After feeling that I'd ruined the edge on my Dubl Duck after a half-dozen shaves and would never get the hang of straight shaving and stropping, I was ready to give up. Then I read THIS POST on stropping for dummies. Last night I gave it a shot. I set my Rup filly strop on the table and really went at it nice and slow on the pasted side. I didn't count how many laps I did, but I worked at it for a good 15 minutes figuring that my previous stropping attempts would need to (hopefully) be un-done. I actually used both hands to make sure I had total control on both ends of the blade. Then I spent another 5 minutes or so on the smooth side of the strop and crossed my fingers that the razor would once again be usable. To my great delight, I found that I got a pretty good shave and that the blade seemed back up to par (my technique, less so). I was so relieved that I hadn't completely ruined all of Ray-man's fine honing work. I think I'll continue with the slow, deliberate table-top stropping for a while before I try hanging the strop again. Thanks to everyone who's posted information on proper stropping technique and encouraging us noobs to hang in there during the frustrating times!!
Back from the brink
- Thread starter paulboeck
- Start date
The crox (pasted) side of the strop is actually abrasive. Its like a 30,000 grit hone thats on leather.
For regular stropping, you just use the leather side.
Either case, as long as your getting good shaves!
For regular stropping, you just use the leather side.
Either case, as long as your getting good shaves!
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks Leighton! I really only used the pasted side since I was getting really poor results after my early misadventures in stropping on the leather side and I was trying to get back on track quickly. Maybe too quickly though it sounds like? I'll stick with the leather side now that I seem to have a stropping technique that works decently.
