Thread: Beginner - Strop question

I am a straight razor shave beginner and have a question about my strop. I have a new strop & paste, one side is dark leather and the opposite side is a white material. Which side do I use? I'm assuming that each side will provide a different polish to my razor. Also do any of you strop your razor after you shave? I know you do before you shave but some videos state that you should strop after too. This is my first time on this web site so let me just say Hello to all.

Regards

Hey there TM you have come to the right place there is a treasure trove of information here!! Make sure to check out the wiki and you start your journey. Now to your question.....

You should use BOTH sides of the strop. The linen and leather side do similar things to the edge in differing degrees of "abrasion" (as I personally think or it) now how much on each you ask? ;-) this is a personal preference thing. I personally will do either 25-35 on the linen side and 50-75 on the leather depending on which razor I am using. Also as far as post shave stropping...I don't do it but many guys do and again (you'll see quick that a lot of things in this art are this way...) this is a personal preference thing. There are people who say it helps dry the razor and there are people who do the entire stropping routine post shave to avoid having to do it PRE shave and can just grab the razor and go. Try them both and see which you like better!!

Again welcome and enjoy the ride!!

Generally you would start on the Linnen/canvas "white material" then go to the leather. Something like 20 linnen 40 leather or whatever. Really it all depends on you. Some folks use leather only or various combinations of materials. Put the paste's in the drawer for now. Take you time learning to strop and maintaining your edge before you start messing with products that could alter it either good or bad.
Stropping after is another personal thing. Some like me do it to help make sure the razor is dry before putting them away to help avoid rust issues.

Oh and welcome to SRP

Michael

Welcome aboard.

Usually the second material is fabric which is generally used before the leather. As far as before and after that's a personal preference. The important thing is to strop before shaving. The after part won't hurt and helps to dry the blade after use but as far as it being advantageous that's in contention.

Thank you so much for your kind advise. I was so excited to have found this web site...so much information. I have read all of the material on this site as well as watching the videos. I feel much better about my choice.

Howdy,

I've got a question as well. The instructions that came with my razor are based on a double sided leather strop. I've got one that's cloth on the back.

Should I use the stropping compound on the cloth and "oil from my palm" on the leather as the directions suggest with the double leather strops?

Originally Posted by Arkmage

Howdy,

I've got a question as well. The instructions that came with my razor are based on a double sided leather strop. I've got one that's cloth on the back.

Should I use the stropping compound on the cloth and "oil from my palm" on the leather as the directions suggest with the double leather strops?

I would leave the cloth side as it is and only use the 'oil from your palm' on the leather side

[QUOTE=hornm;891721. . . Put the paste's in the drawer for now. Take you time learning to strop and maintaining your edge before you start messing with products that could alter it either good or bad.
. . .
Michael[/QUOTE]

Amen !

Pastes are abrasive, and will eventually round the edge of the razor. So your "daily strop" should be just plain cloth (first) and leather (second).

You use pastes (if you use them at all) when the razor starts to dull, and stropping on plain cloth and leather doesn't restore its edge.

Charles

PS -- This is all in the Wiki's, but there's a lot to absorb there.

PPS -- there are many warnings by many people to beginners:

. . . learn to shave and strop;

. . . _then_ learn to hone.

Pastes belong to the "honing" area, not the "shaving" area.

Hi all,

I see some great info here so far and am hoping you can help me out too. I Bought a Dovo "shave ready" razor - not so much shave ready.....sent it to a sharpening place that claimed they could do straight razors....same deal....sent to SRD and they sent it back to me pretty close but it still catches on hairs, stings a bit when I shave and isn't quite right yet. I have a strop with both leather and canvas, which I've used to try and finish it off by giving 50 strokes on the canvas then 30 or so on the leather, but it still isn't there yet after doing this process twice. I want to get a strop to add paste to so that I can get it truly shave ready. What would be recommended as a type of strop that I can add paste to? I'm picturing getting just a single leather strop and then adding two different grits on to each side. I thought about getting a paddle strop for this too. What would you recommend for the grit? Also, should I go with the diamond or the chromium oxide? not sure about the difference there. Please forgive my ignorance and any and all advise is much appreciated.

Thanks and Happy new year!,

J Bain