Thread: hi i need help ASAP stropping question

Originally Posted by cannon123

OK i get it won't wreck the razor but will it give me that keen shaving edge i need is basically what I'm inquiring about

A strop does not sharpen your razor, it maintains an already sharp edge by keeping the metal on the edge in alignment.

Do some reading here, there are lots of tutorials and information that will answer all your questions in the Beginners section.

Good luck!

You obviously have a cheap quality strop, but I think you can probably make good use of it as a practice strop for the time being. I am sure it will still do what a strop is designed to do, that is align and straighten the microscopic teeth of the edge.

The smoother and better quality leather your strop surface is, the finer the polish it will put on your edge. But at the beginner stage, I don't think you should be overly concerned with those details.

Thank you that advice was very helpful

Originally Posted by cannon123

So i just got my leather strop in the mail and it's just a 1 piece hanging strop. I paid16 bucks for it. N the back side it's like the felt ish inside and on the other is like a rough leather idk how to describe it. Think of cracked skin. The cracks are fairly deep and almost looks like a saddle or a rough leather jacket is it still a usable strop???

Hi there I'd use it as a practice strop as already mentioned. If it's your first strop you'll probably nick or cut it whilst you learn how to use it. Just one further question has your razor been made shave ready by someone who knows how to hone a blade? If not you'd be wasting your time with a strop however good it is.

Originally Posted by cannon123

OK i get it won't wreck the razor but will it give me that keen shaving edge i need is basically what I'm inquiring about

Are you asking if a strop will sharpen a very dull razor, as in I just got it from an antique store? Is the razor already shaving well and you just want to maintain it? If it is very dull it likely needs to be honed to shave ready. A strop is used to help maintain a shave ready razor not sharpen it.

Bob

If it is a old strop and cracked due to drying out, you might try rehydrating it with neetsfoot oil.

Idea. Save the existing strop hardware. Using the"top and bottom" pieces make your own strop,
How? Strops don't have to be leather. They just had a lot of it( horse hide)in 1870 and forward, so why not make strops with it!
Next, you find some military like cotton belting. Or an old army belt and reattach the strop end pieces. Off to the hardware store for a CrO bar and dress your new strop. You've got one. If you CrO one side the othe is to smooth.

A huge piece of advice when it comes to this stuff, or anything really, buying cheap isn't cheap when you have to buy something twice.
If you don't want to order a strop from SRD, buy one from Fendrihan (seeing as you're in ontario). It doesn't matter if you're unsure if you want to commit to shaving with a straight, purely because you can't sell a cheap strop (no one will want it), whereas you could sell a good razor and strop together if you wanted to.

Would have to agree with the above. I do use a $4 strop i got from ebay, most days and it does work but seeing as it's been repaired twice now, it is a nuisance. The leather is fine and dandy but sadly the fixings are the weak link and this often seems to be the case with cheap strops.