Thread: Stropping questions

Razor was very sharp this morning. Great shave! Think my main problem was avoiding slack in my strop, out of fear of rolling the razor's edge. Avoiding slack didn’t allow the edge to make sufficient contact to sharpen effectively. Regarding pressure, I had been using just the weight of the razor, which appears to work much better with a little slack in the strop. Hope I’ve passed the critical hurdle of being able to strop well enough to maintain a sharp blade. Stropping is such a critical part of straight razor shaving.

I am still learning technique, so I dont have much to add to this conversation... but I do want to add one experience that made a hell of a difference for me.

I switched from keeping the strop flat/straight up, to angled as Lynn mentions in the video above. Suddenly, stropping became comfortable, and I started getting constantly good edges! Might be worth a try if you find yourself struggling with pressure and angle.

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

I am still learning technique, so I dont have much to add to this conversation... but I do want to add one experience that made a hell of a difference for me.

I switched from keeping the strop flat/straight up, to angled as Lynn mentions in the video above. Suddenly, stropping became comfortable, and I started getting constantly good edges! Might be worth a try if you find yourself struggling with pressure and angle.

Hey, thanks for the suggestion Aldwyn! I noted Lynn's mention of angle in the video, but though it referred to comfort only. Nice to hear from someone like me who found it helpful in edge control. I'm making progress, but sometimes it feels "hit or miss." Guess it comes down to practice. I'll keep your suggestion in mind. - Bill

From my limited experience I have found the following work best for me. When using a paddle strop (which by definition has NO slack and very little "flex") I like to incorporate a slight x stroke on my razor. This ensures that all of edge makes good contact with the strop leather. However, on my hanging strop I leave just a little slack and do not need as much of an X stroke to ensure good contact through out the stroke. Different razor profiles and different leathers seem to affect how much slack and/or X stroke is required.

Get a bit of draw. Using slack in the strop and torque is how to tune it. Period. Takes experience among many razors and strops to decide.
all are different. JMO.

Think my problem may be related to a double bevel in my blade. Tried to let the blade sink into a slack strop this morning with just the weight of the razor, based on a recommendation from Alan D., and it seemed to produce a higher than normal pitched scratch sound and a really sharp edge. Beautiful shave today

I think you will find that as things progress, the audio feedback may end up being the most useful. I need it personally as I know when I hear a certain sound, that I am getting the desired result.

The caveat, of course, is that this sound varies between razors...so what is the "good" sound for one is not for another (different strops affect this as well). It takes a little bit of time to get there. Of course I am new to this as well, so for the two razors in my primary rotation I now understand what the correct sound is and use that as my primary guide.

Originally Posted by Bcunning

Think my problem may be related to a double bevel in my blade. Tried to let the blade sink into a slack strop this morning with just the weight of the razor, based on a recommendation from Alan D., and it seemed to produce a higher than normal pitched scratch sound and a really sharp edge. Beautiful shave today

From what I've read and listening to audio's from here:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...azor_stropping

The sound bites are under "hearing". This can be found at the library.

That high pitched scratching sound is where the edge is making uneven contact with the strop. What you will be listening for is a dull muffled sound. That is when your spine and edge is making even contact with strop during you forward and back lapping. The shave might have been great but the uneven contact will degrade the edge quicker. But degrade is probably not the correct word, but rather not allow for the entire edge to be properly refreshed between each shave, making the razor require going to the stones sooner.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Get a bit of draw. Using slack in the strop and torque is how to tune it. Period. Takes experience among many razors and strops to decide.
all are different. JMO.

Sharptonn,

This is great advice!!! Thanks - Bill