Thread: Sprung paddle strop problem

I've been shaving, straight razor style, for about a year now, and have always used a hanging strop. But I recently bought a Thiers Issard razor and with the razor came a little information sheet, which was really quite informative, stating that full hollow blades should be stropped on a sprung paddle. So, back I go to my mate Steve over at The Invisible Edge to buy a beautiful handmade bespoke item.
I tried the TI on the new strop last night, then tried the hanging hair test, no go. I even tried holding the hair with my fingers almost touching the blade, it still wouldn't cut. A little concerned I abandoned the paddle and used my hanging strop for a hundred strokes, grabbed another hair and this time it cut three out of three, point middle and heel of the blade.
I'm sure it's down to something I'm doing wrong, and obviously this is my first time using one, but just what could I be doing? My action was a little clumsy as it's quite different to a hanging strop but surely it couldn't make that much difference, could it?

I sometimes scratch my head with the variety of shaving info that comes with razors from both TI and Dove. It's obvious they make the razors but don't use them. I don't know where they get their info from and often times its wrong or questionable at best.

In your case you can use any type of strop you want to strop any blade out there. As a matter of fact you can use many unconventional materials to strop any razor no matter the grind. Many here use newspaper, old belts, their skin, cloth.

Of course plain leather is best but you didn't have to buy any special strop.

+1 with TBS's opinion. No matter what size blade, which grind, which steel, I find my hanging strop gives the best results.

I have a small sprung paddle strop which I use for travelling. It's ideal because it's shorter, more compact, and won't suffer from being squashed or bent out of shape when put in the suitcase. BUT, I find I have to double my number of passes on it to achieve the same results. (Makes sense, given it's a lot shorter than my hanging strop!)

Do TI make sprung strops? Dovo do, and so it wouldn't surprise me if the recommendation for a sprung strop is just a little marketing to get repeat customers.

Arcanum,

Strop on whatever gives you the best results and you are most comfortable with

There is no absolute 'right kind of strop' for one type of razor over another.

I have one of Mr Dempsters custom paddles, along with quite a number () of Mr Neil Millers' excellent paddles & an SRD paddle.

I prefer using these rather than a hanging strop, but that is my personal choice; all types of strop can give excellent results.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I learned on a hanging strop and do 99% or my stropping on one of those. I remember being at my friend's barber shop in the mid '80s and he was showing me how he stropped. He used about a third of the 24" strop in short quick round trips.

The old barber who worked for him grabbed a razor and began doing round trips on his 24" dubl duck strop. He used damn near all of the strop and and said to my friend Joe,"Use the length of the strop, you're stroke is too short."

Note the video of Livi with his extra long loom strop. I have a short Livi loom and a TM 4 sided pasted paddle that I use occasionally but I like length. I imagine a person can gain the skill to get a razor as sharp on a standard paddle but if the length is available I will always prefer that. YMMV.

Dangnabit!

I'll know better next time. . . 'Before plunging in and believing whatever I'm told' talk to the guys who do this stuff day in day out.

Strangely enough I stumbled across a video, on You-tube probably, of a pro strop guy telling storys of how guys in the service used a tyre for stropping. Use the tools at hand and all that.

Well, I've bough the thing now, and it does look good with the rest of my collection, so I think I'll persevere with it to see if things improve, I can always re-strop on a hanging version if the blade doesn't sharpen up right.

Thanks guys, very much appreciated.

Here's another thing. . . do you all use pastes? I used paste on my Dovo strop but now it seams slick, hard and too smooth. I used to use it dry and was happy with the results, now I just don't seam to get the edge I used to. So I bought another hanging strop and am using that one dry, and getting great results. This is ok isn't it? It won't damage my razors?

All the best,
Rob.