Thread: pressure or no pressure

im sorta a newbie….ive been sr shaving for half a year or so… and i got a good strop technique going on, but i dont put any pressure at all, and i get my blade sharp. but i saw in videos that their strop bends a bit, and mine doesn't at all, meaning they're putting a lot more pressure than i am. how much pressure do i put?

They're not necessarily putting more pressure...they may just have there strop less taut. However the weight of the razor and a fairly taut strop are the safest way to go, to avoid dulling the razor.

If you're keeping your blade sharp, then keep doing what you're doing. Variable tension in hanging strops is why a lot of guys recommend paddles (which don't give at all).

If it what your doing works,,,,, Don't fix it :<0)

Another thing about the videos, those are usually made by experienced people who can put "all" the pressure on the spine and (almost) none on the edge.

A known strop maker had been experimenting with considerable pressure, and results were promising - at least for heavy wedges. I haven't heard much about it for a while though.

Which is what I use most of the time!

Originally Posted by MBR1965

If you're keeping your blade sharp, then keep doing what you're doing. Variable tension in hanging strops is why a lot of guys recommend paddles (which don't give at all).

I have two words for you: bench strop

There is nothing like a 3" x 12" piece of leather (properly prepared, of course) sitting on top of an appropriately-sized 2x4, for stropping a razor. No more worries about "Am I holding the strop taut enough?", or "Am I applying too much (too little) pressure?", or "Does this make my @$$ look big?" Nope, with a bench strop it's easy-peasy (and the same is true for pasted strops, whether felt or leather).

As a test, just lay your hanging strop down on the edge of a table, and see how easy it is (and how much better the results).

As a heavy handed person as far as pressure goes and limited space for a bench strop in my bathroom I have devised the following:

Took my hanging strop, cut a piece of 1/4" fiber board the width of the strop by about three inches shorter than the length and placed it between the leather and the line. It's held by a Velcro strap top and bottom. A hanging bench strop. I have concentrated on pressure and now have a whisper like touch on the strop and razor.

Generally very light to no pressure is advised. But we all do things a little bit different and if you find that your method works well I won't tell you to stop doing it. You could experiment with different amounts of pressure to find out what works best for you.