Thread: Is it OK to strop like this?

Originally Posted by ben.mid

I guess that if you struggle to maintain consistent contact on the strop, it would be a possible way to help keep it there.
Would you be using this technique just for pastes, or for all, including everyday stropping prior to a shave?
What do you strop with right now? Are you using paddles already, or a hanging strop?
Try it & see how it goes for you. You may find that despite your intention that there will be minimal pressure, it creates more than you expect. Update us, eh.

I only have a TI travel strop, and just today found this may be a system that may work to be sure not to roll the edge of the razor, I use it for my daily stropping on the leather. Have not used the pasted side yet.

Will keep you posted, but the problem is I do not have the experience or materials to do a fair comparison.

Regards

I don't want to seem critical here but I really feel that some things need to be done by the book and stropping is one of them. I don't see how you can avoid applying too much pressure stropping like that. With a pasted strop you can do it but daily stropping I have to say no.

I think the other hand would just be a crutch that would harm you in the long run. Its obviously not useful for hanging strops and you'd need a lot of table room to be able to lay down the paddle strop.

I just think its easy enough to keep the razor on the strop, go slowly until you've got the motion perfected, and then you can speed things up.

That, and I really can't think of any benefit to regular stropping in that manner.

I have to agree with thebigspendur. It seems that part of the problem most newbees have with honing is applying to much pressure, thus bending the edge of the blade up ever-so-slightly. If you were to use both hands to strop on a hard strop, I think the tendency would be to apply more pressure to increase the drag. Leighton is right. Make an effort to learn to do it with one hand. That doesn't mean you can't do it with a hard strop, just do it with one hand. Just MHO.

Ray

Hi, Stropping is one of those things that requires practice to perfect. I would learn to use just the one hand; it does not take long There is nothing wrong with laying the strop on a table when you start out. That is what I did after my first attempt at stropping went wrong. (I rolled the edge of my razor and chewed the strop up) If possible practice using a 'reject' strop and a 'beater' razor. best regards Russ

Thanks guys, I will try to combine both techiniques and see how they compare...and at some point I'll get a hanging strop to see how that works.

Regards