Stropping: I think I've been doing it wrong.

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11-27-2009, 05:49 AM
freeman

Stropping: I think I've been doing it wrong.

For the last couple of months I've been dutifully stropping my razors before and after each shave, and usually in between passes. I've also stropped the daylights out of them (70-100 laps) after honing. Having seen first hand what can happen when poor stropping leads to a rolled edge, I've been careful to gently but quickly glide the razor across the the strop, and all has been more or less well.

Well, sort of. I've also noticed that stropping has had little or no affect on the sharpness of my razor. This got me to thinking I might be doing it wrong so after spending some quality time checking the wiki and some threads on the subject I decided to try a firmer hand when stropping. I stropped my favorite razor last night with about twice as much pressure as I usually use, a firm even stroke is about the best I can describe it.

It felt like the blade was magnetized to the strop, the sound of the stropping action was one smooth continuous sound, and after 50 laps the razor went from "yeah, this is good to shave with" to absolutely the sharpest razor I own. It's effortlessly popping arm hairs without touching skin and consistently passing HHT at a much higher level than I'm accustomed to. Is this normal?
11-27-2009, 05:55 AM
hi_bud_gl

Interesting
if i did understand you are saying you putting more pressure now then before?
how were you stropping before? edge must touch the strop? and usually shouldn't be too much pressure.
Second part is Sorry to say your blade isn't shave ready(i say this what you wrote ) popping up arm hairs?
shave ready blade will not pop up the arm hairs it will make them fall off silently.
if you are popping up or spliting the hairs then blade needs to sharpen a little more.
( There is should be some consideration about what type arm hair you have) but mostly what i said above should apply 95% cases
11-27-2009, 05:55 AM
JMS

Sounds like you nailed it!!!
11-27-2009, 05:57 AM
JMS

One question: Have you shaved with the razor yet? As this is the only test you need to pass
11-27-2009, 07:27 AM
freeman

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMS

One question: Have you shaved with the razor yet? As this is the only test you need to pass

I've shaved with the blade before and after. It shaved great before and it shaves great now. I only mentioned the other tests since that's how I noticed the blade was sharper.
11-27-2009, 07:29 AM
JMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeman

I've shaved with the blade before and after. It shaved great before and it shaves great now. I only mentioned the other tests since that's how I noticed the blade was sharper.

Sounds like you are catching on!!
11-27-2009, 07:30 AM
freeman

Quote:

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

Second part is Sorry to say your blade isn't shave ready(i say this what you wrote ) popping up arm hairs?
shave ready blade will not pop up the arm hairs it will make them fall off silently.

I'm pretty convinced it was, in fact, shave ready before all of this. The blade was 100% comparable in all tests (including shave test) with a shave ready razor I got from thebleedingedge. It's just seems even sharper now.
11-27-2009, 08:33 AM
Thechef

Nice to see you have it perfected and due to the varibles of leather what works for one may not work for another as after all its skin and no skin is the same!

I to had the same issue being very gentle with my strop, and it did nothing for the razor now with firm but controlled pressure it has a slight hissing sound that is constant and pleasent to here when stropping.

And of course it works just like yours at making my razors come to life.
11-27-2009, 09:46 AM
Stubear

This does kinda confirm something I've been thinking for a while. I know we all say "Dont put too much pressure on the strop or you'll roll the edge", but I think we all put on more pressure than we actually think we do.

When I get home tonight I'm going to pull my strop to its usual taughtness and then I'm going to put weights on it until it sags by the amount that it usually does when I strop. I'll post the results up and see exactly how much weight I'm putting on when I do strop..!

EDIT: Well done for getting your stropping down as well! This is one of the most important things to learn and its great that you are happy with the results! It just goes to show how much of a difference good stropping makes..!
11-27-2009, 09:50 AM
Thechef

Now that is the way to do it use science as your guide and test all varibles and to be honest I bet there is a certain weight that is optimum to the razors edge.
11-27-2009, 11:26 AM
sffone

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeman

Well, sort of. I've also noticed that stropping has had little or no affect on the sharpness of my razor. This got me to thinking I might be doing it wrong so after spending some quality time checking the wiki and some threads on the subject I decided to try a firmer hand when stropping. I stropped my favorite razor last night with about twice as much pressure as I usually use, a firm even stroke is about the best I can describe it.

I had a similar experience -- I found that a little pressure made a world of difference.
11-27-2009, 12:08 PM
mackie

I like the idea of those weights, I think we all could learn from that. Mack
11-28-2009, 10:12 AM
JMS

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackie

I like the idea of those weights, I think we all could learn from that. Mack

Except it wont be accurate because most of the pressure you apply will be to the spine. The pressure to the edge will be controlled by the fingers on the tang and actually be lighter than what you put on the spine. If not then you are doing something wrong and taking a chance on ruining both the strop and your edge.
11-28-2009, 03:32 PM
JimmyHAD

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMS

Except it wont be accurate because most of the pressure you apply will be to the spine. The pressure to the edge will be controlled by the fingers on the tang and actually be lighter than what you put on the spine. If not then you are doing something wrong and taking a chance on ruining both the strop and your edge.

+1 that is my belief too. The barber manual excerpt on stropping (SRP Wiki help files) distinctly instructs to hold the tang between the tips of the forefinger and thumb ..... without bending the wrist... as you strop so that you can control the pressure on the edge. They say that light pressure is the way to go. AF Davis , a member who has done a substantial amount of experimentation with stropping has posted that light is right and I have found that to be true as well.
11-28-2009, 04:08 PM
yoshida

I do apologize for being slightly off topic but... I have a narrow paddle strop and putting some pressure, (I tend to agree on that one), could I damage the edge as I glide the blade to make an X pattern?,(on the long/side edge of the leather)?:confused: