Originally Posted by
Lynn
The stopping should be OK in those numbers although I usually do 40-60 on the leather. The main thing is to keep both the edge and the spine on the strop at the same time and roll on the spine when you change directions. You don't want to be so tentative to use no pressure at all on the strop, but you also don't want to bear down either. The stropping stoke should be rhythmic like one-one thousand, two-one thousand. The other thing is that taking on a full shave right from the start can cause a lot of frustration as it is harder at first to maintain a good cutting angle around the bulb of the chin. I normally recommend making sure your razor is vertical as the natural tendency is for the wrist to bend back. You want 30 degrees or less as a cutting angle and the best way to experiment is to just take one small areal like the sideburn down to the jaw for a few days to get it right. When comfortable with this, move to the cheek, the other side, the neck and finally the chin over a couple weeks.
Have fun,
Lynn