Thread: Stropping going very well!

I have stropped my straight razor three times now and it has gone very well. No damaged strop as of yet! I've have been stropping somewhat slow, but I've notice that my rhythm and speed are slowly increasing. I am VERY glad that I went with a 3" Strop for my first strop. It has made learning basic technique a bit easier.

I wanted to ask about strop pastes. Are they necessary and if so what do they do? Thanks!

Strop pastes can be two fold. 1) They can be used as a final step in a honing series. 2) They can be used to touch up your razor, in place of a barber's hone or something of the like.

Are they necessary? Personally, I don't think so.

When it's time for a touch up I prefer to go to the stones, and when I'm on the stones I really like my finishers, so I generally don't use a paste following my honing steps. I have experimented a bit, and I will undoubtedly experiment some more. But for now, I've decided to enjoy my stones.