Thread: Another Stropping Observation

I used the 200 degree method today and it worked great.It's good to know a different method. I went pretty slow but I wasn't trying to break a record. After sharpening about fifty razors I was picking up a little speed.

Originally Posted by BigJohn1944

I used the 200 degree method today and it worked great.It's good to know a different method. I went pretty slow but I wasn't trying to break a record. After sharpening about fifty razors I was picking up a little speed.

Damn good ---So this was your first time using this method and you saw good results?
My hand and razor just naturally go to this position now.

Justin

Originally Posted by steve

Justin,
Can you hypothosize (sp?) why your technique and results improve using this method?

If I may venture a guess, I would imagine that opening to 200 degrees shifts the balance from somewhere along the center of the blade to somewhere along the spine, allowing one to apply lighter pressure on the blade...
Of course, this is the theorizing of a complete newbie, who has yet to strop a razor as he does not yet possess one…
A razor, that is. The strop and Norton and a little soap and cream arrived today.

Michael

Michael, you beat me to the punch, but I was thinking the same thing.

If you consider looking down the spine of the blade the axial direction, then opening the blade past 180, or below it for that matter, produces a slight moment (twisting force) along the axial axis. If the angle is greater than 180 degrees, then the effect further down the blade is to reduce torque applied to hold the razor to the strop. The opposite is true for an angle <180 degrees.

This effect is very obvious if you open the blade a good deal. Try opening it to 90 and then stropping. This effect, especially with heavy scales, will really twist the razor in your grip. In fact, at this angle, you also have the rotational inertia of the scale mass to deal with, so upon the beginning of the stroke, the blade will tend to come completely off the leather if the initial pressure is low. At +/- 20 degrees from 180 degrees, this second effect is inconsequential.

- John