Thread: Help stropping !!!!

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

I'd say that it _is_ important to.....keep the strop tight. If you let the strop go slack, you'll be rounding the edge.

Honestly, a tiny bit of slack is not a bad thing at all. Use of deflection is very useful in the right hands BUT you really have to know what you're doing otherwise you'll roll an edge in no time flat (sorry for the bad pun ). If you check out videos of old barbers you'll notice some of their strops look like a banana but we give them the benefit of the doubt because they've been doing it for decades.

I have an old Wosty wedge that I strop with a bit of slack, otherwise the entire edge doesn't make contact. I tried stropping it taut but it doesn't work nearly as well.

Watch afdavis video. Also watch Lynn's video on stropping. They are both great.

Watch how Lynn holds the hanging strop. He holds both fabric and leather at the same time. He isn't pulling hard, it's taught with some slack. I have copied this with good success.

Michael

Your not going to be good at stropping right away, it's practice, practice, practice.
Best not to use your shaving razor for this point in your wet-shaving training. As has been stated above, butter knive's won't knick your leather strop. Use a Shavette to learn how to use a Str8 razor while you spend some time, maybe 2 or 3 weeks worth of practice, 10 to 15 minutes twice a day would be enough.
It worked for me! And as a result I"m no slouch shaving with a shavette either!!

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Honestly, a tiny bit of slack is not a bad thing at all. Use of deflection is very useful in the right hands BUT you really have to know what you're doing otherwise you'll roll an edge in no time flat (sorry for the bad pun ). If you check out videos of old barbers you'll notice some of their strops look like a banana but we give them the benefit of the doubt because they've been doing it for decades.

I have an old Wosty wedge that I strop with a bit of slack, otherwise the entire edge doesn't make contact. I tried stropping it taut but it doesn't work nearly as well.

+1... The principle here that most people miss is that the spine can lead into a curved piece of leather but the the edge must trail into a flat or straight section.

You can practice on a single sheet of newspaper & not destroy your edge. Cut it to size & secure it with a bulldog clip. A bit of practice should see you right.

All of the tips here are good ones. I would like to say that initially you could start out with a SLOW stropping speed to concentrate on developing your technique. This should help you get the fundamentals mentioned in previous replies. Nice and slow.

Then... Practice, Practice, Practice!

I would bet that most of us in the beginning have destroyed a strop and dulled razors while learning to strop. Don't worry to much about it. It isn't easy to master without lots of practice, but... You will get better at it and things will become more apparent as you go along. It can be disheartening and frustrating at first, just stick with it and watch videos posted on this site. They really are good for getting that visual.

[QUOTE=onimaru55;1004584 You can practice on a single sheet of newspaper & not destroy your edge. Cut it to size & secure it with a bulldog clip. A bit of practice should see you right.[/QUOTE]

A SPLENDID SUGGESTION.

how do you know if your stropping right? I feel like im doing it right, am i supposed to be destroying my first strop? because i havent had a problem with the flip... am I possibly going to slow? or am I just that good hahah

mvacca7 --

I wrote this before, earlier in the thread . . .

Correct stropping sequence (for a vertical strop) (the spine is _always_ touching the strop!):

Start with the spine on the strop, at the bottom, and the blade at right angles to the strop.

As you start to move the blade up, rotate the blade around the spine until the edge touches the strop.

Continue the upward stroke to near the top of the strop.

As you slow down, keep the spine on the strop, and lift the edge off the strop.

When you're stopped at the top, the blade should be at right angles to the strop.

As you start the stroke downward, rotate the blade so that the edge touches the strop.

Near the bottom of the strop, raise the edge off the strop, and slow down;

Repeat from "Start . . . ".

Timing the "flip" is crucial. If you're nicking the strop, your timing is off. You're rotating the edge onto the strop while the spine is moving in the wrong (toward-the-edge) direction. And it cuts into the leather.

Practice slowly, practice slowly, practice, practice . . .

. charles

Thank you! I somehow missed that? That is my basic understanding of stropping... So I guess I'm doing it right, just not so smooth yet...

Originally Posted by Airportcopper

My stopping is terrible I'm getting great shaves out of newly honed razors after one shave then it becomes a battle pulling and non smooth razor strokes. Anybody have any tips for stropping? I nicked the hell out of my cheap begginers strop I'm having a hard time keeping the spine flat on the strop it's difficult for me not to twist my wrist and finding the spine comes off the strop during strokes any way to pratice wo destroying razors!!

That's the final frontier for me after two years of straight shaving. I'm determined to do it without bending my wrist, and I've found stropping the toughest nut to crack. Keep trying!

I've noticed a couple of recent YouTube videos of people who have given up trying to do it the "correct" way, but I don't want to be one of those people.