Thread: Less is More when stropping?

I have to agree with Ray that the source of the mfgs advice and the motives are questionable. It is true that you can dull a shave ready edge with improper stropping but once you are proficient the question is what the optimum number of laps are. We individually experiment with that and come to our own conclusions.

hee hee

Less(shaving) is more(beard)

If I can hone to crystal clear perfection, strop with minimal stroke, shave with smooth grace- then I know my razor handling skill has improved over time.

I can get more enjoyment in the 10 minutes I will spend today than in 30-45 spent when I first started a little over a year ago

Being fairly stubborn with preconceptions I am a slow but methodical learner. everything I read here I must first prove to myself
I have worked through several issues that i picked up here. The necessity of 3 passes, hundreds of strap stokes per week, needing pastes, high end cremes, etc.(really not etc that's all I could think of)

To me, less is more, that's where the fun is. In the next year, whatever I find to work best is what I shall do, with the goal of making shaving perfection as simple and quick as possible. It is not about time it's about aplomb

I think it makes sense to spend time in the details of what various tools and razors we are all using.

I for one have never, ever, ever, sensed a better edge by stropping more . . . I think that is part of the problem for me.

Well, how many strokes does it take to hone a razor on say norton?
It somewhat depends on the person honing it, but my understanding is that the experts all use a similar amounts.

So, it seems to me it's possible the stropping depends on the person's technique as well.

Now there's an easy way to find out and unfortunately this thread should've come up a week earlier. here's my proposed experiment

Take a honed razor and two stroppers A and B, A needs 5-10 laps to get the edge as good as they think it can be, B needs 50-60 laps.
* A does the 3-4 laps and they both evaluate the edge at this point.
Then A does 3-4 more laps and they evaluate the edge again. Then A does another 5-10 laps and they make a final evaluation. According to A the changes happened between the first two evaluations and nothing happened between the second two evaluations.
* They should be able agree whether there has been an improvement or not (or at least a difference) - a hair cutting test may be fairly convincing if there is a difference.
* Then B proceeds with 50 laps and then there's a new evaluation of the edge. Potentially adding an evaluation at the 25 laps mark, to judge if the edge changes at all after it has been deemed final according to A's procedure.

* Then take another honed razor and start with B performing 25 laps, evaluate the edge
* Then B performs another 25 laps and evaluate the edge again. At this point the razor is as good as it gets according to B
* A can then proceed to strop an additional 5-10 laps with potential strop in the middle to check whether there is a change to the edge after it's been pronounced 'final' by B.

Is there a consensus as to what exactly stropping does yet? Other than removing corrosion that is. Which, I think is pretty well established.

Originally Posted by Leighton

Is there a consensus as to what exactly stropping does yet? Other than removing corrosion that is. Which, I think is pretty well established.

I'm sure most of you have read this article, but I'll include it for anyone that missed it.

WONDER PHOTOS REVEAL UNSUSPECTED FACTS ABOUT Razor Blades and Shaving

Has anyone tried the vaseline trick from page 1 of the article? It would seem that if stropping (a): lines up bent fibers of the edge, and (b): removes micro-corrosion, then theoretically a thin layer of vaseline on the blade, even if you use the razor every day, would considerably cut down on the number of laps needed to get the blade shave ready.

Tod

I like stainless razors.

No vaseline needed.

I also like to strop the bejeebus out of my razors.

Just 'cause I find it enjoyable, and I also don't like bejeebus in my razors, which is why I strop it out of them....

Actually, last night I went for a real quick shave. I hadn't really planned on shaving, but the spirit moved me...so I did a quick face lather, and grabbed a stainless razor out of The Vault. And started a shave. Then I realized I hadn't yet given it a stropping! I gave it a go on the ol' latigo and then proceeded with the shave. The blade felt better. Now why is that? The razor is stainless, and it was stropped after its' last shave. Yet after a fresh stropping it felt smoother, more efficient.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

I use 7. If that doesn't work I do about 3-4 on linen, and then 7 again. As with most straight issues though, in practice I am quite an anomoly from the pack.

You certainly are not a lemming, that is one of the reasons I like to read your post. Your threads on fire ash and the recent thread on pencil lead, lead me to some incredibly comfortable edges. I like the fact you try things out and experiment. I am going to try some of this minimalist stropping and see if it works for me.

Anybody who has stropped their razor on a side of a tire is somebody to be listened to.

Charlie

I love stropping...linen, wool, leather...it doesnt matter. Its pure therapy and frankly for me, "personally," im not going to worry a whole lot if it cuts the life of the razor down to 100 years, rather and 200+.
Admittedly, some of these gentlemen, on here, have some very expensive or rare straights on here and i can understand why they limit the honing/stropping. That certainly makes sense.
IMO...which, i admit, is pretty new experience-wise, i would say, just judge your razors individually and decide the amount of stropping ya want to do to them, but minus any pastes it doesn't make much sense, with good technique, that ya can overstrop.

Thanks,
Mac

This has been a great thread so far, with VERY interesting opinions and information, keep 'em coming!