Thread: Stropping alternatives

Ok mentors need some advice. My shave ready razors arrived (woo hoo) but my strop did not. I can't seem to get a hold of the company that I bought them from so I don't know if it will be another week or two before it gets here.

Anyway, so this is my very first experience shaving with straights. I saw somewhere that you can do stropping for a while on newspaper. Is that a good way to get me by until my strop arrives or a wives tale? If so do I just put the newspaper on the counter and do the same motions as if it was a belt?

Any other ideas....I've already looked for an old belt and only have a snake skin one that I don't think will work.
Thoughts? If "be patient" is the right answer then tell me.
Edit: sorry moderators please move to the stropping section if that is a better place for this.

Yes Newspaper works fine, so does the leg of your jeans, and your hand if really pressed for a solution...

I use a bi-fold wallet when travelling. Smooth and relatively flat. It's made from leather too.

You strop on the heal of your hand (below your little finger). Just go slow and be careful. I do this all the time on short trips (so I don't have to pack my strop).

If you have an old brick or some thing similar that is flat, you can just roll the newspaper around it and it will help you. Do lot's of stropping on the newspaper, but not heavy. All the same principles apply as when stropping on leather.

Have fun,

Lynn

I offer a dissenting opinion.

What you can do and what you ought to do are two different critters. Stropping is not difficult but it is real easy to screw up. Why try to learn stropping on a field expedient?

Guys new to straight razor shaving often encounter many problems even when using the right tool. Why add more unknowns? The strop is the right tool. Wait for it.

I remain &c
LG Roy