Thread: Old Norwegian barber strops VERY VERY quickly

I have no reason to doubt his statements, but on a logical level I am unable to grasp the concept. Why would speed matter, even in the tiniest measure? His explanation is that heat builds up from fast stropping, and that this helps smooth the metal, but I just can't see it. There might be other factors that come into play, and I'm much inclined to believe that his statement that fast stropping is better than slow stropping comes from years of experience. I just wish I could understand why.

There are two types of speed here:

stroke speed - speed of steel over leather on an individual stroke
rep speed - strokes per minute

Personally, I think stroke speed probably does make a difference. I have a hard time believing that enough heat accumulates for rep speed to be an issue.

Does look nice, though.

Someone around here did an experiment with stropping speed not that long ago. I don't remember the outcome

I don't know. It might be because of the style of videography is similar to that used by Terrorists, or it could be the way he stands there and waves a razor around in my face, but even though I can't understand a word he's saying. I'm inclined to believe it no matter what!


Mick

He is trolling... Video speeds up when he strops, and what he is saying doesen't make mutch sense

Just discovered this old post :-)

Robert Aarberg (That's the barbers name) has posted some more videos in Youtube.....unfortunately only in norwegian and without subtitles, so only us Scandinavian people can understand what he i saying.

But...he has a no-nonsence approach to this topic that I really like. I have been using a straigt razor exclusively for the past 3 years. For more than a year I have had no need to hone the razor. It still passes HHT with flying colours, and I use it every single day.

There is nothing magical about the razor. It's an ordinary Dovo Best Quality, and I don't expose it to Black magic or anything. I just strop it as fast as I can on linnen with a good amount of pressure. I do however also use the leather strop afterwards.

I don't know the science behind it.....and I'm sure, that at some tine in the future I'll have to hone the razor (I hope, because honing is fun :-)).

All I can say is that this Works for me :-)

/Bjarke

An old thread, and quite surprising this is your first post after being a member for 2 years. I am a firm believer in the power of the strop, have a couple of razors with 70+ shaves on them using just leather. Basically got bored with the experiment, but I am convinced with enough knowledge and experience that number could easily hit the hundreds.

You're right, I'm not the most active member on this forum. Sorry about that :-).

I usually find myself not posting replies because I rarely have anything really new to add to the discussions.

In this case however, I'm wondering why it seems to be the general assumption that you have to hone your razor regularly, when I do not need to do that.....even after more than 250 shaves. And I'm no "master stropper" at all :-).

You have a lot to give right there, what strop are you using?

His methods appear to chew up strop edges. I tried buying a local 82-year old barber's strop recently; he had not touched it in years but had used it for decades. He got it when he graduated from barber college (NC) when balloon training with a straight razor was still required and daily shaves, including his own face each morning, were commonplace. There wasn't a nick on it.

The video speed, I dunno. I do know that, when I was a kid, my local barber moved a razor up and down a long strop faster than I could see. I used to watch him closely trying to figure out what he was doing but HIS hand was quicker than the eye.