Thread: Quick, brief questions about stropping

Hey everyone,
For the first time, I've gotten an old vintage straight razor into shave ready condition. All that's left- stropping.
I have two dovo strops. The one I'm gonna use is the larger one (see photo 1)
so my questions: 1) which side of the strop do I begin with, the smooth/soft leather or the black rougher leather? 2) is 20 laps on the prep side and 60 on the finishing side correct?
BYW, I also could use the other one if it would be recommended. Canvas/leather. (See photo 2)

Begin with the fabric side of the second strop. Then switch to the smooth leather side
of the first strop, because the leather side of the second strop looks like it has a few nicks.

The first strop looks OK. You could use the "rough" side right after the fabric, but then you
should finish up on the smoothest leather last.

Try 30 or 40 laps on the fabric and then 50-60 laps on the leather to begin with. Strop taut,
no pressure. Easy does it. Then give the razor a shave test and see how it goes.

I tend to be a zealous stropper and see nothing wrong with 100 passes on the leather. I don't see the nicks in the big one but cation should be used when stropping on a strop with nicks. If the blade goes tick tick as you go over the nicks they need to be fixed. Some of the very shallow ones are ok to strop over and the smallish ones are easy to fix with a little sand paper, and flaps should be glued down with contact or rubber cement. Start with your most coarse strop and work to your most smooth strop. There are people here that are firm believers in the strop progression. Poor stropping can wreck and edge and good stropping can enhance an edge. Strop until your heart is content.

Thanks. And @ RezDog, which side is coarser, the white canvas, or the black leather? So I know which one to begin with if ever tempted to give the progression route a try..
Thanks!

I do not have those strops, so I cannot say for sure, I would guess however that the white canvas is likely the most coarse, then black suede, then the smooth leather. If you do a couple of strokes on the canvas and then the suede you should be able to feel what is more smooth. Happy stropping!

The strop in picture no.1 is a single sided strop. The black coloured side, Pic 2 being the back of the 'Russian leather' Dovo 80mm, is no good for anything. I have one, I just looked at it under the loupe and it's not a stropping surface. As I said, check your purchase, it's a single sided strop. No linen nothing, just a synthetic backing for the 'Russian leather'. It was a common criticism at the time, for a hone that expensive to have no linen/canvas was a bit too much. The other strop, smaller in width, at least has a linen backing strop.
Definitely don't strop on that black backing, who knows what it is.

Just double checked the facts re this Strop. 1. It is a single side 80mm wide Russian Leather strop made for sale by Dovo. 2. It has no other stropping surfaces. 3. The black on the back of the single piece strop is not suitable to strop a razor on.
Whoever sold it to you, should, you would think, have known you'd need a canvas piece too?