Thread: A very silly stropping post

Okay, you'll find this silly, probably approaching stupid, but what am I to do for my shaving bretherend if not to look foolish . . . ????

I've tried lots of stropping techniques, slack, pressure, light, feather light, whispy and on top of that I've tried lots of different thoughts while I stropped. Stropping themes if you will. Yes, perhaps next I'm off to find theme music for my stropping. I have maybe 5-6 types of stropping I do, depending on the situation. And you know what, they all work just fine, but . . .

for the best edge I use a technique I call "Command Angle" . . . okay.

I'll wait a second while your chuckling . . .























done?

Okay, "Command Angle" is using a very taut strop and a relatively light touch, a little pressure is okay, but generally light. In this technique you forcibly control the flatness of the blade, through the shank, and the angle it moves along the strop (which is ofcourse exactly the same angle). You do not let the blade "lay on" the strop, nor do you let the blade get controlled by any undulations of the strop . . . you use stiff finger positioning to control the razor in a precise position with no control by the strop. So the razor moves flat onto the strop by being held firmly there. Now, where did this lunacy originate from? It comes from this qoute from RazorCentral on how to strop.

To start, keep the tang between index finger and thumb, and keep them stretched.

I've added the italics because I kept trying to figure out why this sentence fragment kept bugging me. WHY DO I NEED TO KEEP MY FINGERS STRETCHED . . . I don't usually do that? And then it started to hit me . . . control. You control the razor firmly with the fingers. You move the razor independently of the strop. You move the razor "above" the strop and you control the contact and angle with your stiff, extended fingertips. And thus, rolling in the fingers is easier and the correct pressure is applied, lightly, but correctly, through control.

If you allow the razor to lightly "ride" on the strop it won't be as sharp. It'll be sharp, but not as sharp.

Well, as you can imagine this technique works really well for me, or else why the heck would I bother posting it, right?

So, there is some food for thought. Maybe a few of you guys can strop the way you normally do, test, then try this method and see what you think . . .