Thread: some beginners question about stropping

I've stropped a few times so far with fairly high levels of success. As expected, I've put a few small nicks in the edge of my strop, but so far the blade seems no worse for wear.

My strop comes with one canvas side, and one leather side. My question is should I use both side every time I strop, and if so, is there a particular order or pyrimiding which works best?

That is definitely a 'different strokes for different folks' thing. I like the traditional barber method of linen followed by leather. Personally I do 50 and 50 before every shave and 20 or 30 on leather only afterwards.

Thanks for the comment. Does the canvas effect the blade different from the leather, for instance, remove metal versus aligning the edge? Or something like that?

The canvas isn't really abrasive in the scheme of things. The leather dresses the edge and I would say the linen dresses it more with a slightly different effect but you gotta believe. Many have no use for the cloth strop so...

I usually do about 20 passes on linen and then 60 on leather before shaving each time I shave.

Remember, in the scheme of things everything is technically abrasive. I won't use my usual water example but remember when everyone got their music on vinyl. You would use a diamond stylus which lasted 1000 hours traveling through some mighty soft stuff yet the diamond wore.

I do 25 material and 50-60 leather before each shave, then 10 material and 15 leather afterwards.

Been doing that for nearly a year now and its working great for me..!

The linen before leather is as stated above a personal thing... myself I am in the 25/50 before each shave club...

Here is a fact that can't be denied though, as I can show proof, so can anyone else with a well used white linen strop...

The biggest reason to strop at all is to remove micro-corrosion and second to dress/align/tweak the edge...

Now we know there is micro-corrosion on the edges by using a white linen component because we can see it on the linen after about 3-6 months...
Here is your choice you can just brush out the linen and continue or you can embed that stuff in your leather strop until you decide to sand/pumice it out and re-dress it....

For a good read on stropping, and honing here is the 1961 barber manual excerpt from the SRP Wiki help files.

Here is an interesting archived thread on how corrosion affects that edge and on stropping.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Now we know there is micro-corrosion on the edges by using a white linen component because we can see it on the linen after about 3-6 months...
Here is your choice you can just brush out the linen and continue or you can embed that stuff in your leather strop until you decide to sand/pumice it out and re-dress it....

I've always been a leather only user but this makes a lot of sense.
Even if you keep your blade oiled there is that period of exposure during the shave where corrosion can attack the steel & I'd rather not leave that on my new Kanayama.

Very interesting. I figured there was a reason for the linen strop. I couldn't imagine they would still be sold if there wasn't a purpose for it.

Linen is also a good vehicle for some pastes and dressings. I also do 25/50 (with no treatment on the linen mind you!)

It is worth noting that not all linens are the same too. The stuff Illinois Strop Company uses is really different from my SRD Premium I.

As long as your technique is good, you won't necessarily hurt anything.

-Rob