How am I nicking my strop?

**foundlingofdollar** · 07-06-2008, 05:28 AM

I have a used strop, it came to me with 2-3 little nicks in it. Today I took a close look, and it seems that I've added a few. These aren't sections of missing leather, but rather just little slices into the edge, mostly at the bottom of the strop. My question is how in the world am I nicking my strop? It just doesn't make sense to me. Watching my motion, as near as I can tell the blade isn't moving away from the spine at any point.

How do nicks in strops happen? What am I doing wrong?

**KenS** · 07-06-2008, 05:32 AM

Are you nicking it when you turn the blade over at the end of a stroke? I think that's pretty common.
Ken.

**Blazed Monkey** · 07-06-2008, 05:43 AM

I had a problem when I first started stopping, much like you are describing. At the end of my outstroke, I would flip my blade the proper way, but for some reason, it would still slide forward and nick the strop.

I found it to be a case of trying to go too fast. You have to develop the muscle memory with stropping so that you don't nick it with your blade, before you start going quicker.

**Nickelking** · 07-06-2008, 05:43 AM

And are you positive that the spine is staying on the leather?

**psdarby** · 07-06-2008, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by Blazed Monkey

I had a problem when I first started stopping, much like you are describing. At the end of my outstroke, I would flip my blade the proper way, but for some reason, it would still slide forward and nick the strop.

I found it to be a case of trying to go too fast. You have to develop the muscle memory with stropping so that you don't nick it with your blade, before you start going quicker.

+1. I'd recommend slowing down a bit. Most nicks occur when flipping the blade over.

Patrick

**hoglahoo** · 07-06-2008, 07:09 AM

slow down and don't press so hard

**Ockham** · 07-06-2008, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

slow down and don't press so hard

+1 on that. I had the same issues when beginning to strop, and I realised that I sometime incline slightly my hand holding the strop to the left or to the right and that my strop and my razor are not absolutely parallel; or that I didn't draw the strop tight enough... but with the practice it will come.

**AFDavis11** · 07-06-2008, 12:23 PM

Are you stopping the motion at any point? That does it too.

**netsurfr** · 07-06-2008, 12:40 PM

I was wondering about this myself at one time. I was nicking my strop a bit. I found that when rolling the blade I actually needed to start the stropping motion and this prevents the blade from slipping forward. I guess this is another way of saying what AFDavis said.

**zuul** · 07-06-2008, 06:43 PM

but, is there a way to recondition or refinish the leather? i haven't screwed it up yet, but just in case!

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