Thread: Do we strop too much ?

Originally Posted by cariocarj01

Thanks for posting it. Very interesting. I'm following the thread.

Check out an old thread in stropping called "the grand experiment".

As I recall the old barbers stropped about 20 strokes or so. of course time is money and they stropped for every customer and since they used a straight for haircutting too that was a lot of stropping throughout the day even considering changing razors a few times.

I think the general recommendation on the site has been between 40-60 strokes not 80-100.

Originally Posted by BobH

...If I had to guess from failing memory it would less than 20 strokes.

I couldn't count the "FWAPS" as fast as Fred stropped.

In 1971 (the same year the US Army joined me and I had my only professional shave) Fred told me he shaved someone everyday: himself. But for that, he only did necks and sideburn trimming. 40 necks, 80 sideburn trims and a self shave per day? That's barely the equal of a couple of a couple of man-beards. 20 FWAPS on linen/leather for my sideburns and 18 year old pencil neck is a lot of stropping if you ask me.

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

I couldn't count the "FWAPS" as fast as Fred stropped.

"FWAPS" I like that, very descriptive.

Bob

Well, my attitude to it is that "too much" is merely a function of the stropper and nothing else. If you have the time and inclination to do 200 laps before and after each shave who's to tell you that's too much?

Sure, perhaps in terms of the shaving edge you don't need that many laps. Sure, for old time barbers time was money so they did what they could get away with - but how much stropping did they do to get to the point where they could almost literally fly that razor over the strop?

Strop away, I say - and the more the merrier! Too much stropping is never enough. And if you are so time poor that a few extra minutes of stropping is a serious problem for you, Mr Gillette has a solution.

James.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

In the USA it is common knowledge, based on long experience, that in all areas except taxes and alimony, that more is better.

Lol that made me smile

Interesting stuff, me personally I like the stropping. For one it gives the lather time to do its thing and secondly I find it odly relaxing !

I suspect that this one is going to be a "many roads to sharp" scenario, and as I'm begging to understand, like most things in this game it comes down to Personal preference

Its nice to get peoples points of view though.

Who knows, maybe we like stropping because its that whole back and fourth motion over 24inch

Like a lot of things about this sport, we can all try more, less, inbetween. Experiment with what works best for us. We can change our minds, and our routines too. I posted a long while ago about reading an old-old shaving book that claimed we didn't have to strop before the shave, as long as we stropped after the shave.

So for 2, or maybe it was 3, long weeks, with a Ralf Aust, and a TI, I rotated and only did 20 laps on leather after the shave. Worked very well. Then I began shaving with many of my different razors, since I always do 20 after the shave, and just picked them up and shaved. That worked just as well. Did that for months until one day I got the urge to strop before the shave. Been doing 40 and 40 ever since ...... year or more now. No rules, just what works for you and your kit.

Gentlemen,

These days, I strop 60 on linen, 120 on leather and 30 on palm. If I were to cut that ratio in half, I doubt it would make much of a difference to the razor's edge. The barbers of old, I assume, limited their stropping ratio to just a few strokes because of time limitations. Not only that, but again I assume, they saw no measurable difference between five strokes or ten. I assume. The reason I prefer a higher ration is because I use only five to seven inches on the strop. What's more, I enjoy stropping.

I really love to strop but i try to keep telling myself quality first...quantity second.

I think in the old days for barbers, stropping was as much a show as to dress the edge. The one thing I remember from back then very vividly was Andy the barber slapping that razor onto the strop and the slapping sound it made. Of course we don't strop like that. It's kind of similar to going into a Japanese Restaurant and they come out to cook at your table and they juggle the knives and tools around as they cook. All part of the show.

Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,

These days, I strop 60 on linen, 120 on leather and 30 on palm. If I were to cut that ratio in half, I doubt it would make much of a difference to the razor's edge. The barbers of old, I assume, limited their stropping ratio to just a few strokes because of time limitations. Not only that, but again I assume, they saw no measurable difference between five strokes or ten. I assume. The reason I prefer a higher ration is because I use only five to seven inches on the strop. What's more, I enjoy stropping.

Another consideration, visa vis barbers, that just occurred to me ........ Lynn told me his right hand is darn near twice as big as his left from continually honing/stropping razors one after another. Back in the golden days of barbers doing straight razor shaves, I imagine they were pacing themselves a bit, not only in terms of time for waiting customers, but in avoiding repetitive stress injury, even though it wasn't called that back then.