Thread: ok This Has Been On My Mind

Sometimes I just pick up my razor for the heck of it and strop it on the linen side a few times then leather side, because I feel like Im practicing my technique , plus I like the feel of my TM strop. Anyway if the next day If I do the same thing am I messing up what I did the day before or am I making the razor sharper? If I finish on leather and the next day I were to just try the linen side a few times , did I just mess up the edge ?

I'm assuming it's just plain linen..no paste right?

Originally Posted by Del1r1um

I'm assuming it's just plain linen..no paste right?

Correct, plain linen

With no abrasive pastes used, I don't see the harm from what you're doing. Unless stropping is done incorrectly, which doesn't seem to apply to you, I don't see any harm from stropping on linen after leather, and I don't see it reversing what you did the day before. Just my opinion of course!

I too just like to strop for practice sometimes...it's fun isn't it??

As long as its done correctly, it shouldnt hurt.

ok cool, so my next question is. If I do this a few times before the next time I shave, I would not have to strop the day of my shave if I didnt want to ? I asking this because from what I have read it seems like you have to strop just before shaving and again as soon as your done.

I too just like to strop for practice sometimes...it's fun isn't it??

Yes it is, Im getting pretty good at it too. Sometimes I think it's weird that Im into this, I have other hobbies and never thought I would be so into shave stuff, this is just weird.

Stropping a few laps after shaving is mainly to dry the blade. There has been this belief that the edge has to rest 48 hours before stropping again to let the edge recover. Given that barbers used these things repeatedly throughout the day, I figure that's probably bunk.
If you were to do a full normal stropping of your blade the day before you shave, then you don't need to strop immediately before you shave. I always fully strop razors after honing them and then test them usually in the next day or two and I don't bother re-stropping them. I believe Lynn includes a notice with his honed razors asking you to not strop before using it so that you can get the full effect of his work without you messing it up on the strop. Strop any time you want!

Lynn did send some of his work out with the label below attached. I guess because as Ron said to keep an inexperienced stropper from rolling the edge.

This article particularly mparker's post (fourth one down) is where I got my regular stropping routine from. I like to strop before the shave and I think the issue of removing any corrosion that would be unseen by the naked eye is important. That is also why I do some laps on the horsehide when the shave is done and I've rinsed and wiped the blade.

As far as stropping for fun ...... what are you ? Some kind of nut !

Just kidding... if it was me I would take one razor and make it my default practice stropping razor. That way if it did do it any harm it would just be to the one. I don't think it would hurt it but it is better to be safe then sorry.

Originally Posted by Mike257

ok cool, so my next question is. If I do this a few times before the next time I shave, I would not have to strop the day of my shave if I didnt want to ?

Probably not. As I've been sharpening more razors lately I find myself stropping at night after honing and then skipping it the next morning to no ill effect.

I say try it and see