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11markus11 comments on stropping... 07-29-2010, 05:33 PM
JimmyHAD Welcome to SRP. That is not... 07-29-2010, 05:46 PM
nun2sharp Why all the pressure on the... 07-29-2010, 05:52 PM
MickR Bloody hell! You can actually... 07-29-2010, 11:35 PM
gssixgun How does the razor shave... 07-30-2010, 12:47 AM
Ryan82 Looks a bit heavy handed for... 07-30-2010, 03:17 AM
hi_bud_gl This is the video it may help... 07-30-2010, 02:12 AM
jeffegg2 You have the opposite problem... 07-30-2010, 02:22 AM
wdwrx What videos were you watching? 07-30-2010, 02:47 AM
onimaru55 "Way too light " will not... 07-30-2010, 02:51 AM
nun2sharp It may not have been too... 07-30-2010, 03:07 AM
markevens That video helped my... 07-30-2010, 07:52 AM
11markus11 Thank you guys, I guess I've... 07-30-2010, 09:35 AM
Obie Commonts on Stropping... 07-30-2010, 11:24 AM
11markus11 Hey guys! Here is a new video... 09-01-2010, 02:55 PM
LawsonStone Yikes! In the first clip it... 09-01-2010, 09:29 PM
AFDavis11 It's getting much better.... 09-01-2010, 09:46 PM
MickR Slow down, the razors blade... 09-02-2010, 09:12 AM
11markus11 Thanks for your comments... 09-04-2010, 12:57 PM
LawsonStone I doubt if "slow" all by... 09-04-2010, 06:23 PM
MickR When people strop slowly they... 09-05-2010, 10:50 PM
Logistics big improvement from your... 09-05-2010, 04:52 PM
  1. #1
    The Great & Powerful Oz onimaru55's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jeffegg2 View Post
    You have the opposite problem from me, I was way too light. I don't think you could press down any harder than you are now.
    "Way too light " will not damage the edge if form is correct. Heavy will chip or roll the edge.
    The white gleam of swords, not the black ink of books, clears doubts and uncertainties and bleak outlooks.

  2. #2
    what Dad calls me nun2sharp's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jeffegg2 View Post
    You have the opposite problem from me, I was way too light. I don't think you could press down any harder than you are now.
    It may not have been too light, you may have been lifting the edge off the strop, I use light strokes and from what I have seen, most people do.
    It is easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled. Twain

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    onimaru55 (07-30-2010)

  4. #3
    Still learning markevens's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl View Post
    This is the video it may help .
    check it out.
    YouTube - straight razor stropping
    That video helped my stropping technique when I first started. Thank you much for that explanation.

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    hi_bud_gl (07-31-2010), jeffegg2 (07-30-2010)

  • #4
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    Thank you guys, I guess I've a some work to do applying your tips.

    As for how the razor shaves it is worse than the first time I used it and it hurts a little.

  • #5
    The Assyrian Obie's Avatar
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    Default Commonts on Stropping Technique

    Hello, Markus:

    I, too, recommend the stropping video made by hi_bud_gl. It's an excellent study of how to strop properly. Especially study how he rolls the blade from the shank between his thumb and finger without moving the wrist.

    From what I can tell, your method seems to use excessive pressure, for starters, and that finger does not belong on the blade. Also, rather than lifting the blade off the strop, try to roll it on the strop. What's more, from I can tell, you're using a 2-inch strop, which means stropping in a cross pattern will cover all the blade.

    It's a question of practice. You'll get it. In the meantime, thank you for taking the time and making the video.

    Regards,
    Obie

  • #6
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    Hey guys! Here is a new video of my stropping technique after some correction. Give me your thoughts!


    (Unfortunaly my cameraman didn't capture the whole stroke but I hope that the video is good enough anyway for assessing my skill.)

  • #7
    Senior Member LawsonStone's Avatar
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    Yikes! In the first clip it looks to me like the razor and strop are being ruined.

    Way way too much pressure, too stiff, too loud-sounds like sand-paper!

    Stropping is a light, gentle action in which only the strop leather is tight. The blade is held very lightly on the leather on which it makes a sound that my wife (who is no fan of my new-found love of SR shaving!) characterizes as "oddly comforting."

    Agree with the suggestion above to get the flip right before doing anything else.

    Stropping doesn't require a month of training! It's not hard, but does require a couple points of attention. Tight strop, light pressure. My SRD Premium I strop has been used now maybe 200 times. It has 1 nick on it, and the leather is developing a kind of changed color and texture, but not wearing like the one in this clip. And I'm not a super-skilled stropologist, but my razors for the last month have been wicked sharp and creamy smooth.

    In the second clip it looks to me like after the flip, the razor moves a bit with the spine off the strop. I try to be very intentional about turning the razor on the spine, keeping the spine on the leather, and making sure that's right before the next light, slickery stroke.
    Last edited by LawsonStone; 09-01-2010 at 09:32 PM.

  • #8
    Member AFDavis11's Avatar
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    It's getting much better. Slow down a bit and smooooooth things out. There is no need to speed up going down the strop only to slow down at a crash pace at the end of the stroke.

    Think more like the blade is "skating" along the strop, not drag racing.

    It might be a good habit to always apply the spine first onto the strop, then just before the edge touches down start the smooth motion down the strop.

    I might even suggest moving the spine back and forth on the strop for a bit, simply as practice.

    Also, make sure that the belt you are using is flat and smooth, no grooves in it. It might have been an optical illusion (and I'm exhausted) but I thought I saw parallel grooves.

    I would like to politely disagree slightly with some of the above posts. Whether the razor shaves great or not in the first video you are tearing apart your strop. A great shave is an important point, but, having a strop to use by the end of the week is also an important consideration.
    Last edited by AFDavis11; 09-01-2010 at 09:49 PM.

  • #9
    May your bone always be well buried MickR's Avatar
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    Slow down, the razors blade should lay flat on its side, thus spine and edge remain equally in contact with the...strop????

    Get yourself a wider...strop. The one you are currently using in that second video is only giving you about a half inch of safe working surface.

    Less pressure too I think.

    All in all a vast improvement, visually at least, from the first video.


    Mick

  • #10
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    Thanks for your comments guys.

    I read somewhere on this site that a common cause for a dull edge is slow stropping which is why I try to keep up some speed.

    As for the strop that I'm using, it's actually a lether belt. I destroyed the first strop rather quickly so I'm using the belt as practice material. I will get another strop soon (hopefully).

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