Thread: How NOT to strop

Watched too many old timer barbers stropping with decades of experience.

Pretty weak lather too.

you bring up old time barbers and it makes me think of another video on youtube.....it is of the Waldorf barber shop in Ireland....the barber is a man by the name of Liam Finnegan....I am by no means saying he doesn't know what he is doing or that he cannot give a great shave, but the stropping video seems to depict a lot of "what not to do" (seems like you would definitely get a rolled edge)


and if it doesn't mess with his edge, than I guess I don't have to be so cautious with my own technique!

I think his works because while he has a slack strop, he lifts the bevel just high enough that it lays flat, when the spine draws the bevel side of the strop taut. So in effect he actually accomplishes the same thing as we do with a tight strop.

Originally Posted by Razorburne

you bring up old time barbers and it makes me think of another video on youtube.....it is of the Waldorf barber shop in Ireland....the barber is a man by the name of Liam Finnegan....I am by no means saying he doesn't know what he is doing or that he cannot give a great shave, but the stropping video seems to depict a lot of "what not to do" (seems like you would definitely get a rolled edge)


and if it doesn't mess with his edge, than I guess I don't have to be so cautious with my own technique!

There's at least one member here who has not only had shaves from Liam, but has had his razors honed at the Waldorf and says they're fantastic. Soo....indeed, there are many ways to do the deed, as long as the deed is done.

What I noticed right away was how unstable his strop was. What is it a attached to, some kind of floppy towel rack? As I see it, it helps to have the strop pretty firmly anchored, but to paraphrase Fnord5, if he's used to that, god speed, probably works anyway.

I am thinking that his flexible mounting pole is the only thing that saves him from wrecking his edge stropping like that.

With his...technique...you could get away with stropping like that and not wreck the edge, but I don't think it would be very consistent.

He strops like Livi! Another master in the making!

Originally Posted by Razorburne

and if it doesn't mess with his edge, than I guess I don't have to be so cautious with my own technique!

Correct, as long as you have tons of experience! Just because some major league players have unorthodox form and bat .300, doesn't mean you can throw out good form and expect results, you know?

I hear what you;re saying though...if I do something "wrong" every day, and am getting great shaves....is it really "wrong?"

it took me a long time screaming at my buddy who igot into straights to stop stropping like that