Thread: Blade shoulder vs stropping

Gents,

Quick question:

When stropping, do you put much effort to avoid having the shoulder up on the strop? I know this is a concern when honing, in order to ensure full and even contact along the length of the blade. Is it also a concern when stropping, or not at all?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, you just want to strop the blade. The shoulder will tear up the edge of your strop and set more pressure on the toe end. The strop is the same as a hone except your going the other way :<0)

Thanks for the info!

not always tell that to the poor balsa wood hone i killed the other day lol being shaped like a hone was misleading, and i had jus got done honeing lol

I think so long as you are using LIGHT and even pressure, you should be fine unless there is a defect in the heel.

One of my first straights was a dovo solingen best with a nasty " stabilizer" that would scratch my strop up. I learned to hold the the tang so that my thimb is touching the heel. That way my finger will hit the strop before the heel does. I don't use that blade anymore but I think it gave me a good habit.

I have never nicked a strop, ever, but I do feel guilty about the accumulated trauma I have inflicted upon the right side of my most commonly used strops. I try to keep the stabilizer off of the leather but over the years my failures are apparent.

I usually go toe forward with just shy of the stabilizer on the edge of the strop on the away stroke and just mirror that on return. i also incorporate a little x stroke in my stropping regardless if i have a wide strop or not just force of habit but it will keep the heel off the strop most of the trip. just a thought you might like to try if your having a bad effect from a stabilizer.