Basic stropping question: pressure?

[Joneman]

It seems my technique is wreaking havoc on my edge so I have been hitting the balsa strop with decent results. My general stropping is becoming more comfortable but can anyone describe to me how much pressure to use? I know people say very little but I guess that's subjective. Also, is the pressure dependent on what I am stropping on? Lastly, for now, am I supposed to be gliding the spine along the strop? I have been sort of imagining the spine and edge making contact at the same time as I draw.


Oh, and I think I seem to be getting a better edge near the heel while the toe seems not quite as sharp. Common rookie technique?

Definitely getting some ok shaves but still a ways to go. MWF is totally not working for me but my new puck of Tabac should be here tomorrow.

 

[Stapelfeld]

It seems my technique is wreaking havoc on my edge so I have been hitting the balsa strop with decent results. My general stropping is becoming more comfortable but can anyone describe to me how much pressure to use? I know people say very little but I guess that's subjective. Also, is the pressure dependent on what I am stropping on? Lastly, for now, am I supposed to be gliding the spine along the strop? I have been sort of imagining the spine and edge making contact at the same time as I draw.


Oh, and I think I seem to be getting a better edge near the heel while the toe seems not quite as sharp. Common rookie technique?

Definitely getting some ok shaves but still a ways to go. MWF is totally not working for me but my new puck of Tabac should be here tomorrow.

I used to be a really light stropper but have noticed that when I use more pressure on the strop the edge always seems to get better and better. I'm sure you could strop light just make sure you're engaging the razor with the strop so you're correct when you say that it's subjective. Hard stropping for me might be light for someone else so you have to find what works for you.

If you're stropping on a paddle strop or something that has a backing bellow it then I would say you have to use less pressure than you would with a hanging strop.

Some stones really do like heavier stropping, for example coticule edges benefit from a stronger hand as opposed to something like a synthetic stone.

When doing my strokes on the hanging strop I imagine myself pulling the razor as im flipping the razor and then the first seconds of the stroke I make sure i'm engaging that edge... i'm hesitant to say I torque the razor but I do torque enough that the edge is engaged but not enough that i'm damaging the strop.

Better edge near the heel while the toe is not as sharp could be for a variety of reasons and not specifically the stropping, there are so many variables that we don't know that could be affecting that... more information would be useful.