Thread: Stropping is King

Wow...

The little blurb on the wiki did not do justice to this thread...but there were several dicey moments where it looked like the conversation was degrading to ruin.

I would LOVE to be able to go 6mos without honing (or using pasted strops) and set this as my goal.

Thanks to all of the guys who put in to this thread and stuck with it to share their experiences. Maybe I'll post back in 9mos to share if I made it or not. (I say 9mos to give me 3 to figure out technique).

A good read for any new straight shavers.

where's the original video? first link doesn't work!

File:Stropping.AVI - Straight Razor Place Wiki

This is that video I went looking for it awhile ago. I think its on youtube also.

Thank U! It was not easy to find this time!

Originally Posted by honedright

Well, when I said practice is the secret, that's what I meant. There is no secret to stropping beyond the simple basics practiced to perfection.

I think we all know how to strop. And I've even provided a video showing how I strop in both slow motion and fast.

I've already proposed some guidlines to gauge that journey to perfection, such as being able to continue shaving with your razor for at least six months using only a strop to maintain your keen edge.
If you cannot do that, then it is (I think) a good indicator that you need to re-evaluate your stropping technique and maybe try different things all the time sticking to the basic fundamentals.
Maybe more/less pressure, faster/slower, more or less passes, etc, etc. If you are unwilling to keep practicing, re-evaluating, and practicing some more, then you may have to settle for just good enough. And maybe that is sufficient for some, and maybe even most.
I get the impression from a few of the posts I've read on SRP, that at least some newbies want instant success at this. I think that is a little unrealistic.

I've found that much, in getting that perfect edge, is very intuitive. There is no one right way that will achieve the perfect edge everytime. You must have the experience under your belt to really master it.

Now that all doesn't mean that you can't have satisfactory results quickly, so you shouldn't be discouraged.

Scott

kind of like golf...with the str8 shaving, the end all is the shave quality...how we all get there is part fact, part technique and part intuition...with golf, the final factor is the ball flight and score...but with both str8 shaving and golf, the satisfaction is in some large part the journey itself...now, let it be known that I'm a noob to str8 shaving (less than a year) and I play golf like a noob (not much of a chance in the sandbox) but...every so often I get the BBS (usaully with my Dovo or WB thick blade) all around with no missed spots and every so often I'll tag a 275 yard 5-wood...when the earth and heavens align themselves and the result is near perfection...just enjoy it like a good cask strength single malt Scotch...