Thread: Cumulative Stropping

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

The old barber is turning over in his grave unless you strop just before shaving.

I guess unless you keep the edge well oiled the very edge will begin to accumulate rust on a molecular level very rapidly. Unless you strop enough before shaving you may or may not remove it.

Had thought about that too.

As I get up at 4:50 am, time is of the essence and while I am keen on the shave I am not quite so keen on stropping at this early hour.

I suspect your old barber turning in his grave didn’t start work at 4:50 am either.

Occasionally I strop for a week in advance, or at least for the next day, and to avoid any corrosion I use a Ballistol applicator for the edge. At the most, I give the blade then 12 laps prior to the shave, sometimes none at all.

Truth be told, I am not even convinced that any noticeable corrosion would form within 24 hrs, but who knows?
It is not important enough for me to reach for a microscope.
To me straight shaving shouldn’t be made into a science and if our granddads got by without a microscope, so can I.



B.

10 laps on paste is like 100 on leather.

I am reminded of the Chrome Oxide experiment of daily stropping and shaving with the same razor for a year and what happened…after about a week, nothing but great shaves.

You can definitely do a strop progression, on just fabric, linen and leathers. Different leathers will produce a different polished edge. Heck just cleaning your leather strop will produce a different (Better?) edge.

It’s all about the stropping. On paste or plain leather, it is the last polish of the edge, before it touches your face. How much it needs depends on the condition of the edge, the strop, your technique and your preference.

The trick is your technique.