Thread: Stropping too much?

Hi guys,
I'm new to straight razor shaving but found stropping my razor very relaxing and will even strop on days I don't shave. Will this excessive stropping cause any damage to my razor? Thanks.

I'm be no means the "saltiest" member on here, but as long as your technique is good (not too much slack in strop, not too much pressure, not banging your edge on the roll) it shouldn't hurt. If your technique is good I'd say your just refining the edge.

I'm sure the more seasoned shavers will chime in shortly and give you a answer with more experience/wisdom behind it.

Jer

Originally Posted by MedicineMan

I'm be no means the "saltiest" member on here, but as long as your technique is good (not too much slack in strop, not too much pressure, not banging your edge on the roll) it shouldn't hurt. If your technique is good I'd say your just refining the edge.

I'm sure the more seasoned shavers will chime in shortly and give you a answer with more experience/wisdom behind it.

Jer

Im not that guy ether but like what was said, i bet it wouldnt hurt if your stropping correctly. I do think there is a limit to the refinement your going to be getting. My bezt guess is after 150 or 200 passes your not gaining anything. But thats my unexperianced guess.

You can strop all you want on plain leather without worry. The problem is if your hand becomes fatigued and your hand slips.

My name is Shaun and I am an excessive stropper.
I often strop a lot, more than many but not as much as a few.
There is no harm is stropping WELL on leather. There are those that claim their stropping improves a fresh honed edge, and I am with that thought train.
You can trash a perfectly good edge in just a few strokes stropping poorly though.
If that is your Zen time then by all means strop away and look for the answers.

I feel like if it were possible to strop too much, I would've just hit that mark. I was actually kind of trying to over-do it just so I could see what this mysterious overworked edge feels like. 20 some odd laps on .50 micron Chrome Oxide, .25 micron CBN, and I lost count of how many on .1 micron FeOx and all I got out of it was a smooth shave. If I couldn't intentionally hurt anything with moderately skilled stropping on a pasted strop, you're going to have an awful hard time hurting anything on an un-pasted piece of leather provided your stropping is as good as or better than mine. And that's a pretty low bar to be honest, stropping isn't my strong suit.

In my limited experience, and advice from a couple "old timers", if done properly you can't strop too much. Like RezDog, I strop to the near extreme. No less than 200 before each shave. After honing, no less that 300
And as Marshal said, it just gets a smoother shave

Enjoy and have fun

Yes it can.
Too much stropping can cause your eyesight to suffer, causing your strokes to become extended & causing you to strike the metal ring or buckle at the end of the strop.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Yes it can.
Too much stropping can cause your eyesight to suffer, causing your strokes to become extended & causing you to strike the metal ring or buckle at the end of the strop.

I don't think it is stropping that causes eyesight failure. You are doing something else that is causing that John.

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