Thread: About to take the plunge

Denim will work for a while but will fray badly and become a pain.

Go to a fabric store or Wal Mart and pick up a yard of nylon or Poly strapping. Buy the finest weave you can and the widest width, probably 2 inches. Also pick up some fusing tape. Seat belt type weave is best, but any weave will work.

Fusing tape is an iron on glue, sold on wax paper in rolls or sheets, (fabric store). Pick up a couple 2- inch D rings from an Ace Hardware. Cut the strapping at 24 inches, that will give you a 20- inch strop, fold the ends over the D rings, cut a piece of fusing tape the size of the flap and iron on covering the nylon with a piece of cloth. Total cost should be under $6-8.
Attach a loop of para cord, leather or nylon boot lace as a hanger.

Fusing tape is super strong, and will bond, cloth, leather and nylon.

Then practice on the nylon strop. A nylon/Poly strop is almost impossible to cut with a razor when stropping and will give you a polish very similar to leather. Use the nylon until you get the hang of stropping.

Go slow and pay attention to the flip. Do not flip until you have stopped forward motion, this is where most strops are cut, the razor is moving forward as it is flipped and the edge bites the leather.

Once you get stropping down, you can buy good leather strop for about $50. A year of two later when you really get stropping down, buy a quality strop. Until you master the technique, a quality leather strop will not make a difference.

I have made the worst dings in my strops after after I have felt comfortable and didn't think.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Denim will work for a while but will fray badly and become a pain.

Go to a fabric store or Wal Mart and pick up a yard of nylon or Poly strapping. Buy the finest weave you can and the widest width, probably 2 inches. Also pick up some fusing tape. Seat belt type weave is best, but any weave will work.

Fusing tape is an iron on glue, sold on wax paper in rolls or sheets, (fabric store). Pick up a couple 2- inch D rings from an Ace Hardware. Cut the strapping at 24 inches, that will give you a 20- inch strop, fold the ends over the D rings, cut a piece of fusing tape the size of the flap and iron on covering the nylon with a piece of cloth. Total cost should be under $6-8.
Attach a loop of para cord, leather or nylon boot lace as a hanger.

Fusing tape is super strong, and will bond, cloth, leather and nylon.

Then practice on the nylon strop. A nylon/Poly strop is almost impossible to cut with a razor when stropping and will give you a polish very similar to leather. Use the nylon until you get the hang of stropping.

Go slow and pay attention to the flip. Do not flip until you have stopped forward motion, this is where most strops are cut, the razor is moving forward as it is flipped and the edge bites the leather.

Once you get stropping down, you can buy good leather strop for about $50. A year of two later when you really get stropping down, buy a quality strop. Until you master the technique, a quality leather strop will not make a difference.

Thank you for that detailed write up! That sounds like a great place to start. I'll have to get out this week and check on what Walmart or Michaels has in the store and see if I can put that together. I may circle back around with questions if I get stuck in putting all that together.

Late to the game. But welcome to the rabbit hole. You are asking the right questions and it will pay off. Have you sent the blade for honing yet? I'll throw a wrench in and suggest a small loom strop as they are cheap, in price not quality, and force you to focus on technique. They also usually have a crox side for touching up when you get there. Here is a link to one I started with though you will need to search more for the same stateside (another point this is a branded version and that makes them about 30 more I keep several around for new shaver friends and pay 20 for non branded ones). https://www.esbjerg.com/product/loom...raight-razors/

Originally Posted by dgamby

Thank you for that detailed write up! That sounds like a great place to start. I'll have to get out this week and check on what Walmart or Michaels has in the store and see if I can put that together. I may circle back around with questions if I get stuck in putting all that together.

Also doesn’t hurt to check out a guitar store. Some of the guitar straps that are around 10 bucks are made up of webbing. You can use that as a material for stroping.

I have not yet sent the blade out for honing. Thank you for pushing me further down the rabbit hole by introducing the loom strop! I hadn't seriously considered that but it seems I should investigate more closely!

Originally Posted by basil

Also doesn’t hurt to check out a guitar store. Some of the guitar straps that are around 10 bucks are made up of webbing. You can use that as a material for stroping.

I'll take a look. Thanks for the heads up!

Welcome. I've been shaving with a strait for a little over a year now. This site and the terrific people on it have been an invaluable resource. Your in the right place lol. I rolled the edge on my first trait by stropping incorrectly so learning before doing would have been a good thing in my case. Remember your putting a verry fine edge on a razor blade when you strop so go be slow and gentle at first keep the strop tight and expect some verry satisfying shaves!!

Originally Posted by Rfcjr

at first keep the strop tight

With all due respect. In my honest opinion a strop should be 'taunt' not 'Tight'. While there is a small difference, I find it an important difference.

Here's a link that might help:

Originally Posted by cudarunner

With all due respect. In my honest opinion a strop should be 'taunt' not 'Tight'. While there is a small difference, I find it an important difference.

Here's a link that might help:

Thanks for posting that!