Thread: I destroyed my brand new strop in 3 weeks with nicks

Hi. It's Jim from Alexandria, VA. I was shaving daily with a feather for 2 years. Cuts every day. Three weeks ago I received my professionally sharpened, new DOVO pakkawood. NO CUTS!! Shaving heaven!

EXCEPT--I've managed to destroy my Russian leather strop in only three weeks. No, I'm not turning blade-side down.

Picture of the strop is below:


See what I mean? Too much pressure? Too fast?

Is there someone experienced in the greater Washington D.C. area I could learn from? Thanks, Jim

Probably too fast and too loose (the arm motion, not the strop). Too bad... That strop looks beyond repair.

Even after doing this for years, I still pay a lot of attention to my stropping motion. You don't need to be fast to be effective. I pay a good deal of attention to the beginning and end of my strokes - careful with the turns and ensuring that the razor is flat against the strop at both the start and finish of each lap.

the only way i can see that your putting cuts in it like that is at the end of a stroke/beginning of the next your accidentally going in reverse when you want to be in drive. (even if its just slightly). try going real slow on the flip, but as fast as your comfortable on the stroke.

or maybe im missing something.

hope this helps

That's pretty bad, but I wouldn't worry too much. Get yourself some low, medium, and high grit wet/dry sandpaper. Lay if flat on a table and wrap the sandpaper around something cylindrical, the fat end of a wine bottle works. Work the low grit until the nicks are gone to your satisfaction, then move up in grit. you won't have to go too far. Then give it a good rub down with your palm to get skin oils in to it and wipe away any residual abrasive, then you're good to go.

Sand the cuts out I would say.

jimrobb,

+1 to sand the cuts out; you have nothing to lose

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by a_macdiarmid

the only way i can see that your putting cuts in it like that is at the end of a stroke/beginning of the next your accidentally going in reverse when you want to be in drive. (even if its just slightly). try going real slow on the flip, but as fast as your comfortable on the stroke.

or maybe im missing something.

hope this helps

Seems like you're right. What else could it be but sudden shifts in reverse anticipating the flip? It's like a golf swing. One bad habbit developed--you never make par again.

If you stop the stroke before you lift the edge from the strop you are going to nick it
Its werry hard to come to a full stop without reversing
Same about completing the turn before you start the stroke
its real easy to get a twitch the wrong way
_,_.________________._,__ if you stop at the comma the edge should be off the strop by the dot and not reach the strop before you reach the dot again

Bad illustration i know but i cant be bothered to draw anything right now

Your lucky to have someone near to show you the tricks

Only you can know how you did it. Surely you felt each of those knicks.

When learning to strop, its best to take things slow and train your muscle memory the proper motions. Once those motions are engrained, speed will come naturally.

You really want to be careful about the flip. The stropping stroke itself should be swift, but slow down and flip very consciously, then do another swift stroke. As you are ending each stroke, the edge of the razor should be starting to lift off the strop, and you should lay the edge down slightly after you have begun the next stroke.

I would also agree that you should repair this strop. No use in buying another one until you know you aren't going to cut it to shreds.

Originally Posted by janivar123

If you stop the stroke before you lift the edge from the strop you are going to nick it
Its werry hard to come to a full stop without reversing
Same about completing the turn before you start the stroke
its real easy to get a twitch the wrong way
_,_.________________._,__ if you stop at the comma the edge should be off the strop by the dot and not reach the strop before you reach the dot again

Bad illustration i know but i cant be bothered to draw anything right now

Your lucky to have someone near to show you the tricks

Exactly. You want to lift the edge off slightly just before the stroke is complete, so it's just riding on the spine before you stop moving. Then you flip. Then when you start the return stroke, you want to be moving before the edge actually hits the strop. Slow practice is the way to build muscle memory.