Thread: Heavy Stropping

Still perplexed as to why I get so much nicer shaves with heavy stropping. Any ideas? Most say they use a light touch but it always fails to have any effect for me. Any thoughts?

I'm not sure. I was a heavy stropper when I first getting into straight shaving about a year ago. I have been experimenting lately with seeing just how little pressure I can use when stropping. I think I'm getting it down to just a few ounces. I am also experimenting with my grip while stropping, so that the razor is held between the thumb & index finger, sort of pinching the blade. At the end of the stroke roll the razor like a pencil, and use the same grip on the return. I think there is a tendency to use a little too much thumb pressure on the away stroke.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Still perplexed as to why I get so much nicer shaves with heavy stropping. Any ideas? Most say they use a light touch but it always fails to have any effect for me. Any thoughts?

I think the "trick" is to taper off the pressure near the end. I've had relative newbees visit me personnally over the years. Folks who are now, deservedly, advice GIVERS were surpised. One of the things they commmented on was that they were surprised at how much pressure I used whilst honing and stropping. They had been led by this forum, myself included, to use a very, very light presssure while honing and stropping always.

Gorilla-type pressue is a no-no, obviously. But I do use a modicum of pressure while stropping at the beginning. Towards the end (after twenty, or so strokes on the plain leather) I taper off the pressure to almost nothing. Ditto with honing. On the 4K side of a Norton, perhaps due to experience, I work the blade with a modicum of pressure until the feel of the blade on the stone and sound the two make begin to tell me the end is near. But I ALWAYS taper off at the end of the cycle before moving to the 8K side of the Norton. The 8K side is more delicate. The 8K's job is to polish. I never use the same beginning pressure on the 8K side as on the the 4K side.

All this is hard to describe meaningfully online. That's why I urge any newbee to visit an accomplished bladesman to witness firsthand the process. It's worth the long drive, even at today's gas prices!

Cool, thanx

Thats a very nice description none the less...so whats your address and how late do you stay up? :-)

- Opps!

I'm going to lose my scientific merit badge soon. After analyzing the problem for a while and separating all the razors I was having trouble stropping with, from all the razors I wasn't, I discovered an important point. All the razors that I am having trouble with are stainless.

That shouldn't really make any difference. It will take a few more strokes because the metal is harder and you might want to use a tad more pressure but they should hone up fine. I don't think the stropping should be any different. Afterall you're only putting a real light polish in the blade while stropping anyway.

I know when I strop my TI damascus I don't strop anymore than I do with any regular blades and it works fine and there's nothing harder than that baby. For that matter I have three Stainless blades and I don't strop them more than any of the others either.

True on the surface, but my edges on my stainless blades are terrible. So what I was trying to do I believe was strop through poor honing. I wasn't even aware that some of them were stainless so I was way behind the power curve on how to hone them. The techniques I have used on my non-stainless blades are not accomplishing anything on my stainless blades. I plan on throwing them all out soon. I am so frustrated right now honing non stainless blades that I'm on the verge of quiting already, so eliminating another variable is probably a good idea (atleast for me). Either that or Dovos suck, since they are all Dovos as well as stainless. Likely its all just my poor honing.

I know what you mean about honing the stainless blades. I'm having a time making progress there as well, but don't let it discourage you. I narrowed my field of blades to those similar to each other and it helped me make progress. I'll get to some of the wedges and stainless soon enough.

X

Hmm, if the edges on your stainless razors are in such bad shape you probably need some heavy duty honing on the 4000 to bring them up to snuff. I have a dovo stainless I bought new, the one with the pearl handles and it gives an exceptional shave. It holds an edge so long I rarely have to hone it and when I do its never more than a 10 minute job.

I had gotten an eboy special, it was a DD satin wedge in out of the box new condition save for a 32nd of an inch nick in the blade. Its not stainless but with a Norton 4K and about 45 minutes I was able to completely hone down the edge past the nick and then resharpen the blade so unless your blades are in really bad shape you should be able to successfully hone em up. Don't give up, its one of those things that takes alot of practice and some of us are just naturally better at picking it up quickly than others.

I don't know what kind of hone your using but I would recommend the Norton 4k/8K and use steady light strokes just like the source material on this site says. If your really desperate try sending one out to one of the honemeisters here and then you'll see what can truly be done to one of those puppies. Good luck!

If you are having trouble with a blade consider increasing your pressure up to 1-2 lbs until you notice an improvement in the edge then lighten up on the pressure. Start with the 8000 side first and only go to the 4000 if the 800 does not get the job done.
Of couse you finish with the 8000.