Thread: A very silly stropping post

Originally Posted by Rajagra

Interesting idea. Do you find this slows you down at all? I.e. do you have to flip, allow the blade to assume a flat position, then grip more tightly?

It becomes second nature rather quickly.

Hmmmm... where's the "this thread is worthless without pics" smilie? Or in this case, video?

I'm having a hard time visualizing this.

I find this method to be very effective. I can't imagine stropping my razor any other way.

Having control of the razor like that gives me much more control over the "spine-flippy maneuver". That was always the hardest part before.

Originally Posted by Rajagra

Interesting idea. Do you find this slows you down at all? I.e. do you have to flip, allow the blade to assume a flat position, then grip more tightly?

I have learned that any tenseness in the body, even the fingers, slows you down a bit. But as Mark mentioned you get used to it pretty quick.

The last four of the series of strokes must be done with almost no pressure".

What has always bothered me about this qoute is what it means for all the preceeding strokes! To me this means that all the preceding strokes are obviously done with some pressure. Right?

Luckily I learned this technique from the beginning and it eliminates a lot of frustration that some seem to have as reflected in other posts on stropping. Your thread is an excellent one.

Lewis

finishing with progressively shorter lighter strokes is a method I have always used and based it on the theory that, any edge deformation will be gradually evened out to the edges centre line.
A tense body and strop arm coupled with a relaxed razor arm but stiffened razor hand would be the best way to describe my posture while stropping.
Concentrating on moving the spine of the razor over the strop whilst being aware of the trailing razors edge in relation to the strop helps in controlling how you address the strop. I must point out that this is by no means saying that you should strop as if having a seizure

PuFF

Good point . . . I used to liken this idea as being somewhat similar to honing. I like your description of the edges centerline. I would agree.

I suspect that keeping the fingers firm and releasing pressure are two methods I use that are not that well understood on the forum, but perhaps I'm wrong.

Originally Posted by FloorPizza

Hmmmm... where's the "this thread is worthless without pics" smilie? Or in this case, video?

I'm having a hard time visualizing this.

I'll try and post a stropping video soon. I'd like to do one with honing (a touch up and stropping, maybe even a little shaving).

I'm not sure I believe the thread is really worthless though as I'm still having a hard time picturing how I would video this firmness and positioning.

On the other hand I have determined that the best way to teach this approach is to strop in mid air and see how well you flip, land at the correct angle, and stroke the razor, without relying on the strop to correct inaccuracies. I believe that every miss stroke, to include the natural sway that occurs in the stroke when stropping in mid air, all lead to dulling of the razor.

If you practice this though, do so over a bed or something, where you can drop the razor without harm and consider that the angle of your strop may not be parallel to the floor. Once I started practicing this I realized I was kind of a stropping neophite and not the zen master I might have thought!

AFD,

If I interpret your comments correctly, one can practice the stropping stroke in mid air without a strop, but with a razor. If this is so, I gotta be stropping incorrectly as I turn the shank of the razor between my thumb and fore finger and depend on the strop to support the spine of the razor which is in constant contact with the strop.

Am I reading your suggestions correctly? Go easy on me as I think I'm dislexic, disnumeric, and likely have several other yet to be diagnosed disses.