Thread: SIMPLE BUT COMPLICATED, WHY STROP AT ALL?

Originally Posted by alx

and anyhow is stropping really that sexy.

Shall I tell you how many women were watching me strop at the campground I was at? and how many phone numbers I was handed?

yes, Stropping IS sexy! (apparently!)

I found this on the website

The Science Bit | Razor Blade Conditioner | RazorBrite

"Before razor blades, there was the cut throat razor. To keep these razors at their best, they would be 'stropped' using a piece of leather called a strop. It was clear that stropping couldn't possibly sharpen the blade, yet, when it was done the blade of the razor appeared sharper.
It was only during the 1960's and the invention of the electron microscope, that scientists found out what was happening. When a blade is used for shaving, it builds up a layer of crystals on the blade which causes it to drag on the skin; it is this dragging that causes razor burn and appears to dull the blade itself. The leather strop removed this crystalline build up on the blade of the razor and restored its ability to shave effectively." I guess it makes as much sense as anything although stopping a bit to dry the edge after shaving also makes sense.


I'm a newbie and I strop before and after


Phil

Thanks for the useful post Phil and welcome to SRP.

You are absolutely right about a strop NOT sharpening a razor , unless of course you're using a paste ( diamond, crox etc..) what the strop does do however is alight the cutting edge , if a unstropped razor is examined at under a microscope it will have a jagged edge .
If you don't strop your razor you will need to hone more often maybe every 3-4 weeks , if you strop it may only have to be honed twice a year .
"happy shaving .. stay thirsty my friends " "razor" mike

Originally Posted by alx

What could be more simple but possibly more complex than to rub a piece of steel on a piece of leather.

Why do we strop anyway?
...

I do it because it makes the edge feel, and cut, noticeably sharper. I also sometimes do it for 5 laps or so to remove any water and/or oil the edge right after shaving.

I would submit that if the edge cuts noticeably better and therefore feels sharper, then the edge has just been sharpened. The mechanism of sharpening action is not important to me in any practical sense, as long as I get repeatable, sharper, results that work on a daily basis.

A lot depends on your definition of "sharpen". Mine is: "to make sharp or sharper". Maybe some day science will be good enough to solve the "why" it feels sharper. I just know that it definitely does.

See Page 18 - 24 of Experiments on Knife Sharpening by John Verhoeven

3 Stropping of the waterstone sharpened blades on clean leather strops had little effect upon the geometry of the as-sharpened blades. The abrasive grooves on faces and the bur size along the edge were not significantly modified. The burs on 600 grit pre-sharpened blades were not effectively removed. Apparently, the natural abrasives in clean leather, on either the hard or soft side of the leather, is not adequate to produce a significant abrasion of the surface.

4 Stropping of the waterstone sharpened blades on a leather strop loaded with chrome oxide compound produced a significant change in the edge geometry of the blades. The abrasive grooves from the waterstone sharpening were smoothed out significantly. The edge bur width was not reduced significantly below the 0.5 micron level of the waterstone ground blades, but it was perhaps a bit more uniform along the edge. However, the burs on 600 grit pre-sharpened blades were reduced significantly, to the same level as on the pre-sharpened waterstone blades. The overall geometry of the stropped edges compared favorably to the razor blade standards.

That said, he is not examining burnishing effect, but rather blade geometry. I don't think anyone feels that stropping changes blade geometry, but as stated, gently burnishes for a slightly better edge.

To answer the question in your topic: Why strop at all?

Because, at least for me, it's fun.

I just like to strop. That's why I have so many strops, and fool around with the "strop rotation" notions... What it all boils down to is that I just enjoy stropping.

I find that as my stropping technique improves, my shaves have been improving too (along with my shaving technique too of course). I guess at the end of the day it gets chalked up to " blade maintenance". I have the SRD 2" strop. I usually go for 20 or so strokes on the fabric, and then 40 or so on da' leather.
(Plus: where else on earth would you have heard that cool unique stropping sound?)

Originally Posted by Muguser

I find that as my stropping technique improves, my shaves have been improving too (along with my shaving technique too of course). I guess at the end of the day it gets chalked up to " blade maintenance".

There you have it, right there...

If you put steel to a motorized leather wheel or belt, would you be removing metal, sharpening? Interesting.

I started stropping… after shaving, after looking at my edges at 60 & 100 magnification and seeing bits of soap and skin on the edge. I believe these microscopic bits contain moisture and contribute to oxidation.

As my razor rotation grew and only shaved with a particular razor for a day or two I became concerned with the oxidation of the edge while in storage and began oiling edges with a Q- tip. I then began to strop on linen, an SRD linen & felt strop. One I highly recommend.

Then I found Nylon. Nylon is magical and quickly produces heat, much more & than leather. I strop on linen to clean the edge then on to the nylon to heat and dry the edge, seal the edge with Q-tip & gun oil and store in a drawer, as this razor may not see service again for a week or two or more.

Before shaving I wipe the blade with a paper towel to remove the oil, strop on Linen, then nylon and finish on leather. The whole process takes but a few minutes. I can’t say it is sharper but definitely much more comfortable, for me.

I highly recommend a Nylon strop for the novice, can be purchased for under a dollar at any linen store or army surplus and are immune to cuts and nicks, even stropping edge first. They are ideal for pastes and experimentation. I have several clamped in my vice with a variety of pastes and a clean one for final stropping.

Marty