Thread: stropping speed

i agree with chris the balance of pressuse one uses determined the edge you wind up with, not how fast you get there, the old barbers stropped fast and cut their strops up once in a while too but they stropped every day and were good at it from lots of practice

when I strop the pressure i apply is greater than honing. My strop speed is approx 6 inch per second. On both strop and hone I torque the razor so that pressure is not only directed toward the edge, but in many instances to specific areas(changing, moving points) along the edge. It is like a rolling x with no actual lifting just directed pressure. And similar to taping without the tape.

Do you guys do similar?

Originally Posted by kevint

when I strop the pressure i apply is greater than honing. My strop speed is approx 6 inch per second. On both strop and hone I torque the razor so that pressure is not only directed toward the edge, but in many instances to specific areas(changing, moving points) along the edge. It is like a rolling x with no actual lifting just directed pressure. And similar to taping without the tape.

Do you guys do similar?

Not yet. I consider that an advanced stropping technique and I haven't gotten there yet. Thanks for sharing that though. I may give it a go on a particular razor that might need that kind of treatment.

Originally Posted by kevint

when I strop the pressure i apply is greater than honing. My strop speed is approx 6 inch per second. On both strop and hone I torque the razor so that pressure is not only directed toward the edge, but in many instances to specific areas(changing, moving points) along the edge. It is like a rolling x with no actual lifting just directed pressure. And similar to taping without the tape.

Do you guys do similar?

yeah, sort of.. i flow a little faster than 6"/sec.. and might not use as much pressure.. but yes, i can use a bit of a rolling stroke sometimes and not so much diagonal stroke..

Alan and I were fairly careful I think with the pressure used in that experiment (in terms of consistency between slow and fast stropping). I find that the downward pressure applied when I strop is always directed at the spine, never the edge - it just follows where I take the spine. And the pressure is not great.

Moderate speed works fine I think. As Glen said, it is usually the flip that slows you down as you learn, and there is nothing wrong with a slow flip.

There is also nothing wrong with approximating what Kevin does either, in my opinion, when you first start. Stropping parts of the edge at one time can work quite well (eg tip, middle, heel) by simply angling the razor (carefully) in the vertical plane (ie lift the heel slightly to strop the toe, and vice versa). The flex in the strop will allow this, within reason.

James.

Approximating is all I ever do anyway/ though i did count it and found my speed closer to 10 inch per second. I think that might be moderate speed or is it still in the realm of s l o w?

I'm not saying I do it right- it could be a bad habit. Not to mention I've never used a barber strop... someday I'll find the right one. ymmv considerably without paddle asisted stropping

i seem to get a better shave when i rinse my blade under hot water. weird.

tinfoil can also be heated rapidly.

Originally Posted by p.z.

i seem to get a better shave when i rinse my blade under hot water. weird.

tinfoil can also be heated rapidly.

How is the shave better: is there any other difference other than it feels better against your skin?

glen is right, my strokes are a good pzace, but my flips is where I lose speed, so woried about nicking my damn strop again. takes forever to get those strokes in it seems sometimes.

Red

Glen had it basically right in my book. A point of warning tho, when doing a fast stroke with a slow flip. Be sure not to stall the razor prior to the flip. This can cause small nicks. It is common to see strops with these small nicks at the held end usually and I would put this damage down to this technique.
Eventually the whole technique will come to be a flowing motion and speed will be a by product of your hard work. Don't make speed the holy grail but technique instead.
X stroke, diagonal heal leading, square blah blah. They all work and no one type is right. All can and are used by me depending on the situation.

PuFF