Thread: Question For Southpaw Stroppers...

... Are the nicks on your Strops predominantly at the bottom left corner of your strop ie, with the Strop hanging handle down directly in front of you the nicks bottom left corner above the handle vs bottom right?

I have a few Strops and I am right handed... Looking at each over 90% of any nicks are bottom right for me and the vintage Strop I have shows the same.

My background is in Physical Therapy and I was pondering why this may be and my current theory is that as you draw back, pulling the blade toward you your elbow moves freely while your shoulder has less freedom of motion in this direction and you are essentially loading your pecs/anterior chest muscles for use as you pull back...

My Theory is that this creates a moment prior to blade flip where your muscles are primed to create a slight sawing motion which you intuitively correct as your joints start to move and this creates the window of opportunity for those little nicks.

If Left Handers notice them in the opposite position that would be interesting to me so I'm asking out of curiosity.

Thanks for any and all info in advance!

Shawn
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My nicks are all on the left side top and bottom. Mine are from poor grip or slippery fingers and nearly dropping my razor.

I'm left handed but I use my right hand to strop. if you watch the height you keep your elbow as you strop you can eliminate that scraping. I think it's more from torquing the razor as you strop from arm placement.

I'm left handed, all my strops have a nick(s) on the right side. I'll say most mine have come from a flip gone wrong (to loose of a grip) or not keeping my strop taut, most likely not paying attention caused it.
I hold my strop at about waist height, using and X stroke at a 45 degree angle. Sometimes that swoosh, swoosh, swoosh puts me into a hazy daze....

I am right handed but recovering from a right distal radius fracture and dislocation. I switched to left for some tasks during my recovery...like eating. Most of the change in behavior remains 7 mos later. I couldn't get the coordination down for left stropping but had pretty bad pain trying to work straight out from my body. I am stropping right handed but pull the strop across in front of me. So that I am standing to the right of the strop and it angles away from me. Almost similar to stropping on a desk top. The few very minor nicks I have are on the lower left of the strop.

I'm a left handed stropper. lol.
I can't really help you with your questions. I've been lucky so far and only nicked my first strop years ago, and it was in the middle on the right side. Will probably mess up tomorrow now that I've said that.
But I notice so far no one has really given a definitive stropping video demo. (Unless I've missed it). I'd love to see more analysis done on it, for example, how do you stand, which foot do you lean on, or both equally, angle of body, etc...
I happy with my stropping now. But I found it about 10 times harder to learn than shaving.

Originally Posted by Prahston

... Are the nicks on your Strops predominantly at the bottom left corner of your strop ie, with the Strop hanging handle down directly in front of you the nicks bottom left corner above the handle vs bottom right?

I have a few Strops and I am right handed... Looking at each over 90% of any nicks are bottom right for me and the vintage Strop I have shows the same.

My background is in Physical Therapy and I was pondering why this may be and my current theory is that as you draw back, pulling the blade toward you your elbow moves freely while your shoulder has less freedom of motion in this direction and you are essentially loading your pecs/anterior chest muscles for use as you pull back...

My Theory is that this creates a moment prior to blade flip where your muscles are primed to create a slight sawing motion which you intuitively correct as your joints start to move and this creates the window of opportunity for those little nicks.

If Left Handers notice them in the opposite position that would be interesting to me so I'm asking out of curiosity.

Thanks for any and all info in advance!

Shawn
-----

Wow!! You just hurt my brain!! I lot to think about!(;-)!

I'm a brand new left handed stopper. I've nicked it several times already - top left corner. I noticed that if I don't pay close attention I place the razor down and then push it back just a touch - enough to nick it, just before drawing it back toward me. I think it is mostly because I have to do an X because my strop is only an inch and three quarters wide.

I have a question, does anyone that uses a paddle strop have these issues? Or is this a hanging strop only issue?

From what I've seen it's unique to hanging strops.