Stropping Pitfall for Newbies

Gents...i am waiting oh so impatiently for my shave ready 4/8's from a member of this board to arrive for my fisrt straight shave. I'm reading as much as I can and I have a philly strop on order as well. I have read and watched several videos about proper stropping techinique.

However, I continually see posts from Newbs that say they dulled their first razors with improper stropping technique. They don't general expand on what exactly they were doing wrong.

So I was hoping both newbs and mentors could chime in with some common errors that i can make sure to avoid.
Thanks,

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Originally Posted by volleykinginnc

So I was hoping both newbs and mentors could chime in with some common errors that i can make sure to avoid.

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Please be sure you lead the razor's spine as you strop, letting the edge follow.
Also please let the spine of the razor maintain contact on the strop throughout the stropping stroke. Turning the razor's edge into the leather is not advisable

The last few pages of this 1961 barber manual excerpt here are devoted to proper stropping. Some good tips in there. Particularly to practice flipping the razor between thumb and the tip of the forefinger before you begin trying the stroke.

:gl:

When I started straight shaving I tended to put too much pressure on the spine as I stropped. I have quite good coordination, so I avoided the usual strop-nicking issues, but I'm sure the pressure use was detrimental to the edges on my razors.

One of my main pitfalls was not ignoring the urge to test the edges.

I destroyed the edge on one razor by doing the TNT ------ not recommended for shave-ready straights. :)

I dulled a couple razors when I started in April of this year. I learned two words that help: Tight and Light

Tight: Keep the strop pulled tight. It shouldn't bounce more than about a half-inch as you strop.

Light: don't press the razor into the strop. Just keep it in even, constant contact as you lead with the spine of the razor. No more downward pressure than needed to insure consistent contact.

Maybe also I'd add that until you know you're stropping correctly, don't get into the routine of 100 laps! Give it 20 and see how the shave feels. If it's good, stay at 20.

We newbies want to be "doing." Honing stropping whatever. We have to restrain our zeal!

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Originally Posted by LawsonStone

I dulled a couple razors when I started in April of this year. I learned two words that help: Tight and Light

Tight: Keep the strop pulled tight. It shouldn't bounce more than about a half-inch as you strop.

Light: don't press the razor into the strop. Just keep it in even, constant contact as you lead with the spine of the razor. No more downward pressure than needed to insure consistent contact.

Maybe also I'd add that until you know you're stropping correctly, don't get into the routine of 100 laps! Give it 20 and see how the shave feels. If it's good, stay at 20.

We newbies want to be "doing." Honing stropping whatever. We have to restrain our zeal!

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well said Lawson...that last sentence is really good, thanks.

You'll probably do quite a bit of damage initially simply by trying to use too much speed while stropping. For the average beginner and the average length of strop I would expect decent results following a mantra of "one thousand one, one thousand two, etc." So that a single pass down the strop would occur no faster than the time frame required to say "one thousand one". That slow a speed is counter-intuitive, but should help prevent problems.

One point that always alluded me initially was understanding that the razor was already sharp. I kept thinking that stropping was a magic act that somehow burnished the edge into a wicked keen shaving edge. And although this might be true in the very long run, initially I think you are only cleaning off the edge of the typical oxidation that builds as the razor sits and gets used, like a regular blade.

Learning to strop cartridge blades and learning that I did not need to strop straight razors modified my thoughts on what the objective was. Once it occurs to you that there may not really be an objective with stropping (per session) then you can relax about what your stropping is actually doing. When that happens you'll stop screwing up the edge by stropping by the very nature that you are no longer trying to accomplish anything in particular.

I agree about not letting the strop sag, but be careful about taking the "tight" strop idea too literally. Notice the above poster did mention a deflective amount in the strop while stropping. There is a big difference between the sourced and documented statement that "the strop should not sag" and the idea that the strop should be held "tight".

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

You'll probably do quite a bit of damage initially simply by trying to use too much speed while stropping. For the average beginner and the average length of strop I would expect decent results following a mantra of "one thousand one, one thousand two, etc." So that a single pass down the strop would occur no faster than the time frame required to say "one thousand one". That slow a speed is counter-intuitive, but should help prevent problems.

One point that always alluded me initially was understanding that the razor was already sharp. I kept thinking that stropping was a magic act that somehow burnished the edge into a wicked keen shaving edge. And although this might be true in the very long run, initially I think you are only cleaning off the edge of the typical oxidation that builds as the razor sits and gets used, like a regular blade.

Learning to strop cartridge blades and learning that I did not need to strop straight razors modified my thoughts on what the objective was. Once it occurs to you that there may not really be an objective with stropping (per session) then you can relax about what your stropping is actually doing. When that happens you'll stop screwing up the edge by stropping by the very nature that you are no longer trying to accomplish anything in particular.

