Thread: Stropping post-shave?

Is this a good idea, I have heard that it is worth while stropping after your shave to keep the blade in good order? This is in addition to the usual pre-shave stropping.

This is up for debate - some manufacturers even recommend doing this - I do it so that I can ensure the bevel is free from moisture prior to putting the razor away, but it's debatable whether it does any real good for performance.

Mark

I haven't done it as I usually have a routine
with my shaving that includes stropping
before my shave, but after reading Milton Man's
reply about possibly preventing moisture in
the bevel I think I'll give it a try.

John

different steels act in different ways, this we know...
It is my understanding that a very fine edge can recover very slightly on it's own thus the highly debated "resting" of the blade...
If it is true that steel has some sort of memory, it would be beneficial to strop after shaving to teach the edge... all theory there.

on a more sensible line, stropping after shaving forces you to handle the blade and would be beneficial in removing any water from the blade. It also makes you actually look at the razor, and you would be more likely to catch any potential problems before it's too late.


The one thing that can be said for certain is stropping after shaving doesn't hurt anything. and if it can't hurt, and there are potential benefits... why not try it and decide for yourself.

I have a different understanding. As has been indicated before, this is really all highly speculative.

It is my understanding that after a shave, when the edge is the most out of alignment and the edge hasn't had a chance to "recover", is the worst time to strop. Supposedly you are breaking over and off little pieces of the edge that were going to flatten out on their own.

I actually have a little bit of knowledge relating to working with metal (on a much larger scale) and it leads me to believe that stropping won't help train the edge (to "recover" or "re-align").

Stropping before or after a shave is only an issue if there actually is some "recovery." This seems like a good candidate for a test.

Cook

I covered this when I did the stropping experiment awhile back. from a practical standpoint there was no real difference in stropping after, before or a combination thereof. If you can't leave the razor out for a time to dry it will ensure it is dry before putting it away.

I strop after the shave to clean the edge, but I don't think that it makes any difference in the quality of the next shave. IMO The pre-shave stropping is what is important for the shave.

I, too, strop after shaving. I'm under the assumption, however, that aside from clearing away any moisture, I'm actually leaving a miniscule amount of oil (from the strop) on the blade, thus protecting it from bathroom humidity until I shave again. It works for me.

I strop 30 strokes after I shave. I believe it removes any remaining moisture, soap and stubble that might be on the blade.

bj

Originally Posted by 2Sharp

I strop 30 strokes after I shave. I believe it removes any remaining moisture, soap and stubble that might be on the blade.

bj

FWIW...

Same here (on the linen side) for the same reasons.... just seemed to make sense to me.


v/r

Allen