Thread: SIMPLE BUT COMPLICATED, WHY STROP AT ALL?

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?

The closest strop we have is the one we carry around every day, our own skin. When we shave, the blade is pulled edge first into the skin. When we strop on a barbers strop, we pull the blade through spine first. Does either of these actions actually dull or sharpen a highly refined world class high tech or old world fantastic steel blade?

In as of itself I suspect not. But there must be other factors that come into play somehow. The way I see it there are two main reasons a blade becomes dull and ineffective, those are adverse abrasion and oxidation. The world is full of abrasive particles including dust and the case hardened fibers of newspaper, these will to a greater or lessor degree dull our cherished blades. But I keep my razor super clean and away from dust and I never cut out coupons with it and in fact the only known abrasive my razor comes in contact with is my sharpeing stone. Than what's left and how can it become dull? Maybe I am missing something here.

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.

Have you every laid your razor flat on your freshly shaved cheek after stroping? The edge is hot.

I suspect that the greatest threat to a sharp blade is rust. I do not have a super hard beard so others must weigh in on that element, but I have found that "if" I can control the oxidation on my blade it will stay sharp for many weeks or even months. You might have guessed, I do not store my razors in the bathroom next to the shower, nor do I finger them endlessly during the day leaving fingerprint/moisture trapping stains on the blades and I do not load up my lovely use polished leather with foreign abrasive particles. I try to keep it simple, hone (only when dull), shave, strop, shave, strop, shave, strop. Alx

Ummmm you are stropping...

Just after the shave instead of before, in fact some of the older books recommend this technique...

Although I think this is a very effective technique just so long as you only have 1-3 razors in your rotation, if you start going too many days between shaves with a larger rotation, I think you are getting back to the Micro-Oxidation being able to build up on the edge... So you would need to go back to stropping before the shave..

I am not quite sure where you got the idea that stropping = sharpening either, I suppose on an engineering level one might argue that, but for practical purposes, your arm will give out before you sharpen on plain leather... It is generally accepted that stropping aligns the tiny metal "fins" after shaving, and I ain't all that convinced of that one, all I know is it does something good to the edge...

I always strop a little (20x) after a shave to clean up the micro-gunk off a razor...at least that's what I'm doing to it mentally.

I too have shaved directly off the stone. I have personally found that stropping does something to the edge that makes the shave smoother. I haven't even tried to access a microscopic device to look at the edge...which would be the only way to really answer your question IMO. Would be nice to see a microscopic picture of a freshly honed razor, same razor after stropping, after shaving, and so on. This would answer your question factually, keeping out the opinions...

I strop before and after as well. 30 fabric and 60 leather before and then 15/25 afterwards to clean the edge.

I dont know exactly what stropping does, but it makes the edge good..!

Yes, cousin Festus doesn't need any strops either. he just goes out back and gets baaaby and strops on her and she likes the sensation.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Just after the shave instead of before, in fact some of the older books recommend this technique...

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...

I don't know what it does to the edge exactly, but it does make the edge nicer to shave with. I know this because I've forgotten to strop or poorly stropped and it's not as nice. Very scientific, I know...

I can't imagine stropping does nothing to the edge. There must be a reason people have been stropping for so long.

But I keep my razor super clean and away from dust and I never cut out coupons with it and in fact the only known abrasive my razor comes in contact with is my sharpeing stone. Than what's left and how can it become dull? Maybe I am missing something here.

Just back to the OP - You really don't know why your razor's getting dull? You're shaving with it!!!

Originally Posted by alx

Why do we strop anyway?

I strop because the razor shaves better when I do than when I don't

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I strop because the razor shaves better when I do than when I don't

Yep! Me too!!

Originally Posted by JMS

Yep! Me too!!

I think we finally got the hang of this straight razor thang, huh?