Thread: Stropping problems

Hi,

I'm finding the whole stropping thing quite hard to get the hang of. Watching the various videos linked from the site I often see comments such as 'too much wrist action' (ooer missus) however and that the 'flip' in stropping is performed with the thumb and forefinger- I just find this very difficult as I lose control of the razor very quickly where as if I flip it with my wrist, as it were, I keep control of the razor for much longer. Is this in correct is there a reason that I shouldn't use my wrist to fip the razor or is this purely a fatigue consideration ie you can't strop for as long a time if you use your wrist or is there something I'm missing that leads me to lose control of the razor?

The truth is that what matters most, is that it works for you.

That being said, people make the recommendations they do, because in they long run, they're the ones that tend to work the best. I've been straight shaving for a couple years now, and I use quite a bit of wrist when stropping. However, it is the fingers doing a lot of the work.

You need to practice a lot, it took me 4-5 days before I started to get the hang of it, and now it's pretty effortless after a couple weeks.
My 25+ years of guitar playing may have helped, as my motor skills with my hands are pretty good.
I flip the razor with my thumb and index finger and make sure I have pretty much the same grip and pressure on the tang going both ways.

I made a quick little video to show how I do it, excuse the crappy webcam quality...
I'm doing it really slow at the end, so you can see how I work my fingers:

Hope it helps.

Hi!!

Listen, I had the exact same problem when I started out. I bet we all did. But here's what I did to get the technique down better.

First I placed my strop flat on a table, but any flat surface with a flat edge works, because I wanted my hand to extend 'below' as if I were working a hanging strop. Then with the strop laid flat, steadying it with my left hand, I could slowly work the technique of moving and flipping. In this fashion I had a lot more control over keeping the entire blade on the strop, as well as being able to draw it more slowly.

Beginning the flip, prior to reversing direction was difficult for me, and caused me to cut and knick my strop several times by not doing it properly. I learned to sand and prep my strop in the process as well! LOL.

Think of it like rolling a pencil in your fingers. Just hold a pencil like you would hold your razor and roll it. That's really all you're doing to your razor. It's just not round. Get a butter knife from the kitchen and try rolling that next. Muscle memory is an amazing thing. Once your muscles know the right way, it gets a lot easier.

Good luck!! Hope you get it, don't give up!!

M

many thanks the video especially helped, i think I'm putting too much pressure on the strop your stroke seems very light. I have been and shall continue with the strop on a flat surface and persevere...

Originally Posted by marka7763

many thanks the video especially helped, i think I'm putting too much pressure on the strop your stroke seems very light. I have been and shall continue with the strop on a flat surface and persevere...

Have in mind I'm stropping mostly to show the technique in the video, I use a bit more pressure when I'm stropping for real

Part of the reason that you're losing control of the razor quicky, as you say, is due to the fact that this is a new skill. It, like anything, needs to be learned. I'm sure we all were having similar difficulties when we began our stropping experience. You will find that with practice over time that the razor will just sort of "sit" between your fingers, whereas when you begin you really need to work on "holding it steady".

Another reason that I suggest learning to use the fingers as opposed to the wrist, is for pressure consistency. When you flip your wrist, you change the torque on the edge and the pressure. Using your fingers keeps that variable much more consistent.

Keep at it, you'll get it. Perfect practice makes perfect.....if it starts to wobble, or your technique begins to fail....stop and do it again.

Good luck!

All good guidance here. I've found that using my fingers to flip the blade instead of the wrist limits the amount of pressure I can apply to the strop. If you're going to be straight razor shaving, you have a lot of stropping ahead of you. If you use your wrist for 100 laps every day, it will eventually take a toll on your wrist, a toll that your orthopedic surgeon will diagnose as carpal tunnel syndrome.

'Can't add much that hasn't been said already. Glen's thread (beginner skills for March '11) is the best I've seen, which links Al's vids.

If it helps, I was a stropping ignoramous. 'Ate 5 strops in the first 6 mo. Your hands, fingers, wrist WILL get it, and it will become effortless. The single piece of info I lacked - that made for many flappy strops was that at the end of the stroke, I didn't know to lift the edge before stopping forward momentum. I thought I could just stop dead w/ no movement. Sigh. I bought leather and made replacements from latigo or horsehide. I've come to like my horse hide as much as any strop now. I sliced one last Feb, but sanded out and its still in daily use.

You'll get it, Marka. I required a very long learning curve, but if I can 'get it', I guarantee you can.

One thing that helped me was to pay attention to the accessory fingers that are holding the razor. I have found that if I open the razor just slightly past 180 it rolls easier in those fingers.