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Howdy,
I'm new to straight razor shaving, and I have been working on stropping my blade. I've already knicked it a few times and I was just curious,
how many strops did y'all go through when you first started?
what did you do to your strop?
how many strops have you gone through to date?
What's the longest amount of time you've had a certain strop?
what's the shortest amount of time you've had a certain strop?
Just wondering
Thanks & Gig 'Em
Chris
my 1st practice strop was a 2" ruprazor strop..had it for a year or so..put too much green paste and ruined oh well..$28..now for almost a year using my 2nd hand SRD 3" Red Latigo leather/linen strop..near mint condition..still works like a charm!
When I started a few years ago I of course nicked my first strop. Nothing major that couldn't be repaired. I still have it but rarely use it. To date I have four strops in my meager collection but seem always use the same one 83% of the time.
Lets see:
Destroyed a classic shaving 2" within a week
Nicked a SRD 2" about a month later, replaced the leather and fabric
Bought a 3" SRD red latigo, no issues. Replaced the fabric to thier Premium fabric
Bought a 3" SRD Premium IV, with the premium fabric. So far, so good.
*knocks on wood*
The one I have is from ruprazor, he lives not to far from me so he was the most conveient and least exspensive option for me. and the fact that he lives in the same city as me made everything quicker. I dropped off my razor to get restored on a friday picked it up saturday.Quote:
Originally Posted by smalltank
I killed my Illinois strop in the first month due to a bad nick and limped it along for awhile, I then got new replacement leather and it's been fine for the last few years. I also use vintage strops, so far so good. Once you get good at stropping, you rarely if ever nick a strop. You can feel when you are about to lose sync and stop before damage is done.
First strop was an old leather belt. It was about 1 1/2" wide. Worked gangbusters and I still use it for nostagia occasionally. Only about half its length isn't covered with tiny edge nicks. JRE Industries stropbat made me familiar with paddle strops and I still use it infrequently. I experimented with different pastes on it and have replaced 3 out of 4 of the sides. It remains with one emory side and one crox side. The replaced strips had more than a couple of nicks but overall I found it to be more narrow than is useful for a paddle strop. I would get an SRD paddle now knowing better.
I moved up to a JRE industries hanging strop about 1 1/2" wide and 14" long. Still use it no nicks.
SR4S HNSB's site sent me a 3" with a cotton second element which I had never used up to that point. I found I don't like 3" stops and I don't use second elements.
Now I use a 2 1/2" heavy veg tanned latigo I made myself. I am experimenting with the effects of different dressing and cleaning methods. This is likely the destination strop as it is inexpensive and I can make replaceable elements to suit my curiosity.
Along the way I have discovered I prefer no handle strops with about 17inches of stropping surface with a light to medium draw. IME if the draw is too light I get too little feedback and if the draw is too heavy I seem to lay more pressure on the razor. For this kind of leather I like to slather it with mineral oil and let it dry. Then do the hand rubbing and use it for a couple of weeks as the draw increases beyond my comfort zone. I then scrub down the leather with 91% alcohol let it dry and palm rub it before use. After a while the oil works its way to the surface again and I clean with the isopropyl again. This seems to keep lifting the dirt and metal to the surface allowing it to be removed and keeps the draw light. With use the thick stiff leather becomes softer and more supple.
I would love one day to get a Shell Cordovan strop. I believe I will find it too slick for my liking though.
Lately I have been palm stropping just before shaving and in a classic no double-blind placebo conflicted result (hereafter refered to as CNDBPCRit seems to be a smoother shave.
All of this is further steps in the journey of the "Ultimate Shaving Edge"(hereafter called USE) which has little to do with real shaving beyond having fun.
None of it is necessary to a good shave and as always YMMV.
It really does just keep getting better.
I have ONE strop: an Illinois #127 a former SWMBO bought for me 16 years ago. It has been nicked, punched, folded, spindled, stapled, mutilated, decapitated and duct-taped.
I've got quite a few but only use one or two most of the time. I've never worn one out and the one I nicked a bit when I started in '07 wasn't hurt bad. A good strop should last a couple of lifetimes with proper use and care. IMHO.
I completely agree w/JimmyHAD! One strop can last over a century.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
I've got the SRD Premium I, III and IV (last with premium webbing) as well as their paddle strop. My first strop was a 2" SRD latigo that I PIFed to a buddy at work after I my stropping technique improved to the point where I was no longer nicking the strop. Even then, she only suffered a few cuts before the PIF. I think the paddle strop really helped me to nail down my muscle memory before moving back to the traditional, hanging strops. :)
I have been through so many strops that I can't even count them all. I usually go through them now in about 3-6 months because of all the honing I do. The metal particles simply imbed in them until they are ineffective for me. I have tried sanding and refinishing them with not very good results, so I switch them out now when they quit producting good results. I have gone to stropping 20-30 times on linen before leather after honing to extend the life a little.
I don't really cut them, but have been known to nick up most of the ones I use.
Have fun.
