Thread: Razor Pressure on Strop

Pressure with the blade is different between stropping and honing. For honing, you want the the lighest pressure possible (esp. at later stages). For stropping, you need enough pressure to get a good "draw" sensation. I am personally relatively heavy handed with the blade on the strop. But too much of anything can't be good...

-Chief

I'm still somewhat of a beginner at this but I think my stropping technique is (finally!) decent. (I recently got a new razor that gave me a terrible shave until after I stropped it -- so I must be doing something right.)

My technique is to use as little pressure as possible while keeping the blade in even, controlled, contact with the strop. One thing that I think helped me was the advice to flip the blade using just the fingers and not the wrist. I think this forced me to keep a very light, but in-control, grip on the blade and it is that grip that results in just the right amount of pressure against the strop. My theory, anyway.

I, too, have taken as a literal statement that the strop should be taught and that the razor should have no weight placed on it. The result is that my strop barely deflects (< 1/4" in the middle) and I essentially allow the tang and scales to rest on my fingers while drawing making the laps. I have to say that I've found the results less than impressive. After a couple of months I'm still getting mediocre stropping results, but at least haven't rolled an edge.

I noted that both the above wiki link and the old-timey barber on youtube have more play in their strops than the oft quoted <1/2 inch. They appear to be more like 1" to 1.5". Something is being lost between description and actual practice.

I am in no way suggesting that any of the stropping videos are incorrect, but that they are not really what is often described here as proper stropping. I'm thinking that the shortcoming is in that description.

I'm sure there are an number of reasons for my poor results some of which may have nothing to do with this discussion... maybe I should allow a little more play in the strop?