Quote Originally Posted by ben.mid View Post

Some members recommend practising stropping with a butter knife or blunt object, but to my mind this serves no purpose. The feel is entirely different & there's no indication of when you are making errors. You're better off with the real thing, & just taking it steady. Speed will come when technique is there.
I have to disagree with you on this , Ben . Although using a butter knife or some other substitute for a straight razor is not the same as stropping a real razor . I believe it will help a person learn the basic stroke and flipping the razor over on it's spine technique .