Thread: Having trouble on the flip

Originally Posted by asudue86

I'm sure everyone struggles with the stropping part but I find it increasingly difficult when stropping flipping the razor on its spine. My tendency is to want to do it on the blade. Is this natural or am I doing something wrong? I have really pay attention to what I'm doing when I strop or I do it wrong without realizing it. And the grip feels extremely unnatural to me. I'm not sure What I'm doing wrong. Any advice in the ways of grip and technique?

I feel your pain! I am learning as well. I seem to do better on the pushing away stroke than the pull. Guess we newbies just have to put in our time.

We all do. Slow and steady wins the race. 80 bad laps isn't as effective as 30 good laps.

Originally Posted by dkshave

I feel your pain! I am learning as well. I seem to do better on the pushing away stroke than the pull. Guess we newbies just have to put in our time.

Same for me. I do good pushing it away from, but I struggle terrible coming back. Maybe I'm taking that whole "don't move your wrist" thing too literally. I looked through that thread about strobtober and I found a video from ACE that made some since about the grip.

And I have another question now. My pins are extremely loose on my hinges. So loose that the scales are moving all over the place when I strop. I'm guessing this could be an issue?

It will take time and practice so that your subconscious mind rather than your thinking mind is performing the task. If you are thinking about every little move and position your muscles will not work smoothly and effortlessly be it a golf swing, carrying a plate of soup across a room without spilling a drop or stropping a razor. If your mind is thinking what to do during the task it is not allowing the process to flow as it should. Just keep practicing and eventually you will get there and it will be effortless.

Originally Posted by asudue86

Same for me. I do good pushing it away from, but I struggle terrible coming back. Maybe I'm taking that whole "don't move your wrist" thing too literally. I looked through that thread about strobtober and I found a video from ACE that made some since about the grip.

And I have another question now. My pins are extremely loose on my hinges. So loose that the scales are moving all over the place when I strop. I'm guessing this could be an issue?

I think that is a major contributor. Find a solid metal surface and use a small 4oz. ball peen hammer and give it some taps. I usually give it some taps, and move the blade until I find a loose spot again and tap again. Not sure that it's the right way but it's worked for me.

I think a "tendency to want to do it on the blade" indicates that you aren't using your first two fingers correctly and rolling the razor like a pencil. The only way you'd want to roll it on the blade is if you were holding the razor deep in your hand like a tennis racquet.

The razor has no ability to roll around the blade, you'd have to use the power of your entire arm to roll the razor in that direction. So, your pressure holding the blade down probably isn't against the spine correctly either.

Try stropping the razor with only two fingers, and focus on not dropping the razor. Don't even move the blade back and forth, just roll it on the strop. Once you learn to roll, then add motion. When you add motion, you can add a third finger. The razor should feel like it's ripping out of your fingers.

This by AFDavis is a great learning vid

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ing-video.html