Thread: Experience: Honing & Stropping

After a year of straight razor shaving, I'd wanted to share my impression for those starting out and either thinking of giving up or becoming frustrated.

At first, my stropping technique was ineffective. I feared damaging, rounding, or dulling the edge. Seems like I would apply too much pressure or too little...or hold the strop too tight or too loose...or apply too much torque or none at all and the edge wouldn't even make contact. During this stage, honing seemed the best answer. Bottom line: At first you may find yourself honing fairly frequently or sending out dull/damaged blades for others to bring back the edge.

Once I learned to strop properly, I found the edge is perfectly shave-ready, comparable to coming off a finishing hone. Bottom line: After a while, you'll wonder if you need a hone (at least for maintenance).

In any case, seek out the help you need on this forum. Don't give up. Each of us develops our own technique, and that takes time. But it's worth the effort.

Originally Posted by Bcunning

............Once I learned to strop properly, I found the edge is perfectly shave-ready, comparable to coming off a finishing hone. Bottom line: After a while, you'll wonder if you need a hone (at least for maintenance).

+1...Couldn't agree more! I've been saying for a long time that most SR shaving folks don't need to learn to hone a razor, BUT every SR user needs to learn to strop a razor. A properly honed and cared for razor can be kept in perfect condition for many many shaves without ever needing to even touch a refreshing hone, simply by properly and carefully stropping with a quality linen and leather strop.

Not sure if I could go forever, but the leather definitely needs as much attention as you can stand to do, as long as you're doing it well. Just had that experience last night with a blade that had gotten less comfortable.

An additional bonus to proper stropping is you can then easily transition to a pasted strop to extend your shaving before needing to use an actual hone.

Originally Posted by Wolfpack34

+1...Couldn't agree more! I've been saying for a long time that most SR shaving folks don't need to learn to hone a razor, BUT every SR user needs to learn to strop a razor. A properly honed and cared for razor can be kept in perfect condition for many many shaves without ever needing to even touch a refreshing hone, simply by properly and carefully stropping with a quality linen and leather strop.

I algree. I'm pretty sure that right now stropping is my biggest problem. That and the fact that auto correct keeps insisting that I'm stripping instead of stropping.

I believe that it would be possible to maintain a razor indefinitely by just stropping, as long as it didn't get damaged in some way. I shaved with the same new razor almost daily for over six years, maintained only by stropping on canvas and leather. (I did, however, once correct the toe on a stone, which was originally honed to be too thin and weak, eventually becoming uncomfortable.)

When I finally got curious and "refreshed" the razor (on a translucent Arkansas stone) I found the razor to be just a tiny bit sharper and somewhat rougher. Stropping on leather removed the roughness. The edge was then (and still is, after several months) both sharp and smooth - but no sharper than it was before the "refresh."

Strop on!

Originally Posted by JeffR

I believe that it would be possible to maintain a razor indefinitely by just stropping, as long as it didn't get damaged in some way. I shaved with the same new razor almost daily for over six years, maintained only by stropping on canvas and leather. (I did, however, once correct the toe on a stone, which was originally honed to be too thin and weak, eventually becoming uncomfortable.)

When I finally got curious and "refreshed" the razor (on a translucent Arkansas stone) I found the razor to be just a tiny bit sharper and somewhat rougher. Stropping on leather removed the roughness. The edge was then (and still is, after several months) both sharp and smooth - but no sharper than it was before the "refresh."

Strop on!

+1 +1 +1 +1.....

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

An additional bonus to proper stropping is you can then easily transition to a pasted strop to extend your shaving before needing to use an actual hone.

Or a barbers hone will do as well if you can find one, it will also allow you to practice proper honing technique without damaging the blade.

When I started straight razor shaving I stumbled on SRD and Lynn using his modular strop. It made perfect sense that a firm pad on a wood strop would give better results to a newby then trying to strop on a flexible strop. I also sent Murray Carter an e-mail and he replied he doesn't believe in flexible strops. I have been using the SRD modular strop for 11 months and found the results to be excellent for any razor, old or new. I also took the original leather pad and applied chromium oxide to it and it really brings up the edge in 3-5 laps. I strongly recommend using the modular strop for people just starting out.

Originally Posted by JeffR

I believe that it would be possible to maintain a razor indefinitely by just stropping, as long as it didn't get damaged in some way. I shaved with the same new razor almost daily for over six years, maintained only by stropping on canvas and leather. (I did, however, once correct the toe on a stone, which was originally honed to be too thin and weak, eventually becoming uncomfortable.)

When I finally got curious and "refreshed" the razor (on a translucent Arkansas stone) I found the razor to be just a tiny bit sharper and somewhat rougher. Stropping on leather removed the roughness. The edge was then (and still is, after several months) both sharp and smooth - but no sharper than it was before the "refresh."

Strop on!

Which is why you dont need the ultra high grit hone "du jour" for good edges or 5 different grit hones.