Thread: Wanting to get a strop where to start?

I happen to like that strop very much. I use it often. There are two schools of thought .... one says get as cheap a strop as you can because you'll nick it in the beginning. The other is to get a 'good' strop and don't worry about nicks, they may come, but just take it slow, and practice. I'd say get the strop and if you want to practice on something else use a belt to get the muscle memory and coordinated stropping down. One thing I read that was of great use was to practice flipping the razor on the strop without making the back and forth stroke. Just flipping the razor. When you have that down begin moving the arm. AF Davis has some real good videos on stropping here.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I happen to like that strop very much. I use it often. There are two schools of thought .... one says get as cheap a strop as you can because you'll nick it in the beginning. The other is to get a 'good' strop and don't worry about nicks, they may come, but just take it slow, and practice. I'd say get the strop and if you want to practice on something else use a belt to get the muscle memory and coordinated stropping down. One thing I read that was of great use was to practice flipping the razor on the strop without making the back and forth stroke. Just flipping the razor. When you have that down begin moving the arm. AF Davis has some real good videos on stropping here.

This is what I like about forms is just people weighing in and throwing tid bits out for me to see if that is a good ideal or not. See I watched him and thought about a wooden one and that it might eliminate not properly stropping my blade and hence rolling the blade. But im not sure but i do like the one above. Then also what is the difference on the leathers?

On SRDs website if you open up the description for each of the many variations of strops they carry there is a description of the characteristics of each one. I happen to prefer a slight draw (resistance) while some guys like a heavier more resistant draw. In that case a latigo is probably the way to go. Since you don't have any experience with the different strops it is impossible to say what your preference will be. No matter, you'll get used to what you have.

The thing to remember to avoid rolling the edge, I never have, is to keep the pressure on the spine and let the edge just lightly touch as you go back and forth. Flipping the razor between the tip of the thumb, on top of the tang, and the tip of the forefinger on the underside directly opposite. Using the middle, ring and little fingers to sort of cradle the scales and assist in keeping everything in order. Just IME.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

On SRDs website if you open up the description for each of the many variations of strops they carry there is a description of the characteristics of each one. I happen to prefer a slight draw (resistance) while some guys like a heavier more resistant draw. In that case a latigo is probably the way to go. Since you don't have any experience with the different strops it is impossible to say what your preference will be. No matter, you'll get used to what you have.

The thing to remember to avoid rolling the edge, I never have, is to keep the pressure on the spine and let the edge just lightly touch as you go back and forth. Flipping the razor between the tip of the thumb, on top of the tang, and the tip of the forefinger on the underside directly opposite. Using the middle, ring and little fingers to sort of cradle the scales and assist in keeping everything in order. Just IME.

Im looking fo that page but it is hard to find
and what is ime?

Buying an initial strop is in a way like getting your first job. They want experience but you can't get the experience without working and no one will hire you so what do you do? As long as it's a quality strop it will do the job and once you have one then you'll know what qualities you prefer. Until you have one you won't know.

So I say by basic and then later on buy just what you like based on what you like or don't like about the one you have.

I would suggest the 3" SRD latigo with D rings, because it's the least expensive of their strops. You can also replace the leather component later if you cut it up badly, as many people new to stropping tend to do. This strop has a heavy draw but that doesn't matter for your first strop, and you'll get used to whatever you have. Later on you can decide if you prefer a heavy, medium or light draw, handles instead of D-rings, or different leathers. I would not spend too much time debating this, as any quality strop will get the job done equally well. Much of the debate about draw and leather types comes down to a matter of personal preference. At this point the important thing is to get any good strop and learn the technique of stropping. Since you're likely to cut your first strop, it makes sense to keep the expense down.

The stop I use is the cheapest one from RupRazors (The Filly), which I absolutely love, it's only around $22 (shipping included), 2" wide, about 19" long.
I mean there are probably other very good ones out there, but my only other experience with a stop was the one that came with my Buckingham and Sons, which was almost as bad as the razor. (It was a piece of wood with what appears to be pleather, or just tough rubber on one side, and twine netting on the other..very bad.)
Regardless, I hope you find one that works for you.
The Filly: RupRazor - The Filly