Thread: stropping?

Originally Posted by Howard

If you always trail a blade on a strop, you shouldn't have a problem with damaging it. My suggestion is to start with a cheaper strop to develop your technique and to see if stropping is really for you. If it is, graduate to a better strop. By "better" I mean a piece of horsehide either new or vintage and not necessarily with any of the fancy furniture that drives cost up but provides no functional advantage. If you want a fancy one just for the looks, by all means get one as they're a joy to look at and have hanging around.

Whats the alternative to stropping?

Using a shavette?

I find giving the strop a bit of slack will help to keep those big ol' smilers in contact with the leather at all times when stropping. Works a charm.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

I find giving the strop a bit of slack will help to keep those big ol' smilers in contact with the leather at all times when stropping. Works a charm.

+1 to this...I give a bit of slack to everything. I also tend to use exaggerated X patterns to hit all the places on a smile.

Works for me.

A technique that I shown by my old barber was, before each shave, make 3 passes on a barbers hone. Then gently make a few stropping passes on the palm of your hand to smooth it out.

Originally Posted by Theseus

A technique that I shown by my old barber was, before each shave, make 3 passes on a barbers hone. Then gently make a few stropping passes on the palm of your hand to smooth it out.

You know, I tried that for about 1 year. On each razor I used, I gave it 3 swipes on a Swaty, then I did my normal stropping technique which, at the time was 25 linen, and 50 leather....

3 little passes on that Swaty kept me from having to do a full blown honing....The only reason i stopped doing it was, I missed my other hones.....

Originally Posted by peg20

Using a shavette?

Don't be ridiculous

No offense to the OP, but no one thought it was wierd that he perfected the honing technique, but not stropping.....? or did I miss something...Usually it's the other way around....How do you learn how to hone a razor, moreover, perfect it, but not know how to strop....?

+1 to Ryan82, I too keep a bit of slack when I strop. I don't pull mine taught, I find I get better contact leather to steel, and a better final result....

Originally Posted by zib

No offense to the OP, but no one thought it was wierd that he perfected the honing technique, but not stropping.....? or did I miss something...Usually it's the other way around....How do you learn how to hone a razor, moreover, perfect it, but not know how to strop....?

+1 to Ryan82, I too keep a bit of slack when I strop. I don't pull mine taught, I find I get better contact leather to steel, and a better final result....

Years of experience sharpening things made learning to sharpen razors easy. And I didn't say I perfected it, I said I was close to. I've never perfected anything. Lets be honest, honing is just laying a razor on a stone and moving it around until it's really sharp. If 1 technique isn't producing that edge, you try another until you find one that works. Is it that strange that I bought a few razors and didn't buy a leather strop?

Originally Posted by infamous

Lets be honest, honing is just laying a razor on a stone and moving it around until it's really sharp.

You are grossly oversimplifying honing. If it was that simple, there would never be questions about it posted here.

Originally Posted by infamous

If 1 technique isn't producing that edge, you try another until you find one that works. Is it that strange that I bought a few razors and didn't buy a leather strop?

If you want your razors to work as well as they should, then you need a strop. I appreciate that you've sharpened lots of metal objects; please understand that razors are different... Your kitchen knives need to be sharp enough to cut whatever you want them to cut. Razors need to be sharp enough to pop hairs effortlessly, while gliding over the skin. A strop makes a big difference in that regard.