Thread: Strop tension & blade pressure...

Working on refining my technique..

I read in another thread that one way to determine if you are using too much tension or pressure is to use folded newspaper, clamped with one of the large binder clamps. If you either tear the paper, or pull it from the clamp you're using too much pressure..

Aside from the obvious similarities to the emergency travel strop, does this technique approximate the proper amount of pressure and tension one should apply when stropping ?

I've never tried that test. I use firm tension without trying to pull the strop out of the wall. Any 'pressure' I exert is focused on the spine with the edge lightly gliding over the leather/linen. I have experimented with allowing some slack in the strop as well. Generally I stick with a taut strop.

Pressure, like everything to do with straights, will vary - there's no one pressure though I suppose there is a pressure range.

Most of this is common sense:

1. Strop tension. Tight. You can seriously pull that thing as tight as you can. Go for it. The only limitation on strop tension is if the strop breaks or you pull the wall mounts out - back off the tension before either of those things happen.

2. Razor pressure: Light. Light like a butterfly ballerina skipping from flower to flower through a field of helium-infused lavender. Light light Mohammad Ali's footwork. Light.

You don't need folded up newspapers and bullclips. You need a strop and a razor. You need to just remember: "tight and light". It even rhymes

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

...butterfly ballerina skipping from flower to flower through a field of helium-infused lavender. Light light Mohammad Ali's footwork. Light....

that there is funny...

I wasn't implying I would get newspaper and clips to try it.. rather it was a visual.. kind of like the butterfly ballerina..

You did a masterful job of answering my question. And, made me chuckle too.

Like I used to say, when I started with this stuff I'd tie one end of my strop to my Honda Civic and the other to my son's and when the wheels were spinning we had the right stropping tension. Unfortunately my car has a bigger engine so we'd be traveling down the street and I'd have to walk pretty fast as I stropped.

Those neighbors sure did look at me funny. They still do.

Har har

I just recently started leaving the strop a little slack. I saw a video of an old time barber stropping. He had this thing real loose. So I figured I would try a little first. Haven't noticed any changes which is a good thing, at least I didn't roll it.

With strop tension I was trying too hard at the beginning to keep it absolutely taught which doesn't help in stropping in the long run. Relax a little and use just enough weight/pull to take the slack out of it. Having a just little deflection of the strop while stropping doesn't seem to hurt a bit. Then just glide/guide the blade back and forth along the strop with virtually no downward pressure on the blade. Well, at least that is the way I do it.

Bob

I also keep it just slightly taut. If the edges of the strop start to cup, then it's probably way too taut.

Some stropping info

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...st-2012-a.html