I agree about not letting the strop sag, but be careful about taking the "tight" strop idea too literally. Notice the above poster did mention a deflective amount in the strop while stropping. There is a big difference between the sourced and documented statement that "the strop should not sag" and the idea that the strop should be held "tight".

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Yes when I started this tight thing was an obsession. I used to tie the strop to the back of my Honda Civic and the other end to my son's Civic and get the wheels spinning I knew the strop was tight enough just that my car had a bigger engine so I only had enough time to do a quick stropping before his car was pulled half way down the block.:)

As a newbee myself, what i feel is making a difference is proper relaxation and breathing, 100 laps with the palm before stropping and extra light pressure. I also noticed that i was mainly focused on counting the number of laps i am doing instead of just "feeling" the razor on the strop. I might be off the track with this but i feel it's all about perception of the edge on the leather, kind of "no mind" state.

So you can deduce from this that the probable reasons why i dulled my razor are because i was putting too much pressure, going faster that what my technique could allow and being crisped like steel rod with NO breathing. I was relying on the theoric knowledge that i red on SRP and burned in my mind but not caring about the actual experience.

J-P

mmm...maybe I didn't watch enough videos....you strop 100 times on your palm and there is no point or objective to stropping? Now I'm confused....which actually leads to another question I had....I've seen people post that they strop anywhere from 20-100 times which is a big difference. how do you know how many are ideal or when you are done?

Check with the seller, He'll probably have it all stropped up for you, so you won't have to for your first shave. When you do strop, start slow and methodical. You can practice on an old leather belt if you have one. Speed will come with time, so really take it easy at first, Not to much pressure, really just the weight of the blade...After a while you'll develop a rhythm...

As far as how many passes is up to you, A good reference point would be
25 on linen or cotton and 50 on leather...Your just really polishing up the edge....

P.S. Give the strop a good rub down with the palm of your hand before you start, It'll warm up the leather and make it more flexible for your blade....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by volleykinginnc

mmm...maybe I didn't watch enough videos....you strop 100 times on your palm and there is no point or objective to stropping? Now I'm confused....which actually leads to another question I had....I've seen people post that they strop anywhere from 20-100 times which is a big difference. how do you know how many are ideal or when you are done?

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What I believe J-P meant (I may be wrong, if I am sorry J-P), was not strop with your palm 100 times, but rub your palm on the strop prior to stropping your razor on your strop. The oils from your hands serve to warm up the strop and "break it in".

The biggest thing for me (as a fellow newbie) is to remember to use very little pressure - use just enough horizontal force to move the blade, but no real downward force. This is the same thing I try to remind myself when shaving.

Good luck!

Cheers,
ElChe

volleykinginnc,

The best video I have seen on how to strop right was done by our own hi_bud_gl (Sham)

YouTube - straight razor stropping

It has helped me greatly many times when I get into a 'stropping void' :)

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I'm no pro but have got a lot better from when I started a couple months ago with my stropping.

My main suggestion is to 'draw' the razor across the strop. Not to push the razor across/into the strop. You should help the razor 'travel across' the strop lightly, not sure how to describe it any better :)

Also go slow and take your time, my impatience cost me a ding in one of my razors that needed repair, the edge is so fragile. Other than that muscle memory, practice and if you have the time/will newspaper stropping to perfect your technique.

or get a SRD paddle strop and have one less issue to worry about in the beginning, tension of the strop....

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Yes when I started this tight thing was an obsession. I used to tie the strop to the back of my Honda Civic and the other end to my son's Civic and get the wheels spinning I knew the strop was tight enough just that my car had a bigger engine so I only had enough time to do a quick stropping before his car was pulled half way down the block.:)

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LOL!
Of course, when I said "tight" I only meant reasonably tight. My strop bounces maybe a half inch when I'm stropping, partly because of tension on the strop but also because I try to strop as lightly as I can and still keep the right contact.

I also realized this AM that I slow down and try to use the full length of the strop. I pause a beat at the flip before moving the other direction, too, which I hadn't realized.

People can get carried away with this pressure thing. You just hold the strop comfortably tight so there is slight deflection and watch your pressure.

You need to be careful with wanting to use the entire strop length. I used to obsess with that also and found myself hitting the hardware at the end or the embossing at the ends.

Stropping is one of those things that seems deceptively simple yet is something requiring a definite skill set. Pressure, angle,wrist motion,turning the razor, conditioning the strop,holding the strop, strokes on the strop all have to come together the right way. You just take it slow and easy and it eventually all comes together.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Learning to strop cartridge blades ... modified my thoughts on what the objective was.

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Would you mind to elaborate on this?