Thread: Correct stropping.

Razor edges are delicate, but not nearly as much as you would think. Remember that they get jammed edge-on to whiskers, which have been compared in toughness with copper wire of similar diameter. Just strop the razor carefully, being sure to keep it close to flat, and with enough pressure against the edge to feel some drag as it's rubbed along the surface. It will very likely straighten and smooth the edge just fine for shaving.

Originally Posted by JeffR

Razor edges are delicate, but not nearly as much as you would think. Remember that they get jammed edge-on to whiskers, which have been compared in toughness with copper wire of similar diameter.

Yes, and the 'edge-on' part is what makes them work as well as they do. Stropping with a spine off the strop exerts a force sideways and that's the weakest direction where it takes a miniscule force to inflict enormous damage.

BTW the 'copper wire' comparison is a caricature. Cutting a whisker is nothing like cutting copper wire, it's a completely different process. You may as well be comparing honing a piece of steel and honing a piece of jelly - you'd be removing material from both, but in a completely different manner.

The edge wasnt ruined thankfully. I did a refrefrsh with some cromium oxide and stropped using the correct angle. The blade will cut arm hairs at a mid pass. Thankfully I asked before it was to late

Originally Posted by Tack

ALso, use the closest thing to no pressure that you can manage while keeping the blade flat - both spine and edge - on the strop. Think polishing, not grinding.


rs,
Tack

That statement alone puts it all into the proper perspective IMO.

Frank

I have made some pretty drastic mistakes while stropping like lifting the spine by accident or having the blade tilted and not flat across the strop and when I do these things I freak out because I don't want to roll or ruin the edge. To my surprise I never have. I am not suggesting anyone do these things or that it can't roll or ruin an edge. I am sure that it can and will and I do my best to avoid these situations but I wonder about these things.

there have been times where I have lifted the spine off the strop, sometimes it didn't hurt the edge at all and sometimes I actually needed to re-hone it. I guess it all depends on the razor and the amount of pressure your put on the strop

When i stared stropping (if such sibilant verbosity is correct) i found it useful to Blu Tack the corners on my strop and lay it flat on the edge of a desk. This made it a simpler process of just laying the razor face-down on the strop and slowly moving it from end to end of the strop. This took longer but allowed me to get the general idea and practice the movement without risk of rolling the edge. About two weeks of that and i just used the strop in a hanging position.

Originally Posted by nwashaving

When you strop do you rest the spine and the edge on the strop or do you just keep the spine just off thr strop and just have the cutting edge in contact? I watched a couple videos and cant really tell :/

On the long list of possible mistakes (including mine) in using a SR, poor stropping technique while learning is probably #1. 30 years ago, when I started using a SR the first time, I tried (with no instruction) to strop like my barber...fast and with a somewhat noisy "slapping" sound. I butchered the strop, dulled the blade, and after about 6 months stored both until last summer.

All I can say is than God for the internet, SRP and professional honing/honers (Lynn in particular). I learned the right way, which others have outlined above. Don't worry, you are not alone and your razor will recover!