Thread: Quick question on stropping speed

I'm sure these questions have been answered before but I would appreciate if I could get some opinions on a few stropping questions (I have watched the stropping Wiki). I currently have a SRD English Bridle strop extra long 3". I love it and find Lynn's tip on doing 75-100 strokes with the palm before stropping really does help to warm that baby up. But my main question is about speed, now I often hear people, or I should say, read people, giving advice to go slow in the beginning and I understand this advice and its purpose for someone brand new in order to build good technique, but for me I find that speed seems to be a very key piece in achieving a good stropping. To be even more specific I am using a Dovo Prima Klang ⅝ which is a very light razor and does not lay flat on a strop or hone as easy as one of my heavier razors. I guess what I am trying to convey is that I feel like there is a sort of minimum speed limit that needs to be used in order to really be able to strop effectively. You know that feeling when you are holding the strop tight but not to tight and you get into the zone holding the razor lightly but firmly using only the thumb and index finger to do the rolling of the razor and keeping the the arm raised up and using the elbow as a sort of hinge (like in a pool shot) in fluid confident light strokes. It's hard for me to explain because it's more of a feeling or zone I'm in when I know I am stropping correctly. When adding speed the warmth of the leather appears to be able to suck the razor down to it (Again I am using a extra long 3" bridle leather strop) thus keeping it flat but if I were to try and slow that motion down to much it for me it would be very hard to keep my razor flat. Is this making any sense to anyone? I guess what I'm asking is does any of this description sound similar to anyone else when they are correctly stropping? And does anyone feel that there is a minimum speed required? Again I realize that various types of strop materials and different types of metals are all going to cause different variations and feelings, but it seems like the fundamentals should be similar. For instance I have another razor a Dovo Micarta which is a stainless steel blade and it's a little heavier than my Prima Klang and it will lay flatter on my strop when held correctly on its fulcrum allowing me, if I wanted, to use a slower motion but it still seams that with either razor (on my particular strop) you start to hit a kind of sweet spot when one crosses a sort of minimum speed thresh hold where the warm leather really sucks that razor down nice and flat on the strop allowing one to not worry about putting to much pressure on the blade in order to keep it flat and thus being able to just concentrate on nice consistent fluid strokes.

Yes, makes sense and you are likely correct. Stropping is accomplished through motion and speed is helpful, as long as you do it correctly.

The "nice consistent fluid strokes" you mentioned is the main thing IMO. I can strop a lot faster than I normally do. I don't strop fast or slow. Sort of in between though an objective observer might consider my stropping fairly fast. A cadence I'm comfortable with and that is efficient is the routine I aim for. If I get too fast the chance of a miscue and a nicked strop increases IMO.

I do not recall reading ever, go as slow as slow can be.

no, just go slow in the beginning. which means go slow enough to keep things in order. which is still the same thing when practice allows you to move quite rapidly. It is never go as fast as you can. you must always go slow enough to do it right

Originally Posted by kevint

It is never go as fast as you can. you must always go slow enough to do it right

That was really well said KT, especially when you take a second to really think it through...

In fact I might have to add that to my huge repertoire of stropping advice..

1. Pay attention to keeping the spine moving flat and even across the strop the edge will do just fine..
2. You must go as slow as necessary to do it right ...

Yep that's it... I like it...

I think its mainly flipping it that can cause problems. You can run the razor over the strop pretty fast in the beginning, just don't try to flip it over fast to go the other way.

a good stropping speed is one that your confortably able to control the razors movment while still being able to strop your razor with out taking all day (25 linen, 35 leather) , well this is how i look at it not saying you have too.

Thank You everyone as always your help and guidence is superb as always.