Thread: How to Correctly use a strop

I recently purchased a new straight razor, strop, and strop paste from The Art Of Shaving. Prior to this I had been using a disposable blade straight razor but wanted to invest in a good quality shaving set. I am curious on how to use the strop. One side is cloth like and the other leather. Which one do I use first? When do I use the strop paste? and on what side is the paste applied? I have watched a few youtube videos but none seem to use the cloth side nor do they mention the strop paste.

You should try looking in the wiki link in the top bar of the website, it has alot of helpful information on stropping.

or here

http://straightrazorpalace.com/stropping/

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to SRP! First off, you will need to send your new razor to have it honed before using it as they do not come shave ready regardless of what the salesmen may have told you. Once you have a sharp razor, check out the wiki on this site and feel free to ask any questions you may have. In regards to your strop, one side is linen and the other is leather. Some may say hit the linen then leather, some might suggest leather only. The leather side is the side that actually realigns your edge before shaving. Good luck and welcome to traditional wet shaving! Jeremy-

Originally Posted by bizzyb503

. . . When do I use the strop paste? and on what side is the paste applied?

If the strop paste is an abrasive paste, I suggest that you _don't_ use it until:

. . . you have a razor which was "once upon a time" 'shave-ready',
. . . and can't be returned to "shave-ready" by stropping on the leather strop.

See the Wiki on "pasted strops" for more information. Abrasive paste is applied _sparingly_ to the cloth side of the strop.

If the strop paste is a non-abrasive paste (for 'feeding' and preserving the leather), put a little bit on the leather, and rub it in well.

The Wiki's have a lot of information on stropping, strop care, and so on.

Charles