Thread: Question about stropping

just go slowly and deliberately at first. Make sure you're getting good quality passes on each stroke. Over time, you pace will pick up some, but paying attention and getting good technique perfected is your goal at this point. Whatever you do, I'd stay away from buying pastes, sprays or hones until you're shaving well and stropping well every time. A year at least, IMO.

Having a pro (from this group) re-hone your razor periodically is the way to go!

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I should probably have explained a little more than that. As Mark says not tight like banjo drum tight. If you pull it too tight it will warp/bow your strop but you don't want it slack like that one is. At $2.95 for a strop that orange handle is probably the best thing about it.. It's probably made out of roadkill

LOL, I've got a good recipe for that if there's any left after the strop is finished.

I suppose the bright orange handle would be handy if you shaved in the woods during hunting season!

Steve

Originally Posted by STF

LOL, I've got a good recipe for that if there's any left after the strop is finished.

I suppose the bright orange handle would be handy if you shaved in the woods during hunting season!

Steve

Hang it on a deer trail as a yardage marker, then spray it with deer urine. Then leave to rot.!

Steve, lots of guys up there that can hone with the best of um. It'd cost you more, to send it to me for evaluation and honing, just in shipping alone. But that's your call.

Originally Posted by outback

Steve, lots of guys up there that can hone with the best of um. It'd cost you more, to send it to me for evaluation and honing, just in shipping alone. But that's your call.

Thanks Mike,

I appreciate your willingness to help me, I know you are one fine honemeister.

I have a complimentary re-home by Phil at Classic Edge cos that’s where I bought it but now my rotation is slowly growing it won’t be long before I need the help of a Canadian Member that would be willing to become my regular Honemeister.

Although my best razor will be honed by Phil this time it will still need honing regularly as I am trying to perfect my stropping.

If I can I’m hoping to find a good honer in Southern Ontario so the mail would be fast and inexpensive.

Steve

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

The thread that Glen sent you is good to look through but just want additional thought. I know you said you just got a hanging strop. Make sure you hold it taught. This picture from eBay makes me cringe.

Attachment 312710

If you let a strop hang like that you'll roll your edge on the first lap.

Actually... Frozen in time , the edge is straight on the strop in the pic so no damage. What happens on the rest of the stroke will be the decider. Does he roll the wrist or does he keep the pressure on the spine ? Does he lift his left hand & roll the strop into the edge ? Does he continue the stroke all the way to the end of the strop effectively lifting his left hand ?
A loose strop is not the problem. There was a video of an Irish barber Liam Finnegan IIRC who strops on a very loose strop. Caused quite a kerfuffle at the time
The trick is keeping the pressure on the spine & making very short strokes.. But... Don't try this at home kids

It's hard to do damage by stropping that can't be fixed by stropping... rolling the edge is about it and even then... I had a razor sent to me once with a visibly rolled edge... and it corrected with stropping and shaved fine.

For maintenance, I've started to see sales of some microabrasive strops. Looks like they are made with some sort of fibre-glass like material and they were reasonably priced. All reviews I saw were positive. I have to say I'm intrigued, although right now I'm sticking with my Tony Miller linen & horsehide...

Cheers, HJ

Stropping, like nearly everything shaving is YMMV. Thus, you do whatever seems to work best for you. If what you are doing is not working, change ONE thing and see if that helps or hurts the overall result.

I have a number of strops, all of which are slightly different. I like using several during each stropping session, but others may skip the fabric component and use a single leather strop. Some may minimize the number of laps, others may use a lot of laps. If your stropping technique is good, using additional strops will have a diminishing effect on the edge according to some who have conducted such tests. Of course, if your stropping technique is poor, you may be doing more harm than good.

For whatever it is worth, here is my normal stropping regimin.

1. 25 laps on a DIY linen strop to clean the blade.
2. 25 laps on a cotton canvas strop to align the edge
3. 25 laps on a "fuzzy linen" strop from Tony Miller to begin polishing the edge
4. 25 laps on latigo leather that has a heavy draw
5. 25 laps on kangaroo leather that has a medium draw
6. 25 laps on shell cordovan that has a medium draw
7. 25 laps on cowhide (fast bridle leather)
8. 25 laps on horsehide (Novatan leather)


That works out to a total of 200 laps. Could I get by with fewer strops? certainly. Could I get by with fewer laps?.....most likely. Would additional laps improve the edge significantly?.....perhaps, but not likely.

I am not recommend that anyone follow my procedure, but it works for me and I enjoy the feel of the various strops, so I continue to use them

Nice write up Ray. Gives the OP a good idea about stropping addicts. Lol. I too have my own walk thru on my strops.
Steve, someone mensioned speed. It comes with time. Go slow!!! But just for your information, i was honing last night and stropped a couple razors. Thought id see about how long it takes to do 100 laps. The time clock showed about 75 to 80 seconds. Now i wouldnt say im fast and i can go faster, but accuracy is the most important thing.

As always, YMMV.

I'm finding that when I use my strop ( fixed on the towel rail) it sort of twists as I use it so that I end up holding the screws above the d rings and sort of twisting it away from me to counter the twist that I naturally get toward me.

It does make life difficult and I can hear the difference in up and down on the strop.

Not sure how clearly I have described my issue but does anyone else have this problem and how do you overcome it, or is it my fault?

I have an American English Bridle Leather strop (American English leather! Now there's a thinker).

I read all the stropping threads and watched the stropping vids. I stropped my best razor carefully and used it today. My shave didn't cut me but was really scratchy and felt like I was going through 2 weeks of stubble with a broken bottle. I am closely shaved but I have a few scratches on my neck and I'm more sore than usual so I guess my Dovo comes out of my rotation till it's honed.

Shame really because I have just had it engraved and was looking forward to using it.

As an aside - Am I able to move this thread to Stropping where I guess I should have started it in the first place, my apologies.

Incidentally - YMMV???

Steve