Thread: How important is draw?

OK Lynn.

Lets see.

IF I do the hand rub like you do stropping tends to start out with a good draw. If I start with a cold strop it takes 20 or so laps before I begin to feel the draw. This is assuming there is enough moisture in the strop to get decent draw at all, my house is dry as hell this time of year and sucks the moisture out of everything.

I don't feel any significant difference when I come off a hone, though it does seem that if the razor is quite dull I don't really get any draw with it, though that might be my imagination, but as long it is in good shaving condition it strops like the day it was honed.

I don't really have a variety of grinds but the wider the blade the greater the draw it seems, though my smiling 6/8 does not draw as heavy as my straight 6/8's. Some blades seem to draw heavier than others in the same width and grind but I have no way to really account for why. It doesn't seem to be polish level, or country of origin related.

This is all on a Tony Miller NO.2 Latigo that is a few yeas old and has a couple of cosmetic (I assume) nicks. My antique 1.5 inch loom strop with vege tanned, neetsfoot finished leather doesn't really produce any draw at all to speak of.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

IF I do the hand rub like you do stropping tends to start out with a good draw. If I start with a cold strop it takes 20 or so laps before I begin to feel the draw. This is assuming there is enough moisture in the strop to get decent draw at all, my house is dry as hell this time of year and sucks the moisture out of everything.

Lynn, this is pretty much my experience as well, except that I usually have to do about 40 fast passes to work up a draw. Again, I use one of those very smooth vintage shell strops. I always think of the draw perking up as my cue that the razor is "done," but again, this may well be simply a function of the leather heating up. I'll have to try warming it up with my palm before stropping to see if that's the case.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

I don't feel any significant difference when I come off a hone, though it does seem that if the razor is quite dull I don't really get any draw with it, though that might be my imagination, but as long it is in good shaving condition it strops like the day it was honed.

My experience exactly. No particular effect from a fresh honing, but a dull razor will not draw.