Thread: SIMPLE BUT COMPLICATED, WHY STROP AT ALL?

I have tried it Alex. As best I could I sharpen and shave a 1/2 face and then ply the edge with 15 or 20 straps and finish shaving.

Almost never have I not seen the blade improved. I could say never but there was one perfect shave. what that means is the blade is more often than not improved with a bit of preshave stropping ime.

oxidation prevention stropping is still stropping as Glen points out. And that is enough when the blade is not abused with dirty faces or steep angles etc.

You may also be interested to try not stropping at all, only cleaning the blade with oiled cloth to see how long before the edge does start to feel teethy.

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

Like the original Sweeney Todd script?

abrasion, strops

"It is not known when to strop. Original publications report that it should be done before shaving only. Manufacturers found that the microserrations align spontaneously after a day rest as the drawings show. The malaligned teeth may break off when they get in contact with the strop. This might cause embedding of metal particles in the strop, decreasing regularity. Probably, after honing, only the leather side should be used, and in all other cases the canvas first."

Another German source said to never strop after shaving. Mysteries...

Yeah I am reading that page and giggling as to the amount of contradictory information is packed into that one page you linked...

They are taking way to much as fact...

Almost all manuals on the subject recommend stropping a razor before shaving. At least all that I have read. The 1961 barber manual excerpt on honing and stropping in the SRP Wiki help files says, "Although it may have a perfectly honed edge,one that will split a fine hair with ease, it is not yet smooth enough to be used on the face. Remember, a razor should never be used for shaving without stropping."

I know beyond doubt that my edges are improved by stropping. I also strop after the shave for cleaning the edge throughly. I confess I have never tried shaving directly off of the hone and see no reason to experiment with it. What would I do with my 15 strops in the unlikely event I found I didn't need them ?

Here's my take on stropping and what it does.

First and foremost, leather will, indeed, sharpen steel. It burnishes the steel and will actually remove the steel, albeit very slowly and in a very non-agressive fashion. If you take a super clean piece of very hard steel and rub the hell out of a piece of leather, it will blacken and that's the metal being removed through the burnishing action. Use some very light colored leather and you'll see the color turning in pretty short order.

The more you strop, the more wear there is on the steel and after some time, what scratch patterns on the edge existed after honing get completely worn away. This is what many notice to be the "sweet spot" in their honing cycle when their razor seems to improve in shaving quality with each subsequent shave for a while before eventually possibly degrading again. Once the edge has been really well burnished to the point where there is as close to a zero radius bevel and as close to zero deviation of the straight line edge, a razor is as smooth and sharp as it's ever going to be.

You can definitely see the polishing/burnishing effect of stropping on the edge under high magnification. At the micro level, the burnishing wears away the high points of the edge first, removing the tiny "teeth" in a good, gentle fashion and that's important because the "teeth" or "fin" that we've come to think of as the razor's edge tend to be uneven, brittle and easily broken off. Breaking them off with use is not good because that leaves micro-level flat spots. Worn away through the burnishing action of leather, the flat spots are minimized to the greatest degree and the edge is both stronger and smoother because of that.

Although it was rarely, if ever explained why in old barber's handbooks, (or today's instruction) it was always and still is strongly recommended to strop thoroughly after honing before shaving. I'm sure this has puzzled some people who come off a hone with a razor that cuts free standing hair and passes hanging hair tests, etc.... it's certainly sharp enough to shave right off the hone, so why not? And the answer is because the burnishing effect of the leather makes for not only an even better edge, but for a smoother AND more durable edge. The more even the edge, the less leverage there is for any small microstructures (peaks) to be snapped off in use.

That's my .02 on it, anyway, for what it's worth.

Originally Posted by alx

After I hone my razor on my best and final stone and I deem it sharp enough to shave with, I do just that, I shave. I do not strop it next I just go ahead and shave. I personally do not feel that stroping on clean leather is sharpening.

Now I may be a little simplistic here but the only reason I strop my blade is in order to, after I have shaved, to systematically super dry the blade at the cutting edge by using the friction generated by stroping. This I have found will help to stymie the formation of rust on the microscopic level, the bane of a sharp blade. I am also meticulous about stropping after honing my blade for the same reasons.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

...What would I do with my 15 strops in the unlikely event I found I didn't need them ?

Give 'em to me!

Well fella's, thanks for helping me shake that rug. I can see the logic now of stropping before shaving and after shaving and after honing, and I am going to start to do it that way for a while and maybe form a new habit.

Lots of concise information there with a bit of humor and research, much appreciated. I have thought about this stropping thing for a while now, and was thinking that it might be a "dull" subject to most, and anyhow is stropping really that sexy. I guess it is in its own way. best regards, Alex

Alex, when I was a kid I always watched in awe as the old barbers would expertly strop their razors. I always wanted one and they can become an AD just as razors or hones can. Such beautiful things and they all have a character of their own. Great things, razor strops and great fun using them.

Jimmy
I wonder if there are any Guinness World Book Records associated with stropping. Like the quick draw catagory, or how many hours with only breaks for a shave. Maybe one for how many stroppers around the world all stropping at the same time. Alx

Originally Posted by alx

Jimmy
I wonder if there are any Guinness World Book Records associated with stropping. Like the quick draw catagory, or how many hours with only breaks for a shave. Maybe one for how many stroppers around the world all stropping at the same time. Alx

If there were I think that Jeremy (Shaved Zombie) would be a contender if not the record holder.