Thread: What should I hear while stropping?

Hey guys, I am three shaves in and finding it difficult to know whether or not I am stropping correctly.
There are a few issues:

I am pulling the strop just taught enough so that it is in a straight line. Do I want to apply almost no pressure, or enough so that the strop is flexing and being pushed down as I go over it?

The sound. When I just rub the spine across I hear a dull sound. If I lift the spine I hear a higher pitched sound of the edge. Obviously I don't want to lift the spine off, but do I want to hear the high pitched sound of the edge, or should I not hear that at all?


Thanks guys

Originally Posted by jslinger

Hey guys, I am three shaves in and finding it difficult to know whether or not I am stropping correctly.
There are a few issues:

I am pulling the strop just taught enough so that it is in a straight line. Do I want to apply almost no pressure, or enough so that the strop is flexing and being pushed down as I go over it?

The sound. When I just rub the spine across I hear a dull sound. If I lift the spine I hear a higher pitched sound of the edge. Obviously I don't want to lift the spine off, but do I want to hear the high pitched sound of the edge, or should I not hear that at all?


Thanks guys

Very little pressure but enough so that you are in contact with the strop. Obviously the strop will drop somewhat because you do need to have full contact with the strop. You should hear a high pitched sound. But it does differ if you have a full wedge VS a full hollow ground razor. The sound you hear while the spine is in contact is likely a good sound - the sound you want.

Originally Posted by jslinger

Hey guys, I am three shaves in and finding it difficult to know whether or not I am stropping correctly.
There are a few issues:

I am pulling the strop just taught enough so that it is in a straight line. Do I want to apply almost no pressure, or enough so that the strop is flexing and being pushed down as I go over it?

The sound. When I just rub the spine across I hear a dull sound. If I lift the spine I hear a higher pitched sound of the edge. Obviously I don't want to lift the spine off, but do I want to hear the high pitched sound of the edge, or should I not hear that at all?


Thanks guys

My goal this week is to apply only the weight of the razor
and only enough tension for the deflection to be
the thickness of the closed razor.

My test is to stretch the strop horizontal and set the
closed razor on it and lighten or tighten so the flex
dips the blade about the thickness of the closed razor.

I am doing this because I tend to be slightly heavy handed
and need to remind myself to be light and almost silent.
Sometimes I visualize a big white duck feather that has
been stripped on one side, light and silent with both
the back and the edge on the strop.

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

There is a sound clip of proper stropping in the wiki.

I heard that previously, but when I lay my razor flat and really concentrate on a single stroke, it doesn't really sound like either of those sounds. The sound is consistent, which I believe is the purpose of the sample, but the pitch is quite a bit different. (expectedly so)

Originally Posted by wuff

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

There is a sound clip of proper stropping in the wiki.

Nice link!
Beginners should note the sound difference between
the canvas side and the leather side in the first video.

Some canvas side material sounds different depending on
the weave.

RWhat worries me is that you said you knew what the sound was like if the spine was lifted. Just doing this momentarily means you may have already rolled the edge or the razor. Does the blade tug on your face more than before since the stropping experiments? All you need to do is make sure the strop is straight and the blade is flat the whole time, the results should improve with your own practices. Its nearly impossible to explain these things over the internet.

Every razor sounds different, and the thicker grinds might not sound at all.
The real goal while stropping is not the sound but the pressure you apply.

I did run it very lightly for a few inches with the spine lifted. I have done probably around 500 laps since then. It feels exactly the same since I first used it.