Thread: "Drag" on a leather strop

Weird, I tried posting this and it said that it posted successfully but it wasn't there....

Here it is again.

I've read about the so-called "drag" you should get when using a leather strop.

Can somebody describe this more thoroughly? When I use my strop (just a cheap one), it just feels smooth - no "pull" at all.

I did condition it with what the guy gave me (feels like vaseline?).

razors shave great, though. I don't have any problems with sharpness (so far).

thanks.

Hard to explain, but the "drag" or "suck" you hear talked about is quite noticable when it occurs. On my cheap strop it didn't occur until I conditioned it. My strop was quite dry, plus the humidity where I live is about 5-10%, so it took a lot more conditioner than the dab or two the directions called for. Also, I didn't feel the drag until I learned to only press lightly on the razor when stropping -- when I was pressing harder it wasn't there. And, I feel it more in one direction than the other (I think because the strop has a few little wrinkles in the leather).

Also, remember to pull on the strop hard, the strop has to be as straight as possible. You can try and see. Whem the strop hangs even a little bit, there's no drag. It really made a diference for me.

there will probably be more drag when going one direction as compared to the other: the grain of the leather. I have a Jemico strop, which doen't have any sort of coloring to it. This being the case, you can see the different shades of the leather when the razor passes over it in different directions, kinda like when you vacum your carpet and the forward and backwards movement of the machine create different shaes in the carpet. It's all due to the grain of the leather.

-Jon

Well since I've never felt any drag and I live with 95% humidity I think I'll go put some more paste on right now...good thread, thanx for the question. Glad to hear your razor is shaving well, always a good sign.