Thread: Angle of Attack

One of my barber text books has a good photo of what I do. In fact that is where I learned to do it. I'll try and copy it then post it to this thread.

If I am seeing what you are doing in your stropping video correctly it looks like you do a slant, toe to heel up heel to toe down, but i could be wrong there.

Don't take the few who seem to criticize too seriously they only post because they missed the point the first time. I've been able to follow what you have been saying pretty well, though it is a little more advanced thought and technique than I currently have at my disposal. Good post!!

Originally Posted by Wildtim

If I am seeing what you are doing in your stropping video correctly it looks like you do a slant, toe to heel up heel to toe down, but i could be wrong there.

Don't take the few who seem to criticize too seriously they only post because they missed the point the first time. I've been able to follow what you have been saying pretty well, though it is a little more advanced thought and technique than I currently have at my disposal. Good post!!

Actually what I do is sort of arc the razor across the strop. And sometimes I draw the razor from the middle of the strop diagonally to either end. It all seems to work. Practice and experience are still key though.

And, in reference to the highlighted quote above:

I just don't want anyone to do something silly.

The only reason I post here is because I hope I have something of value to offer. I believe that if I can even help one person to improve, only just a little bit, then I've done something good. And that makes it all worthwhile.

That may sound sappy, but that's the way it is.

It's all fun.

Scott

I just didn't want you to think you were misunderstood by everyone. I usually don't post in the informative sections unless I need clarification on a point, and you guillotine analogy made sense to me right away. Of course I also understand a scything movement too, of course I have used a scythe but not yet a guillotine.:roflol:

Originally Posted by honedright

The blade of a guillotine is supported, or firmly fixed, between two upright posts that allow the blade to travel in a downward direction only. The blade itself cannot move in any other direction. It is totally impossible without disrupting the integrity of the device. In other words breaking it. And then it wouldn't be a guillotine anymore and it wouldn't work.

The angled edge doesn't move either. As the blade travels down, it remains fixed (usually in a heavy wooden frame) in it's downward plane. It has to because of the way a guillotine is built.

The object being sliced also remains in a fixed position in space. Nothing, neither angled blade nor object being sliced, moves laterally. The angled presentation of the blade allows the cutting edge to meet the object being cut gradually, rather than all at once. This is what causes "slicing". It is an optical illusion that there might be any sideways movement of the blade. But the blade remains fixed in it's downward plane of movement.

In straight razor shaving, you are literally guillotining you beard hairs. Lateral movement of the straight razor equals cutting the skin.

Scott

No it does not.

Look. the blade is at an angle.
You are moving it straight down.
Ergo, the blad itself is at an angle with the movement.

Now, if you decompose the vector of that movement into 1 vector parallel with the blade, and one vector at a right angle with a blade, you'll see that the movement is made up of 2 non-zero vectors.

This means that there is lateral action at the same time as radial action.
if there was no lateral action at all, the blad would move 100% in the direction which is at a right angle with the blade, but that is not what's happening.

there are 2 movements at the same time, and the lateral movement is small, or yo u would indeed cut yourself, but it is there.

I'll go ahead and side with the guy that straight-shaves for almost as long as I walk this earth.

When starting I experimented with both ways and I noticed immediately it was a lot better/smoother when doing what honedright said. I still remember because I was wondering why with a M3 it goes better just straight down as opposed to an angle. (I still don't know why if anyone can fill me in?)