Thread: Stropping the SRP razor

So my forum razor arrived today, and it is stunning! I was admiring it earlier, and realized that I have no clue as to how to strop it. The smile of the blade worries me, but the curved spine worries me even more...
I read all the old threads I could find, but the suggestions were numerous and varied since there are different blades with smiles. I am hoping that someone with this exact razor can chime in and give me some advice!
As for strops, I have a latigo, "natural, and bridle hanging strop (all 3") and a 3" paddle strop with whatever leather the premium SRD is
Here is mine:


Thank you!!!

Congrats Ernie.
Owner of #81 here. Stropping your SRP LE will come pretty naurally. Heel leading diagonal X kinda motion and you will be happy with it. Just lift a little higher at either end initially till you get the swing. Nicked my bridal slightly on the turn around myself.. Luckily, only a little and up out of the action area..
Enjoy the shaves!

Are you using a hanging strop?

Congrats Ernie - you will like it...
Owner of #29 here, which came with a very "crisp" spine that has since been softened -
Hanging SRD Long Bridle with a Scruple Works Linen retrofit.
Before that I was using the SRD Paddle strop.
In fact it was todays SOTD with the MWF, as it is Fat Tuesday...and it is a great razor...

Smooth Shaving...

Hanging 3" bridal leather, but the same stroke for loom or paddle I have found. Smiler needs the swooping stroke. And like MJC mentioned, which I forgot, spine when new was a little crisp and scratched my strop. So watch out for that.
Cheers.

All razors are stropped the exact same way no matter the type or size or grind or geometry. It's when it comes to honing that you need to adjust the technique.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong. But on my 3" if I strop purely fore and aft with the SRP, the mid blade shines up sooner than the heel/toe, hence why I started to sort of roll my stropping hand in a bit of a curve to follow the smile. On my 2", no choice but to traverse diagonally.
Defer to your significantly massive-er experience of course, but it's what I found.

Originally Posted by MikeB52

Hanging 3" bridal leather, but the same stroke for loom or paddle I have found. Smiler needs the swooping stroke. And like MJC mentioned, which I forgot, spine when new was a little crisp and scratched my strop. So watch out for that.
Cheers.

Same here. Dressed the spine edge with a piece of 4k stone and solved the problem.

Biggest issue I have with stropping is the overly long monkey tail. I do not like monkey tails.

Thanks for the advice, I have noticed a little sharpness on the spine now that I am looking at it. I will smooth it out before stropping it

Actually you should be stropping using x strokes no matter how wide or narrow your strop. I know many with wider strops use a simple up-down however x strokes cover all bases with all razors.