Thread: Boker Stropping Instruction ???

Here's the full sheet, Jimmy - bit small, but you should be able to make it out with a bit of squinting! -



Presumably the razor was set at the factory, so maybe it had already been stropped - perhaps the initial stropping of 5 - 6 strokes is just to remove any protective film? I know that when I hone a razor for a newbie I strop it and ask them to shave first without stropping, so they can see what the edge is capable of, just in case they 'roll' it and then think the honing is under par. Maybe Boker had similar thoughts?

The instruction sheet does say to strop again after shaving to dry the edge, so that increases the count a bit if we presume stropping both before and after shaving.

I have seen very old treatises (late 1700s - can't remember the authors, though) on shaving that say 6 strokes or so, but undoubtedly this was on a strop charged with some sort of fine abrasive. A mid 1900s book I once read (forgotten the author again!) recommends 20 strokes, but this was definitely on a strop charged with white lead and some other substance, as they went on to describe the dressing for the strop.

Regards,
Neil