Thread: Stropping Strategies

I have a few strategies I follow when stropping, just thought I'd share and see if anyone else does anything similar.

1) The perfect honed razor/WTG shave strokes:

Taut strop, light pressure, almost "dainty" strokes, about 10 passes.

2) The 'Against the Grain" Attack blade

Taut strop with pressure applied to the stropping, about 20 passes, followed by 10 passes using light pressure (usually there are a few intermediate passes using reduced pressure.

This is probably my overall best edge, but it's not always needed. This techniques seems to build draw on the edge. The technique produces an ATG edge that moves effortlessly through heavy whisker.

3) The fresh off the hone edge

Strop held lightly between two fingers allowing deflection, light strokes over the strop. The strop should only deflect a little. 20 passes. This technique seems to work best for "taming" an edge that is a little on the rough side.

I would say that I'm not that married to the idea that each strategy is tied directly to each problem. Just as likely if one thing fails I prefer to get a little more creative on the strop and try another technique before I rehone.

Does anyone else find that many varieties of technique seem to work well, or change strategies for the occasion?

I like your emphasis on the light touch. Just like on a hone, any excessive presure can easily damage the delicate edge. Good post.

Jerry
____

Alan,

You are, indeed, the stropmeister! I must admit that, before reading some of your earlier posts on stropping, I never gave that much thought to it. Since...my technique and shaves have improved dramatically. Many thanks!!

P.S. Others, especially newbies, should take note!

To be honest with you Alan, I've only ever found one approach or goal was necessary for my stropping - I strop until I can feel the edge and the strop behave in a certain way with each other, and when that happens I know the edge is as good as it is going to get.

Thinking about it though, I think to get to that final goal I do often incorporate some of those things you mention along the way. I always start off light on a taut strop. Then I gradually increase the pressure - I am a firm believer in pressure during stropping - and as the pressure increases I allow the strop to lose some tension. This is not deliberate though - I do that because I am trying to "feel" the edge on the leather, kind of like keeping your finger on the fishing line to feel the fish bite. If after a little while I don't get the "bite" I am looking for, I try other things like altering speed and angle of attack.

I also think things like tautness, speed, pressure etc depend very heavily on the kind of strop you have - I use my kangaroo strop which is very very thin and thus gives a lot, and I mean *a lot* of feedback directly to both the hand holding the razor and the hand holding the strop. If I put a few fingers of my "strop holding" hand on the leather, I can feel every vibration through the strop immediately. That is something I think you cannot do with a thicker strop (or at least I cannot do it with the other strops I have).

James.

James,

That is very interesting and insightful. I had a feeling there would be many members with this perspective. I like your description. When you describe "bite" how do you determine this?

It's hard to explain exactly what it is, now that I am on the spot! It sent me scurrying off to the strop actually

Probably the best I can come up with is that it is a certain kind of change in draw - does that make sense? But it changes depending on what I am doing: the feel of the bite is different if I am stropping light as opposed to heavy, or fast as opposed to slow etc. One of the reasons I like to use a bit of pressure when I strop (I think of it as heavy stropping) is that I can feel the change in draw easier than if I am stropping lighter. Besides which, I think the thinner kangaroo leather performs a bit better with some deflection.

Sorry I cannot be more specific than that.

James

[QUOTE=AFDavis11;906875]I have a few strategies I follow when stropping, just thought I'd share and see if anyone else does anything similar.

2) The 'Against the Grain" Attack blade

Taut strop with pressure applied to the stropping, about 20 passes, followed by 10 passes using light pressure (usually there are a few intermediate passes using reduced pressure.]

I tried this method this morning, and it dulled my razor. I wonder if I put too much pressure on the blade, and I wonder if I didn't hold the strop tight enough. I did let the strop deflect a little. Do I have to go back to my finishing hone to fix this, or can I, as I have heard so many times, "strop it out?"

It is hard to say - try stropping it normally for a while first and see what happens. If there is little or no improvement, you may well have folded the edge and need to go back to the hones.

Just on the linen note, I've never used it myself. I've tried it on other people's strops, but I find it unnecessary for my needs, much as Alan said. I don't have any philosophical objections to it, just that over the years it has never featured in my routine for getting good shaves or good edges. I know many people like their linen/canvas/whatever and I am glad it works for you, but for me it is definitely an unnecessary addition to my strop.

James.

Yes, using too much pressure and also allowing deflection is a very bad idea. The strop's tautness has to be worked in relation to the deflection. Re-honing is the best approach. It may be possible to strop out the problem though. It really depends on how much over pressure you used. There are probably a lot of people in this boat that have messed up there edge and are still trying to shave with a dulled edge.

At least in the future you'll know how much pressure is too much. Generally, pressure and deflection together are risky. It has to be either one, or the other.

This is an important part. The tautness and the deflection should produce a straight run of leather from the spine, past the edge. I think it can be argued that too taut and too loose could both lead to the leather running in a curved fashion around the edge. You want the leather to move in a flat plane over the razor's edge.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Yes, using too much pressure and also allowing deflection is a very bad idea. The strop's tautness has to be worked in relation to the deflection. Re-honing is the best approach. It may be possible to strop out the problem though. It really depends on how much over pressure you used. There are probably a lot of people in this boat that have messed up there edge and are still trying to shave with a dulled edge.

At least in the future you'll know how much pressure is too much. Generally, pressure and deflection together are risky. It has to be either one, or the other.

This is an important part. The tautness and the deflection should produce a straight run of leather from the spine, past the edge. I think it can be argued that too taut and too loose could both lead to the leather running in a curved fashion around the edge. You want the leather to move in a flat plane over the razor's edge.

Thanks. I don't like ruining a razor's edge in the name of experimentation usually, but then I don't learn all the intricacies, and end up being very conservative in honing and stropping technique, for fear that I'll screw something up. Even with conservative technique, a great shaving edge is still hit or miss, and I HATE having to run to the pasted strops.