Thread: Straight razor sings when i strop it...

I have 5 now and the other 4 just sound like I would think a piece of metal sliding across leather should sound like....but man does one ever have a nice sound. It sounds like a movie would make stropping sound like. It just seems to sing.

Here it is.....by far my ugliest razor

ugly razors need love too!

Usually happens when the spine is lifted during the stroke. Make sure the spine lays flat on the strop.

I see a beautiful razor there, you just need to look a bit deeper, try starting with the 800 grit you might see it quicker LOL

Mine that sing tend to be great shavers. So what razor is it and how does it shave. I have razors that look like crap and have pitting etc but they all shave well.

Originally Posted by rmagnus

Usually happens when the spine is lifted during the stroke. Make sure the spine lays flat on the strop.

Where did you get that information from?

Singing blades are well known and generally relate to extra hollow ground.

A razor that is stropped on the edge of the strop will make a different sound than when stropping properly, sometimes high pitched. Some will make a higher pitched sound when stropped properly and a completely different sound when on the edge for the same razor. I find that the more used to a razor I get the more I can tell when I'm doing something wrong with that particular razor. I have extra hollow razors that will strop and sound like a near wedge and 1/2-1/4 hollow that will sound like a extra hollow. Some are from the same makers so I'm guessing it has to do with tempering and types of steels. That is one of the reasons why I like to have different types of razors to shave with and it has nothing to do with RAD Atleast that is what I like to tell myself.

Originally Posted by UKRob

Where did you get that information from?

Singing blades are well known and generally relate to extra hollow ground.

Agreed. Lift the spine a little when stropping and you'll hear what I mean.

Originally Posted by rmagnus

Agreed. Lift the spine a little when stropping and you'll hear what I mean.

I did this once with a razor from Detroit and I swear it sang the blues.

Originally Posted by rmagnus

Usually happens when the spine is lifted during the stroke. Make sure the spine lays flat on the strop.

+1 rmagnus

Lifting the spine off the strop usually translates into a) cutting / nicking your strop, or b) rolling the edge of the blade. And I'm sure an alphabet of others things that can happen when you lift or the spine comes off the strop.