Thread: Progression Stropping

I know some folks think its a waist of time and after 80 to 100 laps your not making things better, but...
These are the leather strops I have and the order I use them in. Please let me know if you think I should switch something around. Or if I should go by the amount of draw as if I did this might change things around a bit.

Start,
Latigo
English Bridal
Buffalo
Roo
Cordovan
End.
The Kanayama 70,000 is the softest strop to the feel, but has more draw than the Baffalo or Roo.

So whats your opinion of the sequence of leather?

Good post, I'll watch the replies.

Cheers, Steve

I go from the heaviest to lightest draw personally. And as you, I finish with the Kanayama. And yeah possibly the Roo I have being made

If there is to be an unadorned leather to leather progression, for me it's latigo to horsehide.

never seen the need for a progression. I either use one of my strops, the Kanayama, or my Neil Miller, and sometimes my Scrupleworks. have not begun to understand why it would need to be any different ones. I start and finish with one, and my edges are maintained in the finest order. as to how many laps , do as many as you feel you want to , if your stropping is spot on, you wont hurt your edge, now if it aint then every lap is a bad thing. ive always thought the strop was for aligning the edge and burnishing the metal for that smooth glossy edge feeling, Tc

I have tried progressive stropping from oil tanned to cordovan and to be truthful did not notice a difference, my latest stropping routine consists of 20 on natural linen and 40 on either cordovan or spanish bridle and done, i have way to many strops and have firgured out what I like so gonna thin the herd very, very soon and get down to 4 strops total.

Old barbers stories like you need to match the grind and size of a razor with the beard.

All plain leather strops do the same thing. They feel different as you use them but that's on your side of the operation. If there is any actual difference it's because you are using a particular strop differently. Maybe angle or pressure or who knows what.

I do not have that many strops.
I do use a treated leather strop on occasion anfter honing and before my regular strop.
It is treated with a metallic substance that raises great amount of debate.
I do strop a lot compared to others.
60 to 100on fabric and 100to 150 on leather. My typical leather is horse.

To each his own but I personally think the idea is kinda silly. Maybe its not so much the progression but the fact that you stropped the blade like 500 laps. Do what you like though. Plenty of snake oil and voodoo in this sport but if it helps one believe something good is happening to their blades than its worth the trouble.

Yea, I think it is kind of a silly idea. For sure if I had to do that on a regular basis I'd quit shaving with a straight razor. For me 10 on crox sprayed felt hanging strop/40 on linen/80-100 on leather is quite enough.

Bob