Thread: Stropping::: Very very very Important !!!!

Originally Posted by JMS

A circular pattern on a strop? You'll have to explain that one Glen.

Hmmm explain it I don't think I can, it don't mean doing little honing circles though, it is an overall pattern, a big circle or really an oval as you strop...
It moves the razor totally across the strop, as you strop, and it flows....
Maybe somebody that can do a video, that knows how to do it correctly, can do one...

Maybe not so much circular pattern as infinite loop pattern?

Just curious -- what is the single most common mistake made while stropping?

Originally Posted by sffone

Just curious -- what is the single most common mistake made while stropping?

I am betting that it is flipping the razor before you are finished with a pass there by causing little nicks and cuts in your strop and potentially damaging the razors cutting edge.

My biggest mistakes were exactly what you named, Mark as well as lifting the spine... Luckily, both habits have been broken

I'm guessing lifting the spine is a big one. My one big error was trying to go too fast too soon, leading me to lots of little errors.

It seems to me that lifting the spine is a bit problematic if you're using an X pattern on a strop that's less than 3" wide. Wouldn't you would almost have to lift the spine a bit at the end of each pass in order to reposition the razor for making the next stroke of the X? Also, what's the inherent drawback of lifting the spine? I ask because I've seen several very experienced barbers lift the spines while stroping their razors. Inquiring minds would like to know. Thanks.

Additional entries always welcome: Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki (currently, sloppy flipping, and excessive slowness).

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

Additional entries always welcome: Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki (currently, sloppy flipping, and excessive slowness).

Lifting the spine has been added

Originally Posted by sffone

It seems to me that lifting the spine is a bit problematic if you're using an X pattern on a strop that's less than 3" wide. Wouldn't you would almost have to lift the spine a bit at the end of each pass in order to reposition the razor for making the next stroke of the X?

Nope, you can slide it across the strop on the spine mid-flip. I find this easiest, actually, since lifting the blade completely off of the strop means setting it down on the strop again - a move that introduces a lot of room for tiny (yet damaging) mistakes.