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

**bluroot** · 06-08-2013, 05:28 PM

I understood at the beginning that if your strop width is narrower than the length of your blade, then some sort of compensatory pattern (such as the popular X-pattern) is necessary to keep a consistent razor edge all the way accross it. Well, sort of from the beginning, but after I had already bought my beginner strop, which is not a paddle! So I did the best I could with that, but I was never comfortable with stropping in an X because I found it difficult to avoid rocking my blade over that part of the strop which it was in contact with while I was drawing it accross, and I knew this would cause my edge to warp. Then I realized that you can maintain nearly full contact for the length of your stroke if you begin with the outer end of your blade perpendicular to the inside end of your strop, and end it with that part of your blade facing perpendicular to the outside end of your strop (cycling vice-versa, of course). This forms an arcing pattern. Although it causes your blade edge to travel at an angle which is not perpendicular to the length of your strop, I tend to feel more confident in my consistency of contact with the leather, and what I am wondering is whether that alone is not the bottom line for results. I haven't the experience (and possibly not the sensitivity) to notice a small degree of negative impact from this change, and then I probably never did the X-pattern right, therefore how would I know? So far I've done better with the arc pattern than with what I have been doing (a clumsy X), but do you think it's important that I should work on my X-stroke for best results, or to avoid trouble over time?

**pfries** · 06-08-2013, 05:39 PM

If I am picturing what you are talking about correctly this is an exaggerated wiper (windshield wiper) stroke.
Lynn shows this in one of his video's.
As long as you are keeping the proper contact and pressure on the strop and covering the entire edge there should be no negative impact.
I don't think about it but I generally change up a bit as I strop and cover all of the strokes straight, X stroke, and wiper motion.

If it works and works well for you run with it.
You can always change up and try new things when the fancy hits you.

**mainaman** · 06-08-2013, 05:45 PM

You can strop in x-pattern, rolling pattern, straight pattern, does not matter as long as you are catching the whole blade and do not roll the edge.

**SirStropalot** · 06-08-2013, 05:59 PM

+1 on the above posts.

Here's the video referred to:

Enjoy!!

Howard

**pfries** · 06-08-2013, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

+1 on the above posts.

Here's the video referred to:

Enjoy!!

Howard

LOL beat me to it, was going to look for it after I got the youngn's Lunch.
Thanks Howard

**holli4pirating** · 06-08-2013, 06:12 PM

Maybe it's just me, but when I was new to shaving, I was more concerned with much more... major? important? relevant?... things. Worry about getting great lather, developing your shaving stroke, stretching your skin, finding products that work with your face, keeping the razor clean and dry, becoming confident with basic stropping, etc. By comparison, minor variances in stropping will not make any noticeable difference.

And I don't mean to dismiss your question, not in the least. But the little things like that will work themselves out over time. Just get comfortable with the big stuff first.

**bluroot** · 06-08-2013, 07:09 PM

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. Not, anyway, if you practice with any blade that you plan on shaving with! Unless all of your strops are 3" wide, how can you consider stroke patterns (having one or the other to compensate for the lack of width taking precedence over any argument on which pattern you choose) to be a minor thing?

**bluroot** · 06-08-2013, 07:14 PM

Thanks!

**Jimbo** · 06-08-2013, 09:29 PM

Unlike honing where it can be important, it doesn't matter with a strop that the whole edge must contact the strop on each stroke.

Once you realise that, stropping on a narrow strop is easy. You can X stroke or you can C-stroke (what you describe above) if you really feel the need to hit the entire edge on each stroke. Or, you can do a few laps where you just hit the heel half; then a few where you just hit the toe half; then a few where you just hit the middle half. You can finish off with a few laps of the entire edge after that if you want.

James.

**bluroot** · 06-08-2013, 10:12 PM

Thanks. I wasn't so much concerned that my blade doesn't maintain full edge-contact with my strop so much as that I have had a hard time maintaining even contact with the part that is touching the strop while drawing it accross in an X. For this issue, I've found the wiper stroke to be more stable.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Unlike honing where it can be important, it doesn't matter with a strop that the whole edge must contact the strop on each stroke.

Once you realise that, stropping on a narrow strop is easy. You can X stroke or you can C-stroke (what you describe above) if you really feel the need to hit the entire edge on each stroke. Or, you can do a few laps where you just hit the heel half; then a few where you just hit the toe half; then a few where you just hit the middle half. You can finish off with a few laps of the entire edge after that if you want.

James.

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