Thread: Doing the flip

Slow down, stop before your flip and keep the spine on the strop. Too much pressure kills edges.

It is not about speed, quality even strokes polish the bevel and straighten the edge.

Just thought about another factor we missed. If your using a hanging strop you might want to either lay it down on something flat like a table or add a little more tension to your tug :<0) The reason I say more laps is because if you degraded the edge with a strop you may be able to bring it back with the strop. If it's rounded like you say (and it should cut as well as your shavette) then you may need a refresh already. You'll get it I am sure.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Just thought about another factor we missed. If your using a hanging strop you might want to either lay it down on something flat like a table or add a little more tension to your tug :<0) The reason I say more laps is because if you degraded the edge with a strop you may be able to bring it back with the strop. If it's rounded like you say (and it should cut as well as your shavette) then you may need a refresh already. You'll get it I am sure.

Yuppers, I am using a hanging strop. I have it secured to a fixed object.

I first began to pull it to where it was just flat with no bowing and not much more tension on the strop than that. I may have been getting too much "hammocking" as the razor passed along the leather even with the little bit of pressure I have been applying. A week or so before this post, I have pulled it much tighter, but not so tight my arm gets tired. So I think I am getting that downpat. Sure enough, my draw on the English bridle leather took on a more solid sound. After reading posts about how paddle strops are easier for beginners, I was trying to mimic the feel of a paddle strop with the tension. But another viewing of two of Lynn's stropping videos did show show slight deflection as the razor passed over the leather. So I think that with a firm but not "arm-breaking" tension on the strop with light pressure, I should be good to go. I'd say my strop is deflecting no more than 3/4" as I pass across it. It looks like the deflection in Lynn's Straight Razor Stropping for beginners video. That's the one where he uses a hanging strop, paddle strop, and loom strop and is 18.5 minutes long.

When I went to SRD to pick up my razor and strop, I should have taken a butter knife with me. My thoughts were to have Don press the butter knife against my arm so I could get a good feel for what is a good amount of pressure on the strop.

I feel confident I will get this and probably sooner than I think. I just tend to be a very analytical person trying to figure out what I could do better.

I used to strop at a very fast pace to get to a hundred laps.

After about a year of stropping this way and getting excellent results I realised from checking with a microscope that on the top turn I was slightly bending the very edge causing the edge to reflect light under the scope.

I now strop with no weight and quite slowly.

Thought I'd share that

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Forget the laps per minute and just work on style . Double your lap count and if the razor is still working on everything but your chin do 2 things. 100 or 200 laps and stretch the skin on your chin more if you can. The chin is a tough spot for most of us and personally I spend more time on that than the rest of my face. I don't know how comfortable you are with your blade technique yet but trying different angles and directions will help get those chinny chin chin hairs :<0)

Definitely agree with this. My chin gets extra attention, and I come at it from every angle I can possibly get.

I'm still learning to do it properly. I tried being quick at first and my strop is knicked up now. I'm starting to get quicker now though

Originally Posted by MrAndo

I'm still learning to do it properly. I tried being quick at first and my strop is knicked up now. I'm starting to get quicker now though

Quick ain't the way, easy measured strokes get the job done right, I,m slower now than when I started, and my edges last a long time, fast will not win this race. Tc

tcrideshd:
You've got a good point here, I never thought of it but maybe that's part of the reason my edges last so long before honing. I also strop rather slow compared to some, doesn't look as good, but who's watching me strop anyway?!

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

tcrideshd:
You've got a good point here, I never thought of it but maybe that's part of the reason my edges last so long before honing. I also strop rather slow compared to some, doesn't look as good, but who's watching me strop anyway?!

I'd rather have great shaving edges than looking like a pro stropping! Besides, who's watching besides the dog every now and then but even she don't stick around long cause I keep looking at her for test shaves! Tc

Yes, pressure is usually the edge killer, for most new stroppers, remember the real edge is not visible with the naked eye or even at 400X. Too much pressure on one side then the other will break/chip the edge.

Tautness of the strop is less of an issue, some say to avoid convexing the edge, but convexing the edge is a good thing and makes a stronger edge, visualize apple seed shape vs arrow shape. Yes it is microscopic, but at an edge it is all microscopic.

The goal is to straighten the thin edge and lightly polish it and the bevel.

Hold the strop taught, at waist level, loop it around a door knob with the door open, a length of leather, para cord or shoelace 18” works well. Use enough pressure to keep the spine and the edge on the strop and never lift the spine from the strop.

Flip the razor using your thumb, not twisting your hand.

Hold the razor by the corners, Thumb on the top corner, forefinger on the opposite corner, and flip the razor moving your thumb, like flipping. When you flip, the thumb will transition to the other corner and the wrist and arm will not move, this is where the razor can slam into the strop, by twisting the wrist. The wrist and arm should remain at an even, consistent angle for even, light pressure.

Stop forward movement before flipping. And go slow, 50-60 laps per minute is plenty fast.

As said repeatedly, quality not quantity.