Thread: Under Stropping

Originally Posted by Dragonfire

Yup this was THE learning curve for me. I came into straight shaving completely confident in my honing ability and sure enough that did not let me down. But it was the stropping that refines the edge that eluded me a bit. Looking at it under a magnifying lense made for high end optical system (I've no clue what but its great) I noticed as the 12k striations vanished the shave produced progressively less razor burn. Once they were no longer visible I got no more razor burn. Then came the leather,I can't see anything that small even under the glass but what I know is my razors go from a bit of tug to really fine stubble squeegee still with no razor burn. So the 50 pass minimum is warranted.

Yes I'm now one of the Seekers of the Perfect Edge cult.

These two pictures may be the most dramatic and useful for me and hopefully for the novice straight razor user. These photos are after stropping on clean leather right off the JNAT. Normally, I would go to the .5 micron diamond treated wool linen and then follow with leather.

I wanted to leave the JNAT edge alone and go right to leather for this session to see the difference between a JNAT and a Naniwa 12K finish.

Picture one is after 50 passes on clean black Latigo leather:



And now for me, the most dramatic change of the evening is the very last picture. This is after an additional 50 passes on clean black Latigo leather for a total of 100 passes:



I believe that these last two photos prove what many here already know. Stropping is extremely important to the edge and should never be neglected, rushed or otherwise conducted haphazardly. That last photo gives me a very good feeling of where I have this edge now tonight. If this razor isn't shaving better tomorrow night, I really won't know what to say.

Frank

Gentlemen,

My routine comprises of 50 strokes on linen/canvas/felt and 150 on leather. On the Kanayama/Kanoyama strops, I do 25 strokes on linen, 25 on felt and 150 on the smooth leather.

One reason for the relatively big numbers is limiting my strokes to only about 7 inches on the strop rather than most of the length — one reason I dislike long strops. This also helps smoother manipulation of the thumb and index finger while the wrist remains almost immobile.

So that the almost entire length of the strop is used — I don't want to wear out just one part of it — in the course of the week, I strop in different parts of the strop.

To compensate for the short stropping length, I add more strokes to my routine, as I noted. Which is an excuse, really, to do more strokes, because I love stropping — it puts me in a sweet state of zen. If I had the time, I would probably strop an hour before shaving. I figure, as long as I strop correctly, I'm okay. Also, proper stropping reduces the frequency of honing.

Routine shaving for me requires 30/50 linen leather.

Obie, with that many strokes, is there a point when you can almost "feel" that things are lined up correctly and ready to go? I was generally doing 30/60 linen/leather, but often would keep going on the leather because is was relaxing. I often find that at around 75 - 80 strokes, it feels like there is less draw, or the strokes seem smoother. I haven't known whether this was my imagination, whether I was just "in the groove" and in a good rhythm with my strokes, or whether I was actually feeling the razor's edge becoming ready for a smooth shave.

I do think you can sometimes feel when the edge is ready on a strop. Not having tried all strops out there, I wouldn't like to say that is the case on all strops since clearly how an edge feels on a strop will depend on the strop (among other things I suppose).

James.

Originally Posted by evnpar

Obie, with that many strokes, is there a point when you can almost "feel" that things are lined up correctly and ready to go? I was generally doing 30/60 linen/leather, but often would keep going on the leather because is was relaxing. I often find that at around 75 - 80 strokes, it feels like there is less draw, or the strokes seem smoother. I haven't known whether this was my imagination, whether I was just "in the groove" and in a good rhythm with my strokes, or whether I was actually feeling the razor's edge becoming ready for a smooth shave.

Richard,

Many elements of the straight razor world are intuitive, including stropping. Yes, of course, at some point, say a 30/60 ratio which I still do from to time, you know the razor's edge is reconstructed as well a possible. Perhaps it is in the sound, or the feel, in something that says you're ready to go. Yet, I keep going on the leather, 100 strokes, 120, or more sometimes because of the state of zen engulfing me completely. And I keep going and going, knowing that as long I strop correctly, my razor's edge will give me a sweet smooch.

I enjoy stropping that much. On top of everything else, I also add 20 strokes on the palm of my hand. I have no idea if that is technically beneficial, but spiritually, it does wonders.

Because of the arthritis in my hands, I prefer strops with light to moderate draw. The heavy draw in, say, Latigo and some other kinds of leather finishes, hurt my hand, especially at the high stropping ratios. Shell cordovan and similar leather, therefore, suit me better. Some produce a more delicious stropping sound than others, depending in part on the thickness of the strop, in my experience, and because of my love for music, I refer to them as musical strops.

The Kanayama, for instance, because of its thickness, is less musical than the much thinner and pliable Neil Miller cordovan, or the oil tanned horsehide Torolf. What's more, I like the feel of the Neil Miller and the Torolf more than I do the Kanayama because of the way the leather hugs the blade — it's a love affair.

Right you are, Richard, it is getting "in the groove."

I recently had a custom I made and honed up, all excited for the first test run and then it happened... I wasn't very impressed by the shave I got. I randomly came upon this thread and it hit me, I had not stropped it thoroughly. So I went back to the strop couple days later and another run, beautiful results!

It's funny to me how sometimes we forget the basics, but as always you fine gents here have reminded me of this and we continue on this journey!