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Thread: Arc-pattern stropping - pros and cons? What do you think of this?

  1. #11
    Know thyself holli4pirating's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluroot View Post
    Well thanks, but I do worry enough on all those things you mentioned that it's sort of distracting me from my whole life right now. They do make beginner's strops kinda narrow, which is why you really don't have the luxury of developing your stroke first and then later thinking about stroke patterns while you are using one of these.
    In response to your first sentence, I believe it was Jeff Foxworthy that said "There's your sign." Unless being distracted from your whole life is a good thing.

    With regards to the second - if it's that big a deal, just get a 3 inch strop. You only need one to last your whole lifetime.

    I happen to have a 2 inch strop as well, and I do what James said. Strop the heel, then the middle, then the toe by moving the razor a little bit out or back on each flip. That way I can use the same stroke no matter what width strop I'm using.

  2. #12
    Senior Member crouton976's Avatar
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    Bluroot, Holli4pirating and Jimbo hit this square on the head.

    I think what holli4pirating meant, and what Jimbo echoed and defined, was that ultimately it's not a super huge deal which way you strop, so long as the end result is one that is acceptable to you. Because everyone is different, you may have a different stroke than I do, therefore, using an X-pattern for me works great, but may not do the same for you.

    The somewhat unspoken thing here is that it won't hurt your razor to experiment with what works best, so long as you're not overdoing it on the pressure or rolling the the edge. As long as good edge and spine contact are present, you can strop as much as you want, however you want until you find something that works for you. I know I don't strop in a perfect X-pattern, but my stropping-technique-of-randomness works for me on a 2.5" strop. The same can be said here. The X-pattern is, mostly, a general guideline... the same way that a 35 degree angle is a general guideline on blade angle. It's ultimately dependent on the razor (or in this case, the one stropping) what the best angle is, but you at least have a good starting point to figure that out.

    I think what holli4pirating meant (and in a good way) by focusing on the larger issues is that it takes more skill and practice to learn proper lathering, proper blade angle, proper pressure and so forth, so your time would be better spent focusing on those things since they take a more concentrated effort to master. Let the stropping come by more natural and intuitive means so that your focus can be on the harder skills to attain. Though, if you choose to focus on stropping technique more than what has been suggested, that's your choice, and no one should fault you for it. It's your journey, and if you feel it's important, then it's important.

    Either way, if nothing else, the question shows that you're thinking things through and evaluating your routine. This, above all else, is to me the most important thing one can do until they have achieved their goal and can do so with consistency. That is the crux of why there is no such thing as a stupid question.

    Keep on learning like you are, and ask any question that comes to mind. As another member stated in a different thread, it's like we have an army of kind uncles on here, and they are all here to impart what they have learned and to encourage us along in our journey.
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  3. #13
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    It's all true, and thanks for the good advice! But it's also true that beginners tend to start out like me, with a strop which is narrower than 3" because such narrower strops are marketed to the beginner. If the beginner wants to practice any part of the ritual which involves actually using his blade, he must practice stropping as well, otherwise he very soon won't have a blade that he can shave with. If he practices stropping incorrectly, he definitely won't have a blade that he can shave with - without this, what good will it do for him when he has the proper angle on his face, and no good results?

    I posted this question because I knew that I must find some way of covering the whole blade as I pulled it across my strop, and I was concerned that I sometimes had poor coordination as I did that, sometimes losing full contact and (worse) hitting the edge of my strop at an angle in the wrong dimension. Somehow for me the C-pattern (or wiper pattern seems to describe it more accurately) made it easier for this beginner to maintain even contact, therefore this beginner felt that it was important. I had discovered this on my own, having only seen the X-pattern suggested on tutorials, therefore I thought I should clear the idea with this forum.

    Anyway, I am already fairly comfortable with my shaving angle (no weeping cuts this week, and no rash for more than a month), but the wiper pattern made me feel that much more confident in my quality of care for that tool which I was putting to my face, and that's why I wish I had learned it earlier - I would have been able to worry less about that and focus on the other important things. Perhaps it's a good idea to advocate the practice of this skill for a period ahead of actual shaving! Getting a good lather is important too, but it's more about following directions than learned, physical skills.

    Quote Originally Posted by crouton976 View Post
    Bluroot, Holli4pirating and Jimbo hit this square on the head.

    I think what holli4pirating meant, and what Jimbo echoed and defined, was that ultimately it's not a super huge deal which way you strop, so long as the end result is one that is acceptable to you. Because everyone is different, you may have a different stroke than I do, therefore, using an X-pattern for me works great, but may not do the same for you.

    The somewhat unspoken thing here is that it won't hurt your razor to experiment with what works best, so long as you're not overdoing it on the pressure or rolling the the edge. As long as good edge and spine contact are present, you can strop as much as you want, however you want until you find something that works for you. I know I don't strop in a perfect X-pattern, but my stropping-technique-of-randomness works for me on a 2.5" strop. The same can be said here. The X-pattern is, mostly, a general guideline... the same way that a 35 degree angle is a general guideline on blade angle. It's ultimately dependent on the razor (or in this case, the one stropping) what the best angle is, but you at least have a good starting point to figure that out.

    I think what holli4pirating meant (and in a good way) by focusing on the larger issues is that it takes more skill and practice to learn proper lathering, proper blade angle, proper pressure and so forth, so your time would be better spent focusing on those things since they take a more concentrated effort to master. Let the stropping come by more natural and intuitive means so that your focus can be on the harder skills to attain. Though, if you choose to focus on stropping technique more than what has been suggested, that's your choice, and no one should fault you for it. It's your journey, and if you feel it's important, then it's important.

    Either way, if nothing else, the question shows that you're thinking things through and evaluating your routine. This, above all else, is to me the most important thing one can do until they have achieved their goal and can do so with consistency. That is the crux of why there is no such thing as a stupid question.

    Keep on learning like you are, and ask any question that comes to mind. As another member stated in a different thread, it's like we have an army of kind uncles on here, and they are all here to impart what they have learned and to encourage us along in our journey.
    Last edited by bluroot; 06-11-2013 at 08:07 AM.

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