Thread: Stropping not working for me

Hi Gentleman,

I have a Scalpmaster Barber Strop, Made in Pakistan. It does not seem to be working for me when I use it sharpen my straight razor. I go back and fourth may be 40-50 times, but still dull. I followed the videos on youtube. I nicked it many times, but my usual problem is I don't feel it on the strop. So when I bend it to make the edge touch the strop, it works better but still not sharpening. Advice is appreciated.

First things first chadi.
You are describing what many experience, but to be able to help you at all it would be nice to know what razor you are stropping.
And even more importantly, how was it honed?

Well, I bought it already honed, so not sure how it was honed. It is great at the beginning so I am sure it was well-honed. These are Derby blades.

Welcome to SRP.

I think maybe you might be confusing honing and stropping here.

A strop is not a sharpener. A strop merely polishes the edge if done properly. Stropping can also fold an edge if done improperly. A folded edge on your razor means a terrible shave.

Take your time stropping. Lay the strop on a table and practice slow laps, just enough weight on the blade to ensure contact of the edge on the strop. When you reach the end of one pass roll the razor on the spine and slowly, carefully move the razor across the strop in the opposite direction. 20 laps(full passes in both directions) on the felt strop and a *minimum* of 60 laps on the leather.

That being said, what kind of razor is it and was are you sure it was initially sharp. What I mean is has it been professionally honed? If not, then it needs to be by someone with known professional quality skills(we have them here).

Also, you might post the youtube videos you watched so that members can see which ones they are. We have a huge thread filled with video examples of stropping here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...st-2012-a.html Watch and learn. I still visit the videos. There is so much stropping-related info there.

Welcome again. Persistence and practice are you friends

Chadi you mentioned Derby blades - is this a double edge safety razor that you are using? If so you typically just replace the blade and no stropping needed. Maybe a picture would help if you have one.

Shane

Originally Posted by RoyalCake

Chadi you mentioned Derby blades - is this a double edge safety razor that you are using? If so you typically just replace the blade and no stropping needed. Maybe a picture would help if you have one.

Shane

Yeah, from the sound of things you could have a straight with disposable blades?

Pictures would help us here me thinks

Originally Posted by RoyalCake

Chadi you mentioned Derby blades

Good catch, Shaun. I was too busy composing my opus and missed that one ;P

Are you telling me that I should buy a razor that is not disposable? I thought any razor could be stropped?

It's a straight razor. One edge blade. I can replace the blade but wouldn't it be better in the long run to just strop it. Also, it's a cool skill.

Originally Posted by chadi

It's a straight razor. One edge blade. I can replace the blade but wouldn't it be better in the long run to just strop it. Also, it's a cool skill.

Ah, ok.
No, you don't strop those.
Shave with it until the edge is no longer to your liking and then toss it out and exchange for a new one.
Modern blades like that are covered with platinum or other such materials for glide and sharpness.
Stropping them will not bring them back.

It is a cool skill, but it is meant for straight razors.
Proper straights that is.
Look in our classifieds and see if you can't find a reasonably priced one in there.
Then you'll be able to strop it before each shave and keep the razor going.