Thread: Just Discovered Palm Stropping

I can get why this practice was used by oldschool barbers but for the love of god i can't see the science behind it.

We use hides from grass eating animals to make strops because the high silicate concentration in the 3-rd layer of the skin bound in a dense colagen matrix (a consequence of their diet of grass)...this layer is exposed by taning and mecanicaly removing the superficial layers of the skin that re mostly glands and epitelial cells.....this translates to extremly fine abrasion from the silicates and friction burnishing effect from the colagen fibers.
...and i can get how that can hlp an edge.

but i can't see how our own skin that has realy lower content of silicatesand the colagen fibers are not exposed due to the fact that we are not taned )...

I realy cant see what this does to the edge other then cleaning...

But if it works for you...hell...why not....it looks cool...and gets the blod flowing for sure.

I watched the same video months ago when I was starting with straights and use palm stropping since then. Mainly for cleaning the blade while honing, prior to inspection. I do few x strokes on the pinky side of the palm (hypothenar). No trips to ED yet.

Originally Posted by ovidiucotiga

but i can't see how our own skin that has realy lower content of silicatesand the colagen fibers are not exposed due to the fact that we are not taned )..

Spend some time in my shop. You'll end up with plenty of silicates embedded in your skin. Also aluminum oxide, a little bit of diamond, some crox, WD40, Ballistol... Really, the whole package!

Originally Posted by jmabuse

Spend some time in my shop. You'll end up with plenty of silicates embedded in your skin. Also aluminum oxide, a little bit of diamond, some crox, WD40, Ballistol... Really, the whole package!

What you said reminds me of a quote from Iwasaki's ''honing razors and nihon kamisoris'' book he published to aid barbeers who were misshoning razor and the not using stones properly.

He emphasised on the importance of clean hands and water when honing...also not honing in a workshop where dust and debry from grinding sets on all surfaces...

But it is true what you say...I do a lot of restoration work and the grinding and sandingndust gets in your skin...true...but I dont think itnhelps taht much

Originally Posted by ovidiucotiga

What you said reminds me of a quote from Iwasaki's ''honing razors and nihon kamisoris'' book he published to aid barbeers who were misshoning razor and the not using stones properly.

He emphasised on the importance of clean hands and water when honing...also not honing in a workshop where dust and debry from grinding sets on all surfaces...

But it is true what you say...I do a lot of restoration work and the grinding and sandingndust gets in your skin...true...but I dont think itnhelps taht much

These are good points! But I only do restorations (and a jillion other things) in my shop. I hone at my very clean kitchen sink, with plenty of running water. And I strop in my very clean bathroom.

i have experimented with palm stropping off and on through the years and honestly, I cant seem to detect any difference of improvement to the blade. Probably a good way to embed a colony of bacteria onto your edge if care is not taken but then again i have always had too much faith in my own immune system. The more I hear about Iwasaki and his methods the more I realize what a pedantic character this guy must of been, I couldn't be like him because i would be up at night thinking about all the errant grit particles floating around my house trying to kill my edge, Ignorance is bliss I guess. Ill take it clean hands is a good thing around sharp objects. Interesting discussion.

Originally Posted by Razorfaust

i have experimented with palm stropping off and on through the years and honestly, I cant seem to detect any difference of improvement to the blade.

I still do it out of habit but I can't tell if it does anything or not. Never cut myself but it does require 100% focus.

I’ve been using palm stropping regularly for some weeks now. I do all my pre and post preparations in the truck before going to the shower at the truck stop. After shave as I’m cleaning and packing up I’ll palm strop 10-20 strokes for cleaning and drying purposes. Once back in the truck I’ll do all my post shave cleaning and stropping. Focus, yes; worried, no.