Thread: Progression Stropping

I'd think that once the edge is aligned, all you can do with more stropping is potentially roll the edge.

My first strop was a Parker latigo. It gave a decent edge, but as I gained experience shaving with a straight, I wanted to see if there was something better. I added a Tony Miller Fast Bridle. Now a shell cordovan made by Matt at Griffith Shaving is sitting at my local post office waiting to be delivered this afternoon. My plan is to use all of the strops in sequence.

I periodically use pasted strops with 0.50, 0.25 and 0.10 micron CBN prior to the hanging strops.

I normally strop about 10 laps on the cotton fabric of the TM strop. Then I strop 15 laps on a fairly smooth linen strop I made by laminating some linen fabric to Pellon backing. Next I use 30 laps on the latigo, which has moderate draw. Then 40 laps on fast bridle.

When my cordovan strop arrives, I will probably cut back to 20 laps on the latigo, 30 laps on the fast bridle and then do 40 laps on the cordovan.

When honing, we often use a progression of stones from 1K...12K or even higher. Thus, I believe it makes sense to go from a heavier draw strop to progressively smoother/faster strops.

Can you get by with a single hone and a single strop? Absolutely! But if you are after the ultimate in a keen, yet smooth edge, having multiple tools is useful.

I use one (pretty uncommon) strop model for all of my stropping. In my experience if the blade isn't sharp or smooth enough, it's because I botched the honing not an issue of stropping.

I'm surprised to see so many folks subscribe to progression stropping. I may have to see what that's all about

I really only own two strops one is latigo and was my first strop so it doesn't get used much now as it has a few nicks in it.

My second strop is a Michael Waterhouse veg tanned cowhide. I start my routine off with roughly 20 on the linen back and then roughly 60 on the leather and that's me done.

I also have a CrOx loaded paddle strop that I use as part of my refresh honing routine.

I have never found this to be lacking so don't see the need for more strops. I am curious about using cordovan because it gets so much press and high praise here, but I don't think if I got one I would expand what I do, it would simply give me another choice to rotate into my routine.

Keep in mind many of the shave products like razors and strops and related receive high praise because old time barbers used them and folks mistakenly believe that automatically makes them better.

Old time barbers bought workmen like items and items that would last. When it came to strops they bought horse and cordovan because they were (then) cheap and had a rep of lasting forever. Also some items were pushed by traveling salesmen who featured certain brands and items over others for a variety of reasons. That's the main reason DD got the rep they did.

I've been only using one strop and never considered progression stropping.
When I'm getting ready to shave, I will strop and when I'm done strop a little to clean the edge. I've never complained about edges not being shave ready.
Cheers.

I use one strop 95% of the time, a vintage Russian Horsehide with linen. My stropping after a honing is different than what i do for regular maintenance, after honing it's 20 laps CrOx paddle then 50 linen and 100 leather, regular use 30 linen and 50 leather.

I just go from linen to leather

I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV, but I'm gonna guess that 100 laps on 5 different kinds of leather strops will have fairly the same results as 500 laps on one type of leather.

I don't think the leather matters that much as opposed to the amount of laps. I do love the feel of my Kanayama though!

Although a good stropping is always a good idea, 100 laps is probably the most my attention span can handle


When I was a total n00b, I would strop exuberant amounts as well, it DID improve my edge at the time (can't say much about the other variables, but as it was then it helped; I used the Dovo strops then, actually very good strops imo, the linen side was coated in white chalk, that also helped for sure)

I use a strop progression after honing. I go by draw, as I use all cordovan strops and one firehose linen. I start with the heaviest and finish with the lightest draw.

The progression is firehose to Kanayama 70k to Certifyd French hide to C-Mon De-Luxe Shell. Each strop gets about 40 passes. I find that after honing the progression does bump up the smoothness significantly and the keenness a very small amount. It may just be in my mind but who knows.

On a daily basis I just use one strop for about 40-60 passes before shaving and a palm stropping before the ATG pass.

Irony

Two threads next to each other at the same time just now on SRP


Stropping Progression
Palm Stropping

Two ends of the stropping spectrum


Gotta love this crazy thing we do