Thread: Cumulative Stropping

I don't strop nearly as much as many around here. I don't see a lot of benefit in a lot of repetition. After a shave I give it 20 laps on linen, 20 on leather. And that's just to be sure its clean and dry. 30 to 40 laps on leather before I shave. One strop at a time, no combinations. I haven't seen much benefit from more stropping.

I am a firm believer in progressive stropping, as my good friend Neil Miller (may God rest his soul!) was. Whenever I restore or hone a razor, regardless of grind or hone used, I will strop around 400 laps on around 10-15 different strops from heavy draw, to elegant draw to very slick draw. To me stropping smooths and mellows the edge...and everyone that I have honed or restored a razor for comments on the quality of the shave. Whenever I take a 'not often used' razor out of my "Big Box 'O' Blades" I will strop first on a leaded linen strop for about 25 easy laps and then around 100 laps on 3-4 different strops to 'refresh the edge.


I always recommend to folks that when it seems that a razor is starting to tug, to hit the strops for a couple of hundred laps before going to the hones. JUST my method and MHO...

This makes me an 'Over-Stropper' I guess...But it's what works for me!

Originally Posted by Wolfpack34

I always recommend to folks that when it seems that a razor is starting to tug, to hit the strops for a couple of hundred laps before going to the hones. JUST my method and MHO...

And that's why I titled this thread "Cumulative Stropping": For me, with "hand issues", more than thirty laps at any one time is a non-starter; so, it'll take me some seven sessions to make those "couple of hundred laps" -- a two- or three-day process; hence, "cumulative". If I could do that many in one session, I'd never have made my original post.

Originally Posted by JBHoren

And that's why I titled this thread "Cumulative Stropping": For me, with "hand issues", more than thirty laps at any one time is a non-starter; so, it'll take me some seven sessions to make those "couple of hundred laps" -- a two- or three-day process; hence, "cumulative". If I could do that many in one session, I'd never have made my original post.

I get it. I'm retired, and am not required per se to shave every day, and usually shave every other day, and once in a while go three days. Sometimes after shaving, I will stop on linen to clean the blade, then do 20-30 on leather, and the next day make up for the usual stropping I do. I don't think it matters how you get to your magic number.