Thread: buy another strop?

hello getting my first straight razor and strop in the mail soon. i bought a Dovo "Best Quality", 5/8" Carbon Steel Straight Razor - "Black" - Professionally Honed as its got great reviews for a beginners on multiple websites. how ever i think i bought a strop that is better for an advanced shaver its an american made 3" mountain strop w/handles mahogany made of Prime Quality Red Latigo Leather and white linen from classicshaving.com (didn't know first strop would likely get damaged so much when i first learn to strop) should i buy a cheaper one until i get good enough not to nick and cut the strop then later use the cheap one as a paste strop?

Also how long will a good strop last? any recommendations for a cheap one?

thanks for any help hope this question hasn't been asked too many times- Bluerain

Naw, run with the one you've got! I have the very same strop only black.

The thing with beginners messing up strops is they (we) take a little time really learning the mechanics of it. If you stop the blade before lifting up the edge you may unconsciously pull it back a little & cut the leather. If you flip it too soon & you're still moving in the same direction when it lays down on the other side you may cut the leather.

Try the butter knife & newspaper as mentioned in another topic to get the basic mechanics and be sure to lift off the edge before stopping & start moving in the opposite direction before laying the edge back down. There are also some good stropping videos out there on YouTube, it's easier for me to learn by seeing as opposed to reading. Be careful and go slow at first, you'll do fine! I've been straight shaving for 2-3 weeks now & haven't nicked anything but my lower lip yet!

Just remember, slight pressure on the spine is fine, but don't put any on the edge or you risk rolling it & spoiling the hone!



Edit: As for how long it will last, that's entirely up to you! Most people rub it with their hand before stropping to impart a little oil from their skin into the leather. If you ever feel it getting harder/stiffer it's likely drying out & you could use a leather conditioner on it to keep it alive.

Hello Bluerain, and welcome to SRP!

A good strop will last your lifetime and a couple of generations beyond. Your idea of getting a cheaper strop is sound; I've heard good things about Ruprazor's Filly and whippeddog's Poor Man's Strop. I recently saw really good advice in another thread; someone suggested folding up newspaper into strop dimensions then securing it in a bulldog clip and hanging the clip from a hook, or laying the whole thing on a table and stropping on it flat. Newsprint is actually fine for stropping, and good for learning on because if you flip too soon and shred the paper, it probably won't dull your edge the way a stout strip of leather could.

Even if you nick a strop it's not the end of the world. You can sand out the nicks, and if you actually lift up a flap you can glue that back down and sand any remaining bump. I still have, and use, my very first strop. I've had to sand it out a couple of times, but that hasn't affected its performance.

Practice for a while with a butter knife before you strop your razor, so you can build some muscle memory and get your flip timing down. There are good stropping videos on the site here, and lots of info in our wiki (click on the Library link above). Finally, do not strop your razor before you shave with it--just wipe away any oil on the blade and have a go. The honer will have stropped it. Many new straight shavers damage the edge with improper stropping before they even get it to their faces, so don't know how that properly sharp edge should feel.

When everything is going well--sharp enough blade, good beard prep and lather--you can aim only to scrape the lather off your face, with the blade at a low angle. Just aim to remove lather, and be amazed that the whiskers come off as well. Very little pressure required.

Good luck with it all. Go slow, be patient, shave just the easy areas at first, and finish with whatever you've been using so far. My own transition to a full straight shave took about four months.

Best wishes and happy shaving.

Have faith in yourself! Goodness! You'll be fine!

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Have faith in yourself! Goodness! You'll be fine!

And...go slow....Don't try to be like the guys on TV in the old Barber Shops. Take your time, go slow and you can avoid nicking your new strop. Good Luck!!

Have faith in yourself, and do not TRY to go faster.

You will likely nick your first strop. I'd suggest that most nicks either will not cause any problems, or can be easily repaired by even the village idiot.

WORST case scenario, you really ding it good...you will likely do it on the edge of the strop, and many strops can be trimmed down without problem...so your 3 inch wide strop can be trimmed to 2.75 or 2.5 inches wide....which is not a horrible thing.

I have bunged up more than a few strops sharpening larger tools...after a while you become pretty skilled on finding ways to fix what you have while you learn how to improve your technique.