Thread: Stropping Speed

Does it make any difference the speed that u strop as long as the technique is correct ?

I wouldn't think so.

Pressure is more important than speed. And when you are first leaning to strop, speed is your enemy until your muscle memory for flipping the blade is developed. If you try and emulate an experienced stropper in speed without the muscle memory in place - you will make hamburger out of your strop. Ask me how I know

The question your asking is more on the advanced side of this, isn't it????
Not the normal Newb question...

If I am right in that assumption then I can dispense with all the normal stropping advice and assume you already know how to strop...

Then yes, you can go too slow, at least that is what some of the tests that were done a few years back seemed to show..
Just to make sure all the Newbs don't get the wrong idea here, going faster doesn't help either but the tests showed that once the speed drops too far the effects of the stropping did too...
You need a good steady rhythm, you don't need hyper speed, about 1-1.5 second per lap is plenty fast, that is much slower then you guys think

Originally Posted by gssixgun

You need a good steady rhythm, you don't need hyper speed, about 1-1.5 second per lap is plenty fast, that is much slower then you guys think

I also think that rhytm is more important than speed itself.

Adding to the above, ensuring consistent pressure throughout the the strokes is a good bit of advice I've always followed...

I'd play around with the pressure before worrying about the speed. If you're stropping at all, you're probably doing it fast enough.

There are several things that assist new guys in cutting up or nicking their strops. Stropping too fast, stropping too slow and usually stropping with very tentative pressure are normally the culprits. The keys as mentioned above are really helpful. Develop a rhythm that works for you like a one one thousand or boom shakka lakka or whatever. Hold the strop taught, but not tight so that your arm cramps. You do want a little pressure but you don't want so much that you are bearing down. Keeping the edge and the spine on the strop maintaining that consistent pressure and changing directions by rolling the razor on the spine are also key. Typically if you stop the razor on the strop, you will end up with a nick. If the razor slips off the strop, you can end up with a nick. Sounds like a lot of precautions, but truly, once you get in a little practice, it becomes easier very quickly.

I saw the thread title and at first read "Stropping on Speed." OK, glad it wasn't that.

One thing I never see mentioned is ergonomics; I found that a proper mounting height really helped improve my technique. I put up a dedicated hanger at the same height as my elbow, measured standing with my elbow at my side and my forearm bent 90 degrees toward the wall. That way, I hold the strop horizontal and at the same height as my opposite (stropping) elbow. This really helps me keep the blade flat and all the motion in the same plane.

I should mount a little bracket on the wall so I can do the same thing with my paddle strop.

Just wanted to throw that into the mix.

I agree with all the above. One of the things I found hampered my stropping to begin with was how I held the razor. How you hold the shank can impact on what kind of rhythm you can develop, because if you don't get the fingers in the right position for you you will have to adjust them every time you flip.

I like to hold the shank between my thumb and pointer finger, with the scales resting in the remaining fingers. For the "away" stroke, my thumb is actually on the top corner of the shank closest to me and my pointer rests flat on the underside. When I flip it is just using those two fingers, and not the wrist (or, not too much wrist). On the "toward" stroke, my thumb is on top of the shank, more toward the edge farthest away from me. It is a bit hard to explain not having a razor in front of me, but I think that is about right.

The secret to developing fluidity, and hence rhythm, in stropping is to flip maybe 10cm from the ends whilst the razor is still in motion - the spine never lifts off the strop. It takes a bit of practice, and some fiddling around to find the grip that best suits how you go about things, but you'll get there in the end.

James.