Thread: Poly webbing side of my strop chipped my edge:(

I stropped again just a little while ago with yet another razor, but laid the webbing on the table before stropping. It worked fine like this, so it was my technique I guess. I still am not positive how I did it though! I stropped on the leather while it was hanging with no issues. Now I just need to practice honing so I can fix my own errors!!

Originally Posted by Ernie1980

Now I just need to practice honing so I can fix my own errors!!

I would begin with a razor that wasn't 'that' important to me. Unless you're already confident in your skills. I was lucky and had a local member show me a thing or two firsthand. Still took awhile to get some confidence. I always used a layer of tape though so didn't mess up the spines on my early efforts.

Poly webbing has been used successfully for way too long and on way too many razors for the webbing to be to blame. Now it is possible that you have some foreign matter stuck in it but I assure the webbing itself is great stuff and will not harm a blade unless it is already compromised.

The windshield wiper move might not be such a great idea on this new strop. On a flat table the surface is as flat as the razor. Hanging gives you that drop that just might be enough to put to much pressure on the tip of a square point. Kind of like if a woman in heels steps on your toe. All the weight is in a 1/2 inch dia. and feels more like a rod going through your foot. My point is you have everything pushing on that point and being harder and those little gaps it's more like pounding than gliding across the surface. It's wide enough go at a 90 and take some of that pressure off the tip.

You used too much pressure on the edge, rolling or chipping the fragile edge. It is not the strop.

Put your index finger on the spine, during the Push stroke and Thumb on the spine during the, Pull stroke. Eventually you will learn to apply pressure on the spine instead of the edge. Until then finger placement will keep you out of trouble.

Or hold the razor at the tang on opposing corners and torque the blade towards the spine. It only takes a little pressure.

The goal is to strop with the pressure (very little) on the spine so the strop is flat on the bevel and in line with the bevel/spine angle.

If the pressure is on the edge, the strop rolls up over the edge and breaks the edge.

The edge, is very fragile.

I have a spike point that likes to catch poly webbing too, well actually the spikes like to catch anything within striking distance. For the webbing though, every time it has caught it was my technique. My technique problem is that I let the webbing get a little slack in the middle and as the blade starts uphill from the slack, the spike catches to remind me about proper tension.

It only takes a little slack tension on the strop or a very slight lift of the heel and that spike is going to catch. The amount of damage the catch does depends on how much pressure you are applying.

Something imbedded in the strop, raising the spine, too much pressure with a sagging strop, or long stroking the blade and catching the hardware with the blade is all I can come up with. Most likely it's something you did. Not what you wanted to hear I know, but it's not the material.