Thread: Less is More when stropping?

This morning I took my Puma and stropped several RT's on a IRS #361 leather side, then about half a dozen times on the linen side, then again on the leather. I checked the edge with my moistened thumb pad and the edge didn't feel keen enough. Meaning that the edge didn't stick to the pad of my thumb as much as I know it will when it is keen enough to give a good shave. I repeated the stropping process above, adding a bit more downward pressure. Checked with the thumb again and still not quite where I wanted it. Repeated stropping again and this third time the edge had a definite sticky, scary sharp, feel.

I couldn't tell anyone how many strokes or round trips I made because I wasn't counting. I just relied on the feel of the edge against my thumb pad and kept stropping until it felt right. Sometimes less is enough, sometimes more is necessary.

I suppose the only way to know is through lots of experience.

Originally Posted by honedright

This morning I took my Puma and stropped several RT's on a IRS #361 leather side, then about half a dozen times on the linen side, then again on the leather. I checked the edge with my moistened thumb pad and the edge didn't feel keen enough. Meaning that the edge didn't stick to the pad of my thumb as much as I know it will when it is keen enough to give a good shave. I repeated the stropping process above, adding a bit more downward pressure. Checked with the thumb again and still not quite where I wanted it. Repeated stropping again and this third time the edge had a definite sticky, scary sharp, feel.

I couldn't tell anyone how many strokes or round trips I made because I wasn't counting. I just relied on the feel of the edge against my thumb pad and kept stropping until it felt right. Sometimes less is enough, sometimes more is necessary.

I suppose the only way to know is through lots of experience.

RT = Robert Taylor?

Did you begin stropping with enough pressure to feel a draw initially? There are a few ways to look at experience . . . just a thought.

Originally Posted by honedright

I couldn't tell anyone how many strokes or round trips I made because I wasn't counting. I just relied on the feel of the edge against my thumb pad and kept stropping until it felt right. Sometimes less is enough, sometimes more is necessary.

I suppose the only way to know is through lots of experience.

Bingo! No debate there.

This post here made a big impression on me and influenced my stropping habits. In addition to that post mparker once posted that he had found that with enough laps he could get a dull razor sharp stropping on linen if he did enough laps. I didn't subscribe to that thread so I can't link to it offhand. Seems to me stropping can improve a razor's edge and more may be an improvement over less.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

RT = Robert Taylor?

Did you begin stropping with enough pressure to feel a draw initially? There are a few ways to look at experience . . . just a thought.

Yes, felt draw initially. Not sure if more pressure helped, or was it more laps, or a combo of the two? Not sure. But within a half minute, or so, of stropping, and checking on my thumb, I got the razor how I wanted it. And that sufficed for me. But if I had relied on counting laps, I would have been shooting in the dark. Of course the subsequent shave was the proof of the pudding.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

This post here made a big impression on me

ditto

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

In addition to that post mparker once posted that he had found that with enough laps he could get a dull razor sharp stropping on linen if he did enough laps. I didn't subscribe to that thread so I can't link to it offhand.

reread that post, specifically the second sentence of the second paragraph

no more diatribe on perfection from me. Always get a monkey wrench the next day

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

RT = Robert Taylor?

I read it as round trips

It's interesting how much more info on hones and honing we have available than stropping. Even down to asking what type of leather people like or whether they like cotton or linen or canvas or something else entirely. It seems like not many have even tried them all or really formed any solid opinions about what they like and why. Stropping seems to be much less scientific and more of a YMMV thing in a "this is what I do and what I like" kind of way without as much technical justification.

I'm a technical person by nature and by trade, so I guess I tend to over analyze things. I've been playing a lot with shaving and honing, mostly nailing down consistent and effective shaving and honing techniques, so that I can compare different razors, hones, and honing progressions to each other in terms of what really matters to me (the shave). I've been forming my own opinions about each, some of which I've shared. Stropping is one thing that I've been leaving for last, because I feel like my shaving and honing technique need to be up to par before I can properly evaluate stropping and the effect it has on the edge and therefore my shaves. Basically, I feel like all other variables (even including prep, lather, etc) need to be in check.

To date I've just stropped following the patterns that I've read on this site that work for others. 40-50x TM smooth cotton and 40-60x TM red latigo before every shave, and ~20/20 after the shave. My results with each razor have been very consistent, and IMO, very good as well. At this point, I haven't evaluated how much stropping has helped or hurt the shaves. I've never skipped stropping, and I never do much more or less strokes than that.

The only evaluation I've done so far regarding stropping is after a honing session when I check the bevel in the scope, and the edge with sharpness tests, as I progress through stropping. On a few occasions when I'm paying particularly close attention to both, I've done consecutive 30 lap sets and checked both the bevel and edge afterward and determined that the best thing I can do for the edge right after honing is stropping ~100x on the smooth cotton. For whatever reason, this makes a noticeable difference in sharpness for me. I've done 30x sets up past 180x total, and the benefit is pretty clear to me up until around 90x where it really seems to level off, so lately I've just been doing 100x on the smooth cotton after honing. I follow this up on the leather for another 80x or so, but the benefit here seems to taper at around 60 or 70 strokes after hitting the smooth cotton for 100x. I guess it could be in my head, but it works for me so far

I'm getting confident enough lately in my consistency in honing, shaving, and even prep, that I'm almost ready to start altering my stropping to really get an idea of how it affects my shaves. I'll be sure to share my findings for anyone who cares I really want to get a TM horsehide and linen combo to go with my smooth cotton / latigo combo, so I can also try to evaluate any differences there as well (if any). Might be a little while before I grab that, though.

One last thing to note regarding stropping is that often times as I'm going through the motions of stropping, I start to feel when the razor seems to feel different on the strop. It's like with the same stroke and pressure, the draw starts to change to be less. This is for the leather only, I've never felt this on the smooth cotton, at least, not to the same degree. I've wondered if maybe it's a sort of feedback that the razor is "done" being stropped, but I suppose it could be a number of factors not related to the "doneness" at all. At any rate, I've been wondering what meaning it has, if anything. It does seem to happen mostly toward the end of my 40-60 strokes for the razors I've noticed it with, but I can think of a couple times where it's been under 20x too (although I still finish my laps, just even lighter). Some days I don't notice it at all. Maybe because it's an imagined/meaningless feeling anyway, or maybe because the particular razor didn't get enough strokes? I'm not sure? I hope to find out eventually

Sorry for blabbering on so much... this really turned out a lot longer than I intended

I really want to get a TM horsehide and linen combo to go with my smooth cotton / latigo combo, so I can also try to evaluate any differences there as well (if any). Might be a little while before I grab that, though.

I've had two horsehide/linen strops from TM,
they are both fantastic strops. I'd recommend
them in a second

- Scott