets the blade to get traction and leverage. Also the razor should be in motion before you put the edge down so you never accidentally cut your strop. It is alot to take in at one time but practice and GO SLOW.

+1 If you keep the pressure on the spine, the pressure transfered to the edge is very light. (the larger the width of the blade, the lower the pressure transfered on the edge) So the effort needed is to keep the spine and the strop surface allways in contact for all the number of strokes without interruption.