Thread: StropTober: Beginning Oct 1st 2012

Okay here's my first official video for Stroptober.

Strop: Kangaroo
Fabric: Webbing makes a real zippy sound

The angle of the camera is such that it looks like I'm getting real close to the top attachments, but I'm really a few inches away from it so no worries about banging that bit. Since I've only been stropping for a month now critiques are more than welcome.

Special Chat tonight to kick off Stroptoberfest!!!!

Bring all your questions and comments.

Have fun

All I can say is I strop way slower than you guys. Slow and deliberate.

Maybe my angle wasn't as good as I thought... Oh well, have at it. All criticism is welcome.

Ok, here is my first video ever. I think I was thinking more about the video than I was about actually stroping the razor.

I'm a newbe so I have only been at this for a little over a month. All feed back is welcome

Here's my strop, it has several nicks and two bad cuts/gouges
I used a pumice stone on the smaller nicks and found that going with the length of the nick was more effective at removing it than going against it. The gouge, I laid a utility blade against and with it, and carefully cut it away. I then used 320 grit sandpaper to try and smooth it all out. Topped it off with some neatsfoot (caution: do not poor on to leather, use a cloth if you want the leather to have an even tone). I'm not thrilled with the results (looks wise) but it's better than what it was and I feel still usable. with some more time I could probably get it in better condition maybe a power sander? End result ordered a new prettier strop

I've noticed that Unit and I seem to be "flipping" our razors with a turn of the wrist, while most of the rest of you are turning with your thumbs. Is their a correct and incorrect to this, or is it a matter of preference?

Originally Posted by unit

Well this little exercise was interesting. Watching myself strop from a few different angles revealed some interesting insight...

Originally Posted by DFriedl

I've noticed that Unit and I seem to be "flipping" our razors with a turn of the wrist, while most of the rest of you are turning with your thumbs. Is their a correct and incorrect to this, or is it a matter of preference?

This is the first video I watched when I first started and this is how I learned. I see alot of wrist turners so I really have no idea, basically I think whatever gets the job done is good!

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Many experienced razor guys seem to agree that wrist movement is to be avoided. I cannot say why...it just seems like a lot of reading I did early on said that.

However, I have developed my technique as a derivation from the way I fave stropped other cutlery for many years. This works for me... I do use my fingers, but my wrist moves a lot also.

Essentially my stropping style developed with very little wrist movement - most of the flip coming from the fingers - because it felt the most natural and fluent. I also think it is a more controlled movement particularly at speed, but that can be debatable I imagine.

I've found the secret to overall success with stropping and shaving is to develop techniques that minimise large movements: flip with the fingers when stropping, use the wrist and elbow rather than the shoulder when shaving. You could think of that as an application of the "minimax" principle I suppose: minimising the maximum potential disaster by making sure movements are small rather than large. Or perhaps it is just another example of my cautious approach to things, who knows?

In the end it is whatever works for you, of course. However, it may just be that developing less wrist and more finger might eventually lead to a better, faster, and more fluent stropping stroke.

James.