Thread: Stropping problem - getting the razor to "sit down" evenly.

So I've been having some problems with stropping. The razor doesn't want to stay seated flat when moving across the strop (3" English leather IV). It seems to be because of 2 problems - 1) the strop seems to be rather stiff (never oiled, just rub my hands over it each time before stropping), so when pulled taught (well, semi taught) it doesn't create a fully flat surface and so the blade doesn't touch in certain spots. 2) There are "ripples/creases" in the strop - maybe 6-10 lines that show different wear and I can feel that they're slightly razed when I rub my hand on the strop.

Was considering two possible solutions - 1) going with a paddle strop, 2) trying something like a roo skin strop that I hear if "softer" than the leather and so might give a more even surface.

Have you tried using it on a bench flat? Or broken it in with some lather and a bottle to help break it's back, this may help the creases, I have also then rubbed Nivea vitamin E cream into it and rubbing again with the bottle when dried again helped a lot with my English bridle.

My roo travel strop I made is very flexible, but mainly because it is only 0.8mm ( 1/32" ) thick does work nice also but.

Originally Posted by Substance

Have you tried using it on a bench flat? Or broken it in with some lather and a bottle to help break it's back, this may help the creases, I have also then rubbed Nivea vitamin E cream into it and rubbing again with the bottle when dried again helped a lot with my English bridle.

My roo travel strop I made is very flexible, but mainly because it is only 0.8mm ( 1/32" ) thick does work nice also but.

Are you talking about applying lather to the back side of the strop?

Sir, I think you do it to the front or smooth side. At least that's how I do mine

Originally Posted by nodakjohns

Sir, I think you do it to the front or smooth side. At least that's how I do mine

Are you all talking about using actual shaving lather then running a bottle over it? I'm still unclear what @substance was actually describing doing.

You shouldn't need or necessarily do anything other than rubbing the strop with the palm of your hand. The oils from your hand will work the strop in nicely, as will time.

Stopping is a fundamental to this hobby, and learning to do it properly is key. As has been suggested, this will also help work the strop in, take a butter knife and keep the spine of the knife always on the strop, flipping the knife at the end of each stroke / lap without lifting the spine from the strop.

Practice this frequently, speed kills, it's not a race, and remember to palm rub the strop until the surface of the strop get warm...I do this a couple of times a week at least, and when stropping your razor, focus on the blade, go slow, don't use a lot of pressure, and keep the spine on the strop...do this, and with time, you'll be proficient in one of the main fundamentals.

This is a time based experience task, there is no, what's the saying, "put nine women in a room and get a baby in a month", to this...takes time, patience and practice....enjoy it!


edited to add: I have a heavy Illinois 827 strop and the SRD 3" Roo strop, many feel the Roo strop is to thin, and have complaints about it. Many feel the 827 peels or sheds to much, or doesn't give enough feedback. These are common complaints that it's always the tool, never the user...your leather belt would suffice as a strop if needed. Some put lather on the strop, I don't and never have. The strop will work itself in, wrinkles, warps and such will go away with use, and as suggested, if any waves or wrinkles bother you, usually a bottle will go a long way to start removing them...

@phrank - I've had this strop for months now, and rub my hand across it before use daily. When I pull it taught, the main issue is that it doesn't create a flat surface. There's always areas that are slightly lower/higher than others, so parts of the blade don't touch as I'm drawing it across.

Major,

If you mean a 3" English Bridle IV instead of 3" English Leather IV, that is a good strop. As Phrank advises, with daily hand rubdowns and stropping, your strop will come around. Give it time. Unless the strop is defective, then that is another issue. Please get in touch with the vendor and explain your problem.

Major, The 3" strop is tougher to break in than the old standard of 2 1/2" but some grunt work will help to soften the leather.
I have been looking around the house to find a good household "tool" to recomend for use in breaking the fibers in your leather strop. The best I can come up with at my house is a metal folding chair, The framework is constructed from 7/8" round metal tubing. I think the top of the backrest would work to soften up the excessive stiffness that is problematic for you.
A chinup bar that goes across a doorway, or maybe a round table leg might work well too, even the top rail of a chainlink fence might be considered.
Just very tightly pull the leather over the rounded surface causing it to stretch.
I would start with the rougher side against the round surface for a few hundred passes before turning it over.
When putting the top grain down I would first hang a piece of fabric over the tool of choice so that it will slide with the leather so the stropping surface will not be abraided by the tools surface imperfections.
Just for fun I just measured the thickness of 5 leather strops. Four of them are from probably the 50s or 60s and one is new.
The older ones measured .0100", .0110", .0135"-.0140" and a very thick and stiff Russian leather at .0180. The new English leather is .0115".
The two I like best are the old at .0110" and the new one at .0115" which equates roughly to 7 oz. leather.
I too, am tempted to try Kangeroo leather for stropping.
It is very supple but it would be easy enough to pull it more taught when stropping to make up the difference.
Personally I would never treat my finishing strop with lather, neatsfoot oil, or anything else. Rubbing with the hand works well enough for me.
Good luck with your strop and good luck to you in your military service to our country.

Wow!! 13 posts appeared while I was typing!
As a follow up on the advise of others I will have to add that varying the taughtness of the strop will make a huge difference in the effect that stropping has on the bevel of your razor.
For two full years I did what you describe doing to an excess to prevent rolling of the edge. Typically I had no more than maybe 1/4" of droop in the strop and found that I needed way way more passes on the strop than many people needed.
Finally I loosened up until I have 1/2" - 5/8" droop and noticed a really big improvement in the effectiveness of my stropping.
What works for you and what works for me might be different.
The suppleness or stiffness of the strop as well as how much pressure is allowed on the razor all has an effect on the overall outcome of the stropping session.
You are on the right track though about your razor needing to have proper contact with the strop fairly uniformly along its path.
Working the leather back and forth along a rounded surface should allow your strop to break in much faster and allow it to work better for you,