Thread: Should a razor or strop be wet when stropping?

Would it not work if either the razor or strop is wet? Which is better when stropping, wet or dry?

strange things comes peoples mind . why wet? this is new to me. try use dry please

I'm still learning myself. I read somewhere water on the strop will dry it out and cause it to cup. I would also be worried about the tang being to slipper and slide out of my fingers while flipping it.

Interesting question, indeed. You'll never get rid of your forum nick name if you come up with such ideas. Or, to make this easier for you: Would it not work if either the foot or shoe is wet? Which is better when walking, wet or dry?

frustratedSRuser,

That's actually a good question. The accepted practice is to keep the strop dry, and that's what I would recommend. There's certainly no need to wet it, but aside from drying out the leather (which can be fixed by dressing it with a tiny bit of neatsfoot oil or similar) it should still work just fine.

If you continue to ask questions, practice patience and persistence, you'll get the hang of using your straight razor. Pretty much all of us followed a similar path, and found that the satisfaction of success was worth it!

Jeff

I strop 50 leather and 50 fabric before the shave with a dry razor and strop. When I am done shaving the last thing I do after cleaning everything else up is dry the blade (I never get the scales wet) and strop 20 or 30 round trips on the dry leather. Then I wipe it one more time with a silicone gun cloth impregnated with a rust preventative.

I've never heard of anyone stropping with a wet razor or strop intentionally. I agree with everyone who has already posted for best results dry stropping is best.