Thread: Strop nicked up bad already (this is hard and frustrating)

janivar123 is correct...Keep the blade moving at all times on the strop. Also make certain that your strop is taut while stropping.

As for the nicks...If they are not too bad--as in gouges or deep cuts--you may be able to remove them with some fine grit sandpaper.

Photos?

You're right, it is a good thing it's a cheapy. I agree with the previous posters, take it slow and try to have the razor moving in the right direction before letting the edge touch down. And don't get discouraged. We've all been there.

A tip I just posted the other day.....

Try to keep your wrist level with the strop. Sometimes we don't realize that it has dropped a bit, resulting in a loss of contact along the whole edge and, mor often than not, nicks on the right hand side of your strop (assuming of course that you're right handed)

We've all done it..!

My first strop probably has a dozen or so repairs on it from where I did just what you're describing. Morty has linked the strop repair article in the Wiki, so follow the instructions there to repair major nicks. Smaller nicks can be sanded out with high grit sandpaper.

The best thing to do is to keep practicing. Most people do slice up their first strop, and mine got a good nick the very first time I used it.

Good luck!

My biggest piece of advice? Take your time. Technique is more important than speed. Don't try to mimic the guys in the movies who whip the razor up and down the strop. Remember those are the movies, not real life. You have joined all of us who have, at the start of straight razor shaving, cut your strop.

Wow thanks for all the quick replys and tips. I only had one bad nick, the rest were all very shallow. I took the sand paper suggestion and had a 800grit sanding sponge laying around that I used to buff out the nicks. I hit the sanded area with some of the fiancees saddle soap and it looks good as new again.

I can put a disposable straight edge to my face with no worries, a steady hand and get a perfect nick free shave. I think the real deal just makes me nervous and shaky for some reason and it just make it difficult for me to strop. I am over thinking it and just need to relax and take things super slow for the first month and follow all the tips that are suggested.

Thanks again, what a great community.

Stropping is one of those things that seems to the uninitiated very simple and straight forward but it really isn't. It's a skill that needs to be learned and it takes practice. Like Jimmy said, first practice flipping the razor with your fingers before you ever actually touch the strop. Then go slowly so you can see what you are doing. Watch the amount of slack in the strop, watch your pressure and watch your stroke and the way the razor reverses direction.

That's why I'm a fan of starting with a cheap strop. Most of us do some damage to our strops in the beginning.

You could also try a butter knife or similar razor shaped non-sharp object to learn the motions needed, it won't be quite the same but might save a strop.

Originally Posted by dward

Remember those are the movies, not real life.

Isn't that the truth. Case in point - how many movies have you seen where the bloke is shaving with the razor nearly 90 degrees perpendicular to their face? And not one drop of blood whatsoever. Now that's Hollywood magic!