Mr Abrams, asking you is simply not fair! After all, you've honed tens of thousands of razors!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynn
First and only strop is a 3 inch English bridle leather one with felt instead of linen. Been using it 4 months and in the beginning nicked it up where my strokes ended before I got the hang flipping the razor after I had reversed direction of travel. Buffed those out with the wife's pumice stone and just carried on. Should be good for years baring any major cuts.
Bob
It's not so much a matter of "going through strops". I find it more about "aquiring more strops". I have six right now, and each one gets fair play. But...of course, the more the merrier.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...ch-2011-a.html
That thread has just a bit of info in there..
Gotta say thanks to Mark aka Speedster also as his visit to White Boots in Spokane, that and a little work in my shop scored each us a beautiful 3x24 bench strop last week :p
His was done with CeOx I still haven't committed mine to a paste yet..
And, don't forget the 3x24 buffalo leather bench strop you gave me just because. Now I have to figure out what to do with that one. ;)
I didn't mention all of these additional strops lest someone think I have yet another AD. :D
I have not really "gone through" any. I still have my first strop - it is up in the cupboard wrapped in butcher's paper, and I still have every strop I either acquired or made (minus those I have given away, of course) since then.
At the moment, I use on a regular basis around 4 strops: a retractable with nice horse shell leather, a home-made that uses soft cow leather I got off a leather "artist" that they use to strop their cutting gear on, an Illinois something or other I got because it had a linen side (don't use the linen side at all after I tried it...), and a double-sided kangaroo strop I made years ago now. The retractable has a few nicks, as does the kangaroo, but surprisingly the others are all intact.
But that is always the way - our older strops bear the scars of our stropping sins, like little leathery Jesuses.
James.
I bought a SRD 2" latigo strop when I purchased my first razor after hearing I was bound to destroy my first strop and that it was a good place to start. I recently sold it to a friend for 10 dollars who was starting shaving with a straight. Due to the fact that I was scared I would cut it in half I started off very very slow, and the strop only has minor nicks at the ends that I lightly sanded off.
The only strop I have currently is a 3" red ambrose strop that is duel leather with rows of divets imprinted on one side, the other side is a beautiful silky smooth stropping surface.
I would like to get a Shell Cordovan sometime...but for now there are many other things I want/need more.
The David (aka Earcutter) and strops... just ain't friends lol. I have sliced right through one, nicked every strop or strop substitute I have ever had, and still do dumb stuff to this day!
Take the other day as an example - I was stropping away and thought to myself wow - look at me go! I think I am stropping faster than the speed of light itself as all i could see was a blur! Surely this would be something to see from a different perspective... From the mirror I could see myself gouge the only strop I have never gouged lol!!
Heck - I literally cut through a strop once!
There is no way I am telling how many I have had in the little time I have been using a straight, but let’s just say I have had to replace my strops more frequently than my creams lol!!
Bahaahahahaha!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedster
Hmm lets see I started with a 2 in black latigo from classic shaving, it has been pif'd, I also had a 2 in poor mans strop that I pif'd as well. I have a 3 in horse butt, has tiny little scratches on it (amazingly tough stuff), I have a 2 in bridle leather which sad to say has several tiny nicks in it :( , I have a 3 in SRD premium I strop which I have learned to love and is scar free, I have a SRD 3in hard felt/premium fabric pasted strop (CrOx and Iron Oxide), and for my birthday I have just ordered a SRD 3in premium Roo strop.... Dunno why I just love strops :)
alb, you're really into leather aren't you!
Sweet!!! I just ordered a Roo strop myself!!Quote:
Originally Posted by alb1981
Leather is good...
Flesh is better!Quote:
Originally Posted by earcutter
ah now that is subjective as well depends on who's flesh lolQuote:
Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus
I've been using the same strop for 9 years.
You sir are who I want to be one day when I grow up : ).Quote:
Originally Posted by AFDavis11
I wanted to be that guy...
My first strop was a 3" Mountain Mike latigo, which I quickly destroyed. My second strop was a 3" SRP latigo, which I cut up, but not as badly as the first. I gave those strops to newbies, so they had a strop to cut while they leaned. Apparently I was a slow learner, but eventually got it right. I now have 7 strops which I rotate through evenly, and I shave every day. None of my current strops has any cuts.
I've gone through one strop in about 25 years. Here she is:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/down-...des-again.html
First was a Tony miller red latigo about 4 or 5 years ago, and that had been my only main one, started off real slow to make sure i didn't nick it.
I have an ebay special that I started with (a real piece of trash), and a vintage "Russian" shell strop that I reconditioned. The latter is my go-to strop.
Still on my first one ( 3 yrs ) an srd 3" red Latigo and all broken in !!!
I still have and use my first strop. A Solingen Herold. It's small by today's standards, 2"w x 15"l, but has a real nice feel to it and it travels well. I guess I was lucky that I never cut it. I took my time, and started slow, and it payed off. Since then, I've acquired quite a few more, and they all get used.