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Thread: Is this a terrible idea?

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    Default Is this a terrible idea?

    If anyone read my last thread about stropping they'll know I'm awful at it. Not only have I killed two strops I've yet to actually strop a razor on leather and get any results. Unless you count negative results (making it duller)

    Anyway, I was looking at paddle strops, as suggested, and thinking about where I could get a very large one. Somehow I ended up looking at leather. I was thinking about pasting some down on a cutting board, or something like that. Then I had an idea.

    I thought what if I were to purchase a glass-topped lazy susan, and paste the leather onto its surface. Then I would simply need to hold my razor in place upon the edge, and rotate the 'strop' itself. This could simply be me clutching at straws. Trying to avoid learning what is sure to be a difficult practice, but I can't help but wonder if an idea like this has utility at all.

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    Senior Member souschefdude's Avatar
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    Sounds similar to the old kriss kross de stropper.
    Seriously though, get a mentor and learn. KISS.

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    Senior Member blabbermouth Hirlau's Avatar
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    Take a breath,,,keep practicing with the strops you have,,,I doubt you damaged your strops as bad as I did my first,,,go to the "Advanced Search" button, above right, put in key words"'Exotic Leopard Strop", ,,,then tell me if your strop compares.

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    I see what you guys are saying. I don't mean to give up practicing.

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    Senior Member blabbermouth edhewitt's Avatar
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    Why not get a piece of glass approx 12" in diameter, glue the leather to that, drill a hole in the middle and use a record turntable to have a power strop.
    Seriously though, whilst the idea seems sound (sort of), I think it might not work as there would need to be a perfectly flat bed for the bearings to sit in or it would probably wobble on the way round.
    As has been suggested more practice with a conventional strop might be better.
    Do you know where your issues with stroppping lay?
    Bread and water can so easily become tea and toast

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    Senior Member DoughBoy68's Avatar
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    Try using a butter knife to practice stropping. You will save your strop while learning proper stropping technique and establish muscle memory in the process.
    "If You Knew Half of What I Forgot You Would Be An Idiot" - by DoughBoy68

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    Member AFDavis11's Avatar
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    Grab a two fold wallet, a pencil, a piece of paper 1 inch wide by two inches long, and some scotch tape. Tape the paper to the pencil to create an edge. Strop on the wallet rolling the pencil in your fingers. Don't let the paper bend when stropping. Practice that until perfection.

    Then, strop the razor on the wallet, same zero pressure routine. Flip, flip, flip. Practice about a thousand or so times. Then, flipping and stropping on a long strop should be easy.

    Then, gently, add pressure as you strop to creat a nice smooth edge.

    Learning to strop is much harder until you learn to hone so you can correct errors as you go.

    The spinning lazy Susan idea would work, as long as you applied a single piece of leather.
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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    FWIW, Dad - when Afdavis talks about stropping, I listen very carefully. The thousand strokes for me was too conservative. I needed several times that. There's nothing to lose by doing more.
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    Wow, so much great advice. Thanks everyone!

    Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm going to give the spinning thing a shot simply because the strops I'm ordering will take a while to get here and I can get some tanned kangaroo skin in a day or two, it's pretty darn cheap stuff. I'm going to buy enough to see if I can make a couple of bench-top strops to use as paste hones while I'm at it. Should be fun.

    But while my strops are en route I can practice with a wallet, maybe some newspaper if I feel like I'm getting the hang of it. I'll try that tip with the pencil/paper.

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    Senior Member blabbermouth
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    Go to a fabric store and buy a yard of Nylon/Poly strapping. Buy the widest and finest weave they have usually 2 inches. Should cost less than 5 bucks. Loop it around a towel bar or get a D ring and a couple of rivets if you want to get fancy.

    It will be almost cut proof and will give you an edge equivalent to leather until you learn to strop. Once you graduate to leather, month or two you can paste the nylon.

    Keep the spine on the strop and go slow and pay attention at the flip.

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