Thread: Stropping Strategy

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The fore mentioned barber manual says that when coming off the hone go straight to the leather. Only use the linen first when stropping for maintenance in between honings. I haven't been doing that but have been going to the linen first anyhow. Any thoughts on whether going to the leather only following honing would be better ?

Most sources I read, consider stropping as needed to realign the very edge. (let's call it the "fin") According to those sources, ideally the fin is fully restored by the strop. But often small parts of the fin were knocked to far out by the shave, and the razor may loose them during stropping. If they get stuck into the surface of the leather, they can cause scratches and damage. The linen's structure has more depth and steel particles are safely embedded below the surface.
Immediately after a honing job, there's no risk for loosing parts of the fin, so there's no reason for the linen.
I believe this represents the traditional vision on stropping. I don't know if it is completely valid, but I have seen pictures posted on SRP of "inexplicable" scratches caused by a leather strop.

Bart.

Thanks Bart. That makes sense.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I think I've discovered that I'm using a stropping strategy before my shaves. Do any of you guys do the same?
...
Do you guys have a stropping strategy that you use consistenly step by step to achieve a shaving edge?

I used to just grab another blade.

Now that you mention it, yes. I do something very similar.

Lately I seem to enjoy stropping ≈ as much as honing. <--(not an ironic statement, I really do enjoy both more than before)

I go straight to leather after honing. Fifty laps or so.

Ten to fifteen laps on leather after the shave.

Twenty to thirty laps on linen, Thirty to forty laps on leather before the shave.

One WTG pass and one XTG pass gets my tough beard BBS and the shave lasts a long time if the edge is 'right'.

I use the same 'tautness' all the time. Greatly reduces the number of times that I have to take one back to the hone.

Originally Posted by kevint

How often do you get to 4?

What is an ultra flat strop?

how many times, out of 10 let's say do you end at the hone?

I find that the first series of stroppings for any razor have a high probability of going to Step 3 and 4. Its similar I think to stropping and "shaping" the edge, as mentioned in the barbers manuals.

After the first series its usually pretty mundane. I'd say, again after the first few series, I only go to pressure 3 times out of 10.

I describe the hand hold for an "ultra flat strop" in another thread but essentially I pull the strop very taut and tight. Something I don't always focus on. I often strop with just a strop with no sag.

I end up back at the hone only one time in 20. I used to go to the hone immediately and I used to get only so-so shaves for the first 2-3 shaves off the hone.

Now I feel like I can work the blade a little better on the strop and need the hone far less.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I find that the first series of stroppings for any razor have a high probability of going to Step 3 and 4. Its similar I think to stropping and "shaping" the edge, as mentioned in the barbers manuals.

After the first series its usually pretty mundane. I'd say, again after the first few series, I only go to pressure 3 times out of 10.

I describe the hand hold for an "ultra flat strop" in another thread but essentially I pull the strop very taut and tight. Something I don't always focus on. I often strop with just a strop with no sag.

I end up back at the hone only one time in 20. I used to go to the hone immediately and I used to get only so-so shaves for the first 2-3 shaves off the hone.

Now I feel like I can work the blade a little better on the strop and need the hone far less.

Sounds like you found out what the strop is for

PuFF

In theory maybe, in practice I'm still working on it.