Thread: Too heavy of draw damaging edge?

Originally Posted by Brontosaurus

I have a small paddle strop with oiled Russian leather lined with a felt support. Lots of draw there, forcing me to slow down and add significant pressure during the pass, particularly as the surface is very slightly concave. So it ends up a kind of stropping rolling X-stroke. At first, I was doing a significant number of laps, the result being that I would quickly wreck the edge. More recently, I've cut back significantly, maybe 10-20 laps at most, and this seems to be working.

That is what I am thinking, the excessive passes is wrecking my edges!

Originally Posted by Jnatcat

I am testing several strops from a well known maker and the Roo strop to me has a heavy draw that causes the razor to almost be pulled from my hand but not on all razors so i can honestly see where a heavy draw could affect an edge with bad stropping, I don't believe a faster or slower draw gives a better edge I do believe correct stropping on either is what does it.

I think the strop I have has super heavy draw and is also somewhat sticky which I believe is pulling the very apex left and right weakening the edge, even with holding the strop taught!

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

I had a strop with a really heavy draw, and I ended up tilting the razor and rolling my edge a couple of times! I like a medium draw for some feedback but definitely avoid the really heavy ones.

I think your right, the heavy draw makes you strop in ways you wouldn't normally causing poor stropping technique and causing a ruined edge!

Well strops with a heavy draw are very pressure sensitive. A light hand on a medium or heavy draw makes the stropping much much easier, add the smallest amount of pressure and you will know it right away.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Well strops with a heavy draw are very pressure sensitive. A light hand on a medium or heavy draw makes the stropping much much easier, add the smallest amount of pressure and you will know it right away.

You are so right, I have been thinking my honing has been bad only to find out I am ruining the perfectly keen and smooth edge on a super heavy draw strop!

Draw on a strop is like a symptom of a disease. It's not a disease in itself just a quality of the strop. It by itself has no direct affect on the edge.

What you do with the strop and how you react to the draw be it heavy or light will be the factor that affects the edge.

Originally Posted by Jnatcat

I am testing several strops from a well known maker and the Roo strop to me has a heavy draw that causes the razor to almost be pulled from my hand but not on all razors so i can honestly see where a heavy draw could affect an edge with bad stropping, I don't believe a faster or slower draw gives a better edge I do believe correct stropping on either is what does it.

I am surprised by this. I've used at least 4 roo strops and found all of them to have very light draw.

I prefer a strop that I can just detect the draw as I like a small amount of feedback. Heavy draw strops tend to throw off my rhythm and I feel like I could roll the edge a lot easier

Originally Posted by dshaves

That is what I am thinking, the excessive passes is wrecking my edges!

In my case, with the small paddle strop, it is a visual determination that determines the pressure. Given the concave surface, I have to add pressure so that the edge comes in contact with the stropping surface. If not, it visibly is not making contact.

Edit, much later: that said, it is a more lateral pass rather than it would be normally, so the pressure on a point-by-point rather than linear basis is not as durable.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I am surprised by this. I've used at least 4 roo strops and found all of them to have very light draw.

Well to be honest i am not sure it's Roo, the Vendor sent me three strops to test and the only caviate was don't cut them and he identified each one in an email and said this colored one was Roo and this was Spanish HH and this was Cordovan but the strops upon arrival were not marked so I may have the Roo and Italian HH mixed up