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 . . .

If I am reading you right, it sounds like what I do, but experience taught me, not reading...I guess with the reading, experience taught you also.

And that's why I always look forward to your posting, Alan!

Originally Posted by JMS

If I am reading you right, it sounds like what I do, but experience taught me, not reading...I guess with the reading, experience taught you also.

Yea, I'm way behind your power curve there . . . I think I've attained about 10-15% increase in sharpness this way.

And all this time I was just letting the razor ride on the strop . . . silly.

It's always difficult to tell from reading, but I think, I think, that's how I strop every time.

I've always pinched the tang between thumb and forefinger and kept them tense as I draw the blade along the strop. I put a very slight downward force on the spine (definitely not the edge) to keep it flat. But I don't keep the strop overly taut (I find that sometimes warps or cups the strop surface).

It's from reading your previous posts over the last three years that I came to this method, Alan. I never believed stropping could make that much difference until I decided to unlearn everything last year and start again. Then suddenly I could turn an edge from barely passing HHT to hairs literally popping/jumping off the edge. Just from a plain leather strop.

It made about a 50% step increase in the quality of my Shaves!

I usually strop this way anyhow, until the last 3-5 passes and then I do the "light & drifting" type passes.

I think it works better as well...the control, that is.

Hmmm,

From your description, this seems to be the way I strop and I have to say that it apppears to work well. The current favorite in the shaving stable, a 7/8 Friodur sqaure point, is responding very well to your approach - this being coupled with mparker's belief/technique that using the linen strop is key to helping maintain a sharp edge.

About this Friodur -- I don't like square points, but it sure is shaving like a dream and so far I haven't done any filet of cheek. And I'm not all that tickled with 7/8, as 6/8 seems to be the size that works best between my fingers and face. But this thing is shaving like a dream.

Stropping, huh? I hope that now I'll be thinking about it, I won't queer the deal.

I have been to razor central and I've read that at least once in the past. On rereading it this morning I found it interesting that some of what is said corresponds with the excerpt from the 1961 barber manual textbook on honing and stropping in the SRP Wiki that I have found so helpful to me. OTOH, it is not surprising that both resources would be similar in having correct information.

I began stropping bending the wrist. I was over a friend and one time forum member's house and he saw me strop and corrected me. I had to relearn stropping and it was a bit difficult but I worked on it and did it.

This morning I noticed that Razor Central's tutorial instructs that,"The last four of the series of strokes must be done with almost no pressure".I hadn't noticed that in my previous reading of it months ago.

The one thing that I have disagreed with IME that is in both Razor Central's and in the '61 barber manual excerpt is to strop on the leather only after honing.

I had always gone linen leather until I read that and then tried going to the leather only. I didn't get as good a result (I thought?) as I did when I stropped linen/leather. I'm basing that assumption on more frequent success with HHT. Anyone else notice that instruction and found it to be right or wrong in their experience ?

I get immediately measurable and better results by stropping a freshly honed razor on linen before going to the leather. If the razor does not pass the HHT for the full length of the blade off the hone, it will after the linen. What I notice after finishing on leather is a super smoothness of the edge, which increases during the stropping. At that point, I know I am done, the HHT is still there but improved, and the shave is great.

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?