Thread: Too heavy of draw damaging edge?

Originally Posted by MRutter8671

So I've followed this post as want to improve my stropping and I've been reading other posts about technique also, I still consider myself a total beginner (I've hit the 6 month mark of shaving straight) and I'm a little unsure of what you mean by "draw" and how I can recognise what is a heavy draw and what isn't and the effects it has. If anyone could help me out to further my knowledge I'd. Ugh appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Mark.

Hello, so draw is referred to as the resistance of the strop material, usually the leather side. I have a Latigo strop which has a heavy draw, does not affect the edge in anyway. There are other leathers that are faster or less draw. These also do not affect the edge in anyway. Technique is key. Keep the spine buried, and enough pressure to keep the blade in contact with your strop.

Originally Posted by MRutter8671

So I've followed this post as want to improve my stropping and I've been reading other posts about technique also, I still consider myself a total beginner (I've hit the 6 month mark of shaving straight) and I'm a little unsure of what you mean by "draw" and how I can recognise what is a heavy draw and what isn't and the effects it has. If anyone could help me out to further my knowledge I'd. Ugh appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Mark.

Best I could advise in words is keep the strop taught, strop the razor on it lightly, deliberately, and often.
Take care in doing so. Enough reps and losing count. Do some more and it is stropped!

Mark,

Draw is the amount of resistance on the blade as you strop the razor across it so when someone says a strop has heavy draw they are referring to the blade sort of sticking to the leather but understand all of this is affected by pressure you apply, how wide the strop is , how taunt you hold the strop and whether you pre warm the leather by rubbing it, I personally don't care for a strop with heavy draw and if it is heavy it does not mean it's doing a better job, for example using a Cordovan strop is considered by some to be the best stropping leather but it has almost no draw almost glassy if you will call it and then there is Latigo which is in my opinion very heavy or muddy and I don't care for it at all, some strop lots of laps and some like me do very few, I personally don't think doing 200 laps on leather is going to make an edge any better than doing 50 but this in my opinion and I have no scientific proof to back this up, but then I don't use linen much anymore either except when I come off the hone but I will do about 10 laps on the post shave just to dry the blade before hitting the leather.

I would like to re iterate that the heavy draw strop does not and will not damage an edge, as long as there is the use of proper technique of course. However I have found if you have a wire edge or foil edge or false the heavy draw (which does pull harder on the steel than a fast strop) really does a fantastic job at proving any weakness the razors edge may have from honing. The strop has turned out to be a very useful tool in proving my razors after honing for the beloved close and comfortable shave I am looking for.

Also with a heavy draw like my strop it did take me time to learn how to use best, for me the faster draw strops I have are way easier to use. Just thought to put that out there.

Gentlemen,

I know it’s taken some time for me to reply, for personal reasons I haven’t visited the site for some time, however I’m catching up now on all the gossip and information I’ve missed, thank you so much for your input, I’m continually trying to improve my shave. All the information you’ve provided has been useful, I’m yet to purchase a different strop (to diversify) than I already have which has very little draw. Still perfecting techniques but I’ll get there in the end.
Until next time, gentlemen.

Mark.

I’m with you, if your doing it right and the leather is smooth and contaminant free, you can’t hurt an edge with the strop, now on the other hand a clown not knowing what he’s doing can booger one up quick

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

I’m with you, if your doing it right and the leather is smooth and contaminant free, you can’t hurt an edge with the strop, now on the other hand a clown not knowing what he’s doing can booger one up quick

I have to agree.

A strop or indeed almost anything that is SERIOUSLY outside the curve will be difficult to use with greatest effectiveness. A really really sticky strop will make it hard for MOST users to get best possible results. That doesn't mean that the user cannot adjust, only that he MUST adjust to really nail it. I like my DIY compressed cowhide and I can without embarrassment compare it to a decent horse shell strop in how it feels under my razor. I also have some strops that are slicker than frog snot, and some that feel like they were treated with Steen's best cane syrup. If well used, all give pretty much the same result. Compare the edge stropped on a Star Shaving Company "Big Daddy" (RIP) to a basic Kanayama and there is no difference. WITHIN REASON, it is all about the tactile, all about the joy of using, feeling and owning. It is only at the extremes that things get dicey and that is because the stropper is not up to the task of using that strop. (Usually, anyway, assuming it is not a cheapie Paki or Chinese SSO (Strop Shaped Object).

I've got a 3" Neil Miller "Artisan" strop -- dual surface: Red Latigo and Horsehide -- and the truth is that I much prefer the Red Latigo, precisely because of its "heavy draw" [and rarely-if-ever use the Horsehide]. Two reasons:

1. It keeps me stropping slowly. The draw is just that heavy... but consistently so, not "herky-jerky".
2. It keeps me in-control. Speed kills!

I use a 3" English Bridal from Classic edge, it was quite light I felt but in fairness didn't have anything to compare it with.

I have sanded it a few times to get rid of my learner nicks and have rubbed in a mixture of neetsfoot oil and glycerin. The glycerin slowed it down a lot and I prefer it so I guess I would have to say that I am a heavy draw sort of guy. I bought the neetsfoot/glycerin mixture from DVW with some 3" wide linen and it works really well.

I 100% agree with JBHoren, my strop is much slower now so I can control my stropping. The reason I started to cut my strop again recently after learning not to months ago is that I got faster and faster which may work well for the really experienced guys here but for me slowish and deliberate is the way to go.

Can't you just go slow? Is there some reason that you need to go faster on a lighter draw?