Thread: Beginner-Level Question About My Strop

Side A - The shiny, smooth side.
Side B - The soft, textured side.

Which side should I be using to strop my straight razor?

Side A


Side B

both, 30-40 on textured side then 50-100 on smooth side

As with many other things in straight razor shaving it is about personal preference but generally side A is used.
Side A is the one that is facing outwards on the animal and the B side is facing inwards.

You should be using the shiny side. If it didn't come with a fabric side to use maybe the other side is consederd your webbing or fabric. If that's the case 30 laps on the flat side 50 on the shiny side.

Hey, thanks for the quick response, Mr. bombay. Definitely been neglecting Side A.

(Is there a way to link to a person's username in the reply so they are notified someone mentioned them? Will adding their name in the tags notify them?)

I'll be stropping more effectively now.

(Also, sorry for the consecutive replies.)

Originally Posted by follicleharvester

Hey, thanks for the quick response, Mr. bombay. Definitely been neglecting Side A.

(Is there a way to link to a person's username in the reply so they are notified someone mentioned them? Will adding their name in the tags notify them?)

If you press the "reply with quote" you quote them. But that doesn't notify them as far as I know. But when they post in the thread they subscribe to it but doesn't really get notified.

if you like someones comment they will get a notification but not for a thankyou, that just comes up under the original comment

Shiny side and with not much force and a relax clean movement. Just be sure to lift cleanly at the end of the stroke or you will likely nick your fresh strop. It's easier to do than you might think.

Welcome to SRP!

Just a couple of comments about your strop:

1) It looks like the leather it's made from could be a "split"; ie, the original hide has been thinned by shaving
off a layer of the flesh (rough) side. That's a common practice employed by leather tanners/finishers.
The textured side maybe could be used before the smooth side, if its smooth and even enough. Check
it for lumps or particularly rough spots. The smooth side, by itself, will probably work just fine.

2) The "single point" attachment to the cord on the end (ends?) could become an issue. Be careful that
the strop doesn't "cup" when tension is used when stropping. The strop could benefit from a stiffener
across the span at each end.

Good luck!