Thread: Stropping issues

Hey folks! It's me again...

So, stropping. I'm not sure if I'm very good at it.

During my last shave, I noticed the edge which was formerly in tip-top shape starting to lose its luster a bit. Not cutting quite close enough when it should, a little more razor burn...

It's still shaving well enough, but not as well as it was.

This is more obvious on my hollow razor. The 1/4 hollow isn't showing my poor stropping as much. I suppose the edge on a thinner ground razor is more sensitive.

This *might* be related to a problem I've noticed while stropping. I have a really hard time keeping the strop from wanting to swivel around the attachment point. So it's flat and even where my fingers are holding the end, but slightly twisted (usually away from me) at the top.

I hold the strop across my body, and stroke from left to right.

I would suspect this is causing uneven stropping across the blade, so some bits are getting stropped too little, others too hard, and others just right.

It could just be crummy technique in general, but until I sort that out I can't really know for sure.

How do I get that bloody strop to stay put?

What sort of fitting is on the end of the strop? Is it a D ring type fitting, or is it something else?

What are you attaching the strop to? You'll need to make sure that whatever you're attaching the strop to is secure and will not move when you put pressure on it.

If possible, could you post a picture of the way your strop is currently secured? The fitting on the strop and what its secured to. That would give us an opportunity to see if there are any obvious things to help stop the strop moving when you use it.

I'm guessing that you are not using the belt you mentioned a while back? Which strop do you have at the moment?

I dont know if doing the left/right pass could cause a problem, mainly because I've never done it! But I will say that if it doesnt feel right to you, and you dont feel like the razor is flat on the strop with the right amount of pressure, then you're probably right and I wouldnt keep doing it. First instincts tend to be correct IME.

One thing you could try is laying the strop flat on the table and then stropping there. This will remove any issues with the strop moving or sagging too much, and let you concentrate on the technique.

You want to keep the pressure fairly light (maybe 150% - 200% of the weight of the razor) and flip the razor over on the spine, never the edge as you could dull the razor.

Give that a try and see if it works!

Good luck!

Hey Stubear!

Below is a pic of my strop set-up. It's got a loop on it, a bit like a Filly. I just have it around a doorknob on my wardrobe which when closed is plenty secure, since the loop isn't that big.

It's a little one, about an inch and a half wide, which I received from a member here who thought it may suit my traveling ways. It's horse hide with "LONG-LIFE" at the top.

The reason I do left-to-right is because it seems the easiest way for my to keep my movements consistent. I have a bit of trouble with that due to injury. Going back to front is harder for me to control.

But at the same time, I can see how going right-to-left, with even the slightest bit of inconsistency, could cause the strop to want to shimmy around. It probably isn't the most stable way to strop.

I may also be pulling a bit too tight, in an attempt to get it to stay put. May be counter-productive.

I may try your table top idea, since it's small and it will quite easily fit on my desk. I'll try going back to front and once I get used to it I'll move back to hanging it, and try it that way.

Thanks for the pic!

Assuming the wardrobe door doesnt move or open when you are stropping, then that should be fine for anchoring.

If you find the back and forth movement harder than left/right, try securing the strop at a different height.

I actually have mine on a clothes hook on the the back of the bathroom door, so when I'm stropping its actually at a 45 degree angle. This reduces the amount of back and forth I do and replaces it with some up and down movements, but this is working very well for me. Give a few heights a try and see what you think..!

That sounds like a great strop! If its a 1.5" strop, you'll need to make the ubiquitous X pattern that all straight razor shavers know and love..! It can take a little time to get this down, but perseverance is key with this as its just one of those "need to know" things.

If you're stropping on a table, make sure you dont accidentally knock the razor on the desk as this will dull it. I'm sure thats a bit Monty Python stating the bleedin' obvious, but just something to be aware of..!

If you want to practice your stropping, take a butter knife and try using that to get the movement down. Its also a good way to try out different strop locations to see if you prefer the motion with the strop at a different height.

You dont need to put loads of tension on the strop, just enough to keep it fairly flat when you are using it. There was a thread yesterday I saw where some guys were talking about using LESS tension in the strop to get a better edge, so you really dont need loads.

Heres the thread:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ops-slack.html

Stropping should be a relaxed, fluid motion so if you feel yourself tensing up try to make a conscious effort to relax the muscles..!

Good luck!

EDIT: Just another thought, the door knob may be part of the problem as well as the loop on the strop will try and scoot off the rounded shape of the door knob when you put tension on the strop. You may well find a hook a better mount if you can find one or put one up somewhere?

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

I hold the strop across my body, and stroke from left to right.

I'm confused , when you say you stroke from left to right . Stropping is done in both directions . You make a stroke in one direction , and flip the razor over and come back in the opposite direction , so you strop both sides of the blade .

Yes, I do strop both sides. Left to right, then flip it over the spine and right to left.

I was just describing the orientation of the strop when I use it.

If you were able to come by the traditional hardware (clamp & swivel) that strops normally have that might alleviate the twisting issue that you have. JimR in Japan sells strops and might be able to get a clamp from Kanayama for you.

I know this probably won't help much, but How many shaves does each razor have on you so far? Leg hair is a good deal tougher than facial hair, and there's more of it, so that may just be eating the blade quicker?

Also, what I did was Put a swivel clip (Like on any key chain) on the end of my strop that used a thong and bead attachment... That way, even when the cord twisted, it woudln't effect the strop...

Lanyards Hardware Attachment Options- Swivel Hook, Key Chain, Key Ring, Badge Clip One of these, Take the lanyard end (the end that clips on to things) and clip it through the top hole of the strop, then cut the lanyard off, and tie a string loop through the rectangle end, and then tie that to the door handle. Voila, now it rotates easily, this makes the strop rotate with the blade, so you usually have good contact, even if your wrist turns, and it takes torque tension off of the back of the strop... YMMV But it worked great with my TM Practice strop

I am a little rambly and unclear this early... So if you have any questions about that, or need me to make something a little clearer, let me know.

Good luck, Cassie!

Cheers,
Jeremy

EDIT: Number 1 and 5 on that link are what I'm refering to.

EDIT EDIT: Jimmy beat me to the hardware thing, but, still... Nyeh

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Yes, I think it may have to do with the shape of the doorknob.

I'm going to try threading some string through the loop and tying it to my towel rack instead. I should be able deduce from that if it's just a matter of getting a better attachment point.

If so, I'll likely get a lanyard and use that so it will be more stable regardless of the attachment point.

Jeremy - You may be right. I do cover a *lot* more surface area than your typical guy. I'm sure some of it is my stropping, but I may also need to touch them up more often than you guys do. I wonder if any other ladies have found this?

Each of them probably have 6 to 8 shaves under their belts.

Cool, I always used one attached to the door handle of my dorm bathroom when I had the TM Practice Strop, and it worked quite well. hope it sees you through this too.

Good luck, Cassie! Keep stropping and you'll get great results soon.

cheers,
Jeremy