Can I strop

Can I strop right after a shave or do I wait 24 to 48 hrs thanks

by all means, strop away. i would at least strop on some cotton, linen or felt to dry the edge IMHO. every one has their preferred method ie. before or after but i've never heard of any body saying that you have to wait 24 hours or more.

personally i agree with tin, i would do a few laps on cotton to make sure its dry before i put it away

I do about 20 laps on each cloth and leather before & after every shave
Sometimes more like 50:100 if I think it needs it

No need to rest a razor. Barbers used the same razor all day all week for years without issues I'm sure we can use it once a day no worries. A bit of stropping before and after is a good practice to keep it dry and in top condition

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eddy79

No need to rest a razor. Barbers used the same razor all day all week for years without issues I'm sure we can use it once a day no worries. A bit of stropping before and after is a good practice to keep it dry and in top condition

---

Thanks I was wondering I can't remember where but I read that somewhere

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JIW167Jason

Thanks I was wondering I can't remember where but I read that somewhere

---

that's still common advice, both Dovo and Thiers Isaard say to let a razor rest before using. probably just a way to sell razors.

I remember reading the same thing...something about letting the fin form or some similar nonsense. As said above, I believe it was simply a marketing ploy. I strop whenever the mood strikes me, so sometimes before and sometimes after:) I have never noticed a difference due to stropping times.

I do 20 on linen and 20 on leather after the shave and 30-40 on leather prior to the shave, sometimes more.

I do linen and leather after and leather before. I like the idea of leather before storing the razor as I believe the edge picks up a bit of oil from the strop that helps prevent oxidation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I do linen and leather after and leather before. I like the idea of leather before storing the razor as I believe the edge picks up a bit of oil from the strop that helps prevent oxidation.

---

thats the thing i generally lightly oil my razors and then wipe the excess off before storing them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shanky887614

thats the thing i generally lightly oil my razors and then wipe the excess off before storing them.

---

Maybe if I had a lot of razors or if I knew it was going to sit for a while (weeks) I might oil my razors but for day to day use it seems a bit like work for works sake to me.

And yes the razor resting debate is one with no definitive answer but anecdotally I don't think anyone here has proved it necessary. As a user of predominately one razor I don't see any difference if it has sat for a day or so or not between stroppings/uses.

I only use leather as a strop as I found no benefit in any of the fabrics I tried, though admittedly this isn't many.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Maybe if I had a lot of razors or if I knew it was going to sit for a while (weeks) I might oil my razors but for day to day use it seems a bit like work for works sake to me.

And yes the razor resting debate is one with no definitive answer but anecdotally I don't think anyone here has proved it necessary. As a user of predominately one razor I don't see any difference if it has sat for a day or so or not between stroppings/uses.

I only use leather as a strop as I found no benefit in any of the fabrics I tried, though admittedly this isn't many.

---

ill be honest because of the work i do i sometimes only shave a couple times a month, im still smarter than the rest when i leave it that long as somehow it always grows reasonably even

Only linen after shaving and linen followed by leather before a shave as it is said that some leathers contain corrosive substances that stayed behind after tanning.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kees

Only linen after shaving and linen followed by leather before a shave as it is said that some leathers contain corrosive substances that stayed behind after tanning.

---

that's an interesting point. most people just use the oils from their palm to condition their strop but i've seen finger print shaped rust spots on things like fire arms before.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tintin

that's an interesting point. most people just use the oils from their palm to condition their strop but i've seen finger print shaped rust spots on things like fire arms before.

---

using the oils from your hands isnt a great idea, it tarnishes metal like you wouldn't believe.

when i was playing in a band 90% of people had marks on there instruments from not cleaning it off properly and leaving it for too long.

doesnt help a lot are plated, mine is solid silver so it isnt as bad but still

In addition to oil your skin secretions contain water and uric acid and a host of other by products of metabolism. They don't seem to affect stops though since barbers used this method 100 years ago and those strops lasted forever.

You can strop anytime you want really. It's the total strokes and it doesn't matter if it broken up before and after though I'd always be doing a few strokes before the shave.

I used to know this guy who used to strop in his sleep and he dreamed about stropping too. But that's another story for another time.

Gentlemen,

The only reason I strop after the shave is to make sure my blade is dry. Usually 10 strokes on fabric and leather do it. Before the shave, 30 strokes on linen and 60 on leather are sufficient.

I only have leather and strop before (20 - 30) and after (60 - 80), the reason I do a lot after shaving is because I want to pick up the razor and go when I shave in the morning. I rub my strop down with my arm before starting to clean the strop of foreign objects and to condition it. Interesting post though to see what everyone does.