Thread: How do you reduce draw

I have the SRD premium III in buffalo and I really like it. Lately the draw has increased very much and is closing razors as I strop that have tight pins. Is there any way to reduce the amount of draw a strop has?

Dllandry,

I have found with some of my strops rubbing then firmly and briskly (so they get warm) with a micro-fbre cloth reduces the draw a bit.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by Dllandry

I have the SRD premium III in buffalo and I really like it. Lately the draw has increased very much and is closing razors as I strop that have tight pins. Is there any way to reduce the amount of draw a strop has?

Wow! I have that same strop and yes, the draw has become almost like a vacuum suction. Good stropping, but the draw is amazing!

The best way to reduce the draw on the Prem III is to reduce the amount of pressure on the strop. With very little pressure, it should do what you are looking for.

Have fun,

Lynn

If the strop is closing the razor, I'd say you're in a ticklish situation. I have a number of razors with pins just this side of loose, and I've learned to strop with my grip on the shank. This provides more security, IME.

Originally Posted by Lynn

The best way to reduce the draw on the Prem III is to reduce the amount of pressure on the strop. With very little pressure, it should do what you are looking for.

Have fun,

Lynn

+1

Once a week, rub two drops (no more) of Neatsfoot oil on
your hand and then rub the strop with that hand may also help.

But Lynn's advice is better because the less down
pressure the more the fine edge is "pulled" straight
by the strop. The other trick is to rely less on the
scales. Be purposeful with your grip on the razor
letting the scales rest lightly on the little finger and
focus on enjoying the draw. Think hot summer night
and slow sipping a good whiskey in the deep south.
Too hot to do anything fast... but some things take
longer than others... perhaps well into the night.

Another solution is to send it to me and I will send
you one maybe two of my strops. in exchange.

Using less pressure is the simplest way. The reason why the strop has gained in draw is partly because the surface has become smoother, and partly because stropping has drawn the oils/waxes to the surface.

Add ing more oil will increase draw, not decrease it. If you slightly dampen a tea towel and really rub the strop you will take off some of the extraneous wax/oil and decrease the draw. Once a week for buffalo works for me.

Another way is to add some 'glide' to the strop - a powder like pure graphite dust (not the greasy compound - the dry stuff used by locksmiths) will do that. Graphite is a lubricant, but not in the same way as oil - oil will add drag, graphite will decrease it.

BTW fingers on the shank is the way to go - helps flipping and reduces fatigue on the scales.

Regards,
Neil

The Water Buffalo actually seems to be one of the grainier of the leathers out there and starts off with more draw than any other strop I have seen. You can actually rub a dry towel on any of the strops to remove the any surface material from the strop. I am always hesitant to use any additional water, oils or other substances on the strops. Water in some cases is actually recommended by a few people to increase draw. This would be a good area for some additional experimentation.

Have fun,

Lynn

This probably doesn't apply for that type strop, but I once had a Latigo strop that tended to get gummy on the surface when the humidity was high. It was almost useless. Oddly, if I left it in a warm car in the summer (as happened occasionally when on road trips) it would dry out and lose all it's gummyness.

Originally Posted by Lynn

The Water Buffalo actually seems to be one of the grainier of the leathers out there and starts off with more draw than any other strop I have seen. You can actually rub a dry towel on any of the strops to remove the any surface material from the strop. I am always hesitant to use any additional water, oils or other substances on the strops. Water in some cases is actually recommended by a few people to increase draw. This would be a good area for some additional experimentation.

Have fun,

Lynn

The water buffalo I have seen definitely has a 'grain' to it - a kind of gritty feeling almost as if it has carborundum powder on it (feels a bit disconcerting at first) and a slight texture. Both the graininess and texture tend to smooth out after a very short while, though, IME.

At first this grain/texture seems to stop the razor from coming into as much contact with the leather as it does when the grain/texture subsides, which probably increases the draw as it becomes less pronounced - more of the razors surface is exposed to friction.

A dry towel certainly works to remove build-up, but a slightly damp one works for me - and I mean slightly damp, not soaked and wrung out, but almost dry - it seems to 'grab' the grunge/ingrained muck much better. Buffing the strop off immediately after using this method with a dry towel is even better and if you are quick and have not got the surface of the leather damp you can use it again immediately without any feel of drag occasioned by damp leather - which will inevitably increase draw.

I actually use a small amount of water as a carrier for tin oxide paste - the thin paste spread out over the strop fast and even is absorbed very quickly, but will increase draw if used straight away. As the powder dries it draws the moisture out of the strop again, so the effects are only transitory.

Water, however, is an integral part of the tanning process, and the subsequent oils and waxes introduced into the tanning liquor are partly there to imprison an amount of moisture within the leather fibres - without this they shrink and become hard. The process is somewhat reversible if halted in time, but if left for an extended period the leather dries so much it cracks and becomes brittle and is beyond saving.

This is maybe why a lot of barbers strops have survived in a pliable condition whilst privately-owned ones have fared less better - old-time barbers were prone to lather strops periodically which introduced some water into them, and the tallows/fats in the lather helped to retain it. Just a theory though!

Like Lynn, I hesitate to add anything to a strop - so many people seem to want to smother their strops with all sorts of substances that aren't strictly speaking necessary.

A plain leather strop is fine - it it isn't broke, don't fix it!

Regards,
Neil