Thread: Strop tension too much?

I think it's possible to be too taut. The signs of this are a razor that hops when going down the strop. If the razor feels like it's bumping along instead of smoothly gliding along you might have the strop too taut. If you grab the strop end with confidence, but only use two fingers, index and thumb, you'll probably improve the strops ability to deflect. The deflection allows the strop to absorb motion better. If the strop remains relatively flat, yet still has some give in it to absorb mistakes, you'll strop better.

To find the correct amount of pressure to use, use the least amount of pressure that creates draw.

The most difficult thing for me to teach is stropping and one of the challenging factors is that the pressure of both hands is related to each other. Think of the pressure needed to hold the strop taut as related to the pressure you apply with the razor. Think of the strop as a simple machine, like the fulcrum or the screw. Extend the strop so that it is flat, but can absorb energy if applied by accident. Then strop lightly with you controlling the razor's flat motion. You should, for example, be able to move the razor back and forth without the strop in place. As the razor moves it should feel like the flattened strop is catching/abrading/rubbing on the razor. If you wave your hand in the air it's like using too little pressure or a strop that has too hard of a surface. If you rub your hand back and forth over a rug you'll feel a huge difference, like a "pulling" sensation. That is your goal.

Originally Posted by JimBC

This may open a new can of worms,but has anyone ever put a spring scale on a hangin strop? Fish scale should work.

I had been thinking the very same thought. I just need to wait until I visit my brother, who has a selection of them for me to play with. You cant go too light weight, or it may "bounce" and I dont want to nick my last good strop just on an experiment!

When I first started I thought I had this taut thing all figured out. I put one end of the strop on the back of my Honda Civic and the other end on my son's Honda Civic and got the wheels spinning. The only problem was mine had a bigger engine so I'd start pulling his car down the street so I'd have to run and strop at the same time which wasn't a good thing. But the strop was really taut.

I have conducted some stropping experiments with both knives and SR. Here are my results which are similar to the comments already suggested.

1) A too taught strop with a too light touch does nothing to the edge. The contact is so light and intermittent along the edge as to have no effect.

2) A too loose strop with too strong of pressure will roll the edge on almost every stroke.

3) The strop must be just loose enough to allow full contact with the edge and the stroke pressure can then be very light and still make full contact with the edge.

Smooth, consistent strokes are more important than speed. I have paddle strops. They be easier to use for newbies, but for me they lack the feel and pure pleasure of stropping.

Hi Rick,

As others have said, it is a personal preference a lot of the time. You remember when I stropped those couple of razors at the Brisbane meet? That strop was retractable and spring loaded - there was no way it was able to be pulled tight, there was only the tension provided by the spring, which was not a lot.

The secret is not how taut the strop is (although completely slack will never work, obviously). The secret is how you move the razor on the strop. The strop simply has to be taut enough so that it provides a stable surface for the razor, that is all. Or, you can pull it tighter if you want - it doesn't matter in my experience. What matters is the hand holding the razor.

What I have found worked well when I was learning to strop was 1. Getting that flip down (practice, practice, practice!); 2. Keeping the arm, from the elbow up, fixed in space and just moving the forearm - this creates more of a "C" stroke on the strop (as opposed to a linear, or straight line, motion), and really helped me progress my stropping as it put me in more control of the razor, I think.

Anyway, those are just some thoughts. Concentrate less on how taut the strop is and concentrate more on what the edge of the razor is doing on the strop - you'll find it is like steering a motorbike. If you look where you want to go, your body will automatically make the adjustments necessary to get you there. Same with a strop - if you concentrate on making sure the edge is getting stropped, your body will make the necessary adjustments to ensure the strop is doing what it needs to in terms of tautness.

James.

I think one of the problems I have is that I like my edges to feel smooth. I think that some deflection, all the way up to about a half an inch (max) helps prevent the razor from skipping, digging into my skin, and getting stuck in my beard. I can use some pressure and a litlle defection to smooth out the edge quite a bit. It might need to be honed again earlier than expected, but I'm okay with that. My stropping, if my edge doesn't feel very nice, resembles Mr. Finnegan's. This aggressive stropping can create a nice edge that is easy to shave with. I think making the edge easy to shave with, as opposed to wicked sharp, might be appreciated by both barbers and beginners. Problem is you need to know how to hone.

Razor Strop - YouTube