Thread: How do people cut up their strops?

I had nicked my strop a couple of times on my first attempt at stropping, at the bottom of the strop. At took me a couple of passes to realize that the issues was because I was laying my edge on the strop before I had completely moved it to the side for the upward stroke. Now I'm getting into the habit of actually starting on the stroke prior to completely laying the edge onto the leather. Since then haven't had a single issue.

Use a butter knife to practice all your new moves on a strop before actually laying real razor on your strop.

I have never mastered the fast flip. Don't have the dexterity, I suppose. I am very deliberate to flip the other way.
I set the spine down first and begin my stroke as I set the edge down. I use the more narrow strops and use an X.
I finish the stroke gently off the strop. Slow, but sure, I have never cut my strop. (knock on wood)

I think I have too many razors. The tang is different on almost every one of them. They each flip differently, some are jimped (some top, some bottom, some both) some are wide, some are contoured, some are blocky. I wish I could say I am good enough to never flub a flip, but I fumble and flop sometimes and that can lead to a fillet and an exclamation of "fudge!"

Except its not "fudge"...it's the granddaddy of all swear words it's the F, dash, dash, dash word. (Sorry,I'm giddy tonight).

Edit to add...it's definitely not too many razors...it's not enough. More razors=more practice=more skills.

That's the ticket!

I have personally chopped up two. And when I say chopped up I literally mean chopped, well one was chopped the other one was nearly wacked in half, in fact I was quite proud after the fact, that I honed such a keen edge. Give it time and you will join the club

Originally Posted by Scookum

...the other one was nearly wacked in half...

Scookum --
Incidere in dimidium is not meant to apply to strops!

Iduno about most folks, but I cut my strop with a razor...

Originally Posted by unit

I think I have too many razors. The tang is different on almost every one of them. They each flip differently, some are jimped (some top, some bottom, some both) some are wide, some are contoured, some are blocky. I wish I could say I am good enough to never flub a flip, but I fumble and flop sometimes and that can lead to a fillet and an exclamation of "fudge!"

Except its not "fudge"...it's the granddaddy of all swear words it's the F, dash, dash, dash word. (Sorry,I'm giddy tonight).

Edit to add...it's definitely not too many razors...it's not enough. More razors=more practice=more skills.

That's the ticket!

I love that movie!

Originally Posted by JackofDiamonds

Iduno about most folks, but I cut my strop with a razor...

Well played. I, at first, thought this was perhaps a request and was going to offer to help a brother out..."send me yer strop and I'll do it for yas"

Here's one way to cut your strop: you are stropping, up the strop, down the strop, shrttt, shrttt, shrttt and you remember the first time you took your home schooled Springer off leash in some neglected farmland along the Sacramento River on the first day of pheasant season some 30 years ago. Right away he jumps a jackrabbit and runs to the end of the field and further...the birds are airborne here and there, shrttt, shrttt, shrttt......a long way from gun....shrttt.....Damn!