Thread: Palm Stropping?

Originally Posted by Stubear

Its not something I would try, just because you'll get the mother and father of all cuts if you get it wrong!

I know people say "But I never nick my strop, I have a steady hand yadda yadda..", but thats not much comfort when you're in A&E, minus a few digits, a pint or two of blood and your other half is holding a bag of peas with your fingers in it!

I have to agree with the logic, a strop can be replaced, not sure about fingers

Originally Posted by Doublewood

I have to agree with the logic, a strop can be replaced, not sure about fingers

STEM CELLS, BABY!

(Just kidding. Let's not get into that one....)

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

STEM CELLS, BABY!

(Just kidding. Let's not get into that one....)

Thanks for the laugh, Dylan!

I've used it as a touch up when my strop hasn't been handy. I have a sorta wider palms so it seems to have enough surface to go against. I've never cut myself and don't know what the "proper" technique is but it does seem to work. Not necessarily better than a strop but it doesn't hurt the edge.

I actually had strop my box cutter blade when they get dull at work.

Of course it doesn't work the best for me but I assume it would be easier to get a proper angle with the straight razor.

I don't think you have to worry about losing any fingers , the blade should stop when it hits the bone . After the blade hits the bone , I think you will need to re-hone the razor .

after shaving, drying the bade and stopping on latigo I apply oil to the blade with my thumb and finger. I start at the spine and draw the oil evenly down to the edge. I gues this has a stropping effect of sorts but I do it to make sure oil gets worked into the edge without dulling it. Been doing it that way for a couple of years with no problems. I belive Dovo recomends "whetting with the thumb" in a similar way.
But really it is more about blade protection than stropping. Latigo works sooo much faster for that.

In Italy is a common practice in the barbershop, for me after a good stroping session i see a couple passes over the hand will slightly improve the razor feeling, i haven't understood why, but somewhat it works

Yes, you can strop on your palm, or more precisely, on the heal of your plam just below the little finger. I do this often when travelling on short trips since it allows me to leave my strop at home and not worry about where to hang in an often cramped hotel bathroom. One would have to be very clumsy to cut oneself doing this. In fact as I have said in another reply I have never cut my hand doing anything with a straight razor and cannot imagin how, barring some stupid act like trying to catch a dropped razor, one would.

Palm stropping seems to be quite a universal practice worldwide. My barber palm strops with much authority. He is from Venezuela and has friends and family in Spain who are barbers and they palm strop also.
I don't think palming it is unique to Signore Livi.

I palm strop most every shave but I turn up my focus knob before I start. I also palm strop while honing to remove those minute little metal feathers that present themselves under magnification. Be careful !