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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!!
What you can do is practice with a dull spare razor or a butter knife; practice the flip while still in motion. Keeping the strop taut will help the spine stay flat as well. A little wrist movement isn't a bad thing either. Keep your wrist/elbow level or slightly elevated relative to the strop, and be sure that your stroke is perpendicular to the strop during the lap.
This isn't a race, so practice slow deliberate strokes until you feel not only comfortable but confident. Speed will come in time.
Suggestion, FWIW:
Hold the razor flat on the strop. You should have your thumb and forefinger on the shank, and the scales should be in a straight line with the blade.
Trying not to twist your wrist at all, flip the razor over (keeping the spine on the strop) just by twisting the shank between your thumb and forefinger.
Twist it back.
When you have learned that motion in your muscles (not just in your brain), the correct stropping motion is like this:
. . . Keep the strop tight;
. . . Strop the razor up the strop;
. . . As you slow down the stroke at the top, start the flip;
. . . when the edge is vertical, start moving down the razor, and continue the flip so the edge is back on the strop;
. . . When you slow down the stroke at the bottom, start the flip;
. . . When the edge is vertical, start moving _up_ the razor, and continue the flip so the edge is back on the strop.
There's at least one video that shows this action very clearly. If you do it right (and you must start with _slow_ practice), you will avoid nicking the strop.
The strop can bend a little bit around the spine. It _must not_ bend around the edge. If it bends around the edge, it'll round it off.
The cure for bending around the edge is either:
. . . tighten the strop, or
. . . reduce the pressure on the edge, or
. . . both of the above.
Butter knives are good, but I just slowed things down till I could get the timing right.
Charles
lay the razor flat
Pull your strop tight..NOT too tight..leave some room for "flex"
use JUST the weight of the blade
go lightly top to bottom
Flip the blade..repeat
You could always get a cheapo Eboy special just to practice stropping with and grind off the edge.
When I started I knew nothing of "proper procedure" and these sites didn't exist so I flip the razor by turning my wrist. So it can be done that way but if you are learning it's best to do it the proper way. It just takes practice and concentration.
Stropping is one of those things people don't think much about and just blow it off but it ain't as easy as it looks and is very important.
Copper, The best I've seen on it has been this thread
http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ch-2011-a.html
To put it mildly, I was horrible at stropping. I think my strops survived - just so they could get revenge.
Hi Airportcopper,
You might find it useful to keep in mind that stropping is polishing the razor's edge. Using a moderate to light amount of weight from the razor on the strop, move steadily and smoothly. You do not need to bear down on the razor. It is not important to keep the strop taught. It is not important to keep the razor flat on the strop. It is not important to make fast strokes. It is not important to flip the razor in a fancy way at the end of each stroke. It is, however very important for the edge to be in contact with the leather; if it isn't touching the leather then it isn't getting polished.
Best wishes,
Jeff
P.S. If you are indeed an airport security officer - thank you!
The best advice I can give you is watch AFDavis's video (it is a sticky in the stropping forum) and practise. A lot. And then, once you've practised a lot, get out there and practice some more.
Stropping is simultaneously both the most important and (IMO) the most difficult or challenging aspect of using a straight razor. If it doesn't come naturally to you (and it didn't for me either) you have no other option than to just work hard at it every day. Eventually it will pay off. But just make sure you are practising the proper technique - watch that video I suggested above, and go from there.
Good luck.
James.
If you are dulling the edge while stropping, I suspect that you are putting too much pressure on the blade. Most newbies do, I did too. Do not put any pressure on the edge, just let the razor float over the strop on its own weight. Hold the razor loosely so that you don't subconsciously put pressure on it. (Same goes for your face.) Go slow over the strop, not like in the movies, and concentrate on each pass. Treat the edge like a feather, which it is. You are only polishing the edge, not sharpening it. Light, easy and slow...
On those two points, Jeff and I disagree. I'd say that it _is_ important to keep the razor flat on the strop, and to keep the strap tight.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffR
If you lift the spine off the strop, you'll be rounding the edge.
If you let the strop go slack, you'll be rounding the edge.
Charles
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by cpcohen1945
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!!
+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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan82
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.:mexwave:
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...
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!Quote:
Originally Posted by Airportcopper
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.
Being new this is the best advice I can give. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong until I watched this video and realized I was curling my wrist during the razor flip cause uneven pressure and blade contact.Quote:
The best advice I can give you is watch AFDavis's video (it is a sticky in the stropping forum) and practise. A lot. And then, once you've practised a lot, get out there and practice some more.
One thing that helped me was practicing the movements holding the razor slightly above the strop. This allowed me to get a feel for the razor in my hand combined with the movements of stropping. Plus holding it above the strop helped me find a rhythm that I would use if actually stropping.