Thread: Stropping

Are you supposed to strop a razor on leather or canvas in a little bit of an angle like you do when honing? Or do you just lay the razor on horizontally and then proceed stropping that way?

Originally Posted by conan

Are you supposed to strop a razor on leather or canvas in a little bit of an angle like you do when honing? Or do you just lay the razor on horizontally and then proceed stropping that way?

Lay the blade flat, moving it so that the spine travels in the front the edge trailing.

Nuntosharp is right in that with stropping you want the spine to lead with the edge trailing but to answer the other part of your question it depends on your strop and preferance. If you have a 3'' inch wide strop you can lay the blade flat and horizontal and just go straight up and down or you can do an x patteren on which would move the blade on a slight angle across the strop as well as up the strop. Check out this part of the WIKI Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

conan,

I strop using a ca 60 degree angle of spine from the edge of the strop, with heel 'leading'.

This is just a habit !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

What Kelly said!

Originally Posted by PhatMan

conan,

I strop using a ca 60 degree angle of spine from the edge of the strop, with heel 'leading'.

This is just a habit !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Oh no, I am now going to have to nick a strop to pieces while trying this one out. Thanks a lot, Russ.

Just lay your razor across the strop and strop one way and then the other. You'll be just fine. Adding some angle to the razor is OK too, but wait until you have more experience.

• Just be sure to keep the razor flat.
• keep the back (spine) of the razor always in contact with the strop.
• use just enough pressure to feel some resistance of the razor against the strop.
• keep your strokes smooth and even.
• check the edge with the moistened thumb pad to indicate when you are finished stropping.

There's a fine Wiki on this question:

Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Wiki

. . Charles

AlanII,

I didn't describe it very well - the spine still goes first, with edge trailing, but with blade at an angle !!

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I have read a lot on here about stropping but one thing I still haven't heard discussed is the strop itself. I bought a rather cheap strop on amazon and when it arrived I could not believe how hard the leather is. it is said to be made out of horse hide but I still can not get over how hard it is. I would think that it could almost be used as a hone rather than a strop, but I do not know if this is a good thing or not. is it ok for the strop to be very hard or is a softer one more desirable?

Thanks for the help.