Thread: Going to give this one more shot...Strop help?

Originally Posted by igga

I found it easier to so the spine roll at first when the stropping surface was higher relative to my body. I was trying to strop at waist level, but when I sat on the floor and stropped on a surface that was shoulder level I found the finger movements MUCH easier. Once I started to do it smoothly, I slowly started practicing stropping at progressively lower and lower heights.

how, exactly, are you stropping right now? if your method wont damage the edge and trying to change it will scare you off then theres no real harm in continuing with what works. Sounds like you have to lift the whole razor off the strop to do the "flip." Is this right? This method can be troublesome if you don't make a point to lift the edge before lifting the spine and I think it makes it hard to pick up speed with stropping further down the road...

also, I assume youve seen this? If not, it may help...
Straight Razor Place - Stropping Video

Totally agree. I'm still a newb and I hang my strop from a towel rack that is almost chest high. I hold it with my left hand at a about the level of just above my belly button. Check out the video at "The Superior Shave" It helped me some.

Being a newb myself, I have my strop set about chest high as well. When I first started stropping, I was holding the razor on the far end of the tang, closest to the scales and I found I just couldn't rotate/control it well. I later moved my fingers all the way to where the stabilizer of the blade is and I found I could rotate it much faster and easier if my fingers where there, try that. I do recommend a hanging strop, if you go slow, you won't nick it. The only time I nicked mine was when I got the urge to speed up when I wasn't supposed to. Also, you can practice on the linen side before venturing onto the leather side.

The best height for me to hang a strop is halfway between my navel and my nipples. This gives me a comfortable stroke that feels fairly natural to the elbows and wrists.

Something I've done with a paddle strop is put the handle end on a counter and support the wide end in my off hand. That allows it to rock the way a hanging strop is free to. I agree with the original post that a stropping surface laying flat on a leg, a tabletop, or a counter feels unnatural. I agree that it's hard to get a good motion going relative to that position.