Is there a point where you've gained all the benefit you're going to get out of stropping and doing it further accomplishes nothing or can you actually degrade an edge by over-stropping?
Is it possible to over-strop a razor?
- Thread starter Brassplyer
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rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
There is a point where you gain no more noticeable edge correction from clean-leather stropping. Remember, stropping does not hone (take metal) off an edge, it only realigns the edge. How much stropping to reach that point is dependent on a few factors like your stropping technique, blade steel, edge condition, etc..
Many have found that around 50 laps is the point where there is no more noticeable benefit. Others are happy with less laps. On some of my harder steel blades, I prefer about 80 laps. I am a very light stropper.
I have done up to 120 laps and found no no detrimental effect on the edge.
Many have found that around 50 laps is the point where there is no more noticeable benefit. Others are happy with less laps. On some of my harder steel blades, I prefer about 80 laps. I am a very light stropper.
I have done up to 120 laps and found no no detrimental effect on the edge.
With proper stropping technique I think you could easily do hundreds of laps if so inclined.
Benefits after a certain amount would certainly diminish.
I regularly do 100 strokes on clean leather, no linen though unless the edge is not responding to leather.
I doubt stropping too much WITH PROPER TECHNIQUE would damage an edge. You will reach the stage where there is no noticable benefit though.
It is easy to damage an edge with bad technique though. Should you do so, you wouldn't be the first. I would also wager you won't be the last either. I've damaged my fair share of edges while stropping before now.
It is easy to damage an edge with bad technique though. Should you do so, you wouldn't be the first. I would also wager you won't be the last either. I've damaged my fair share of edges while stropping before now.
Wouldn't proper technique include knowing when to stop?
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Not necessarily. Many strop only before each shave. Some strop only after each shave. Others strop both before and after each shave.
I clean leather strop about 60 laps before each shave. After the shave and rinsing the blade, I dry the blade with a clean dry towel, being careful not to let the towel touch the edge. Then the blade gets about 5 to 8 laps on a clean chamois strop to clean the bevel/edge of and soap residue. From there, the blade gets 60 laps on a 0.1μm diamond pasted hanging balsa strop (including short X strokes) before being Renaissance waxed and put away for the next shave in a few weeks time.
I clean leather strop about 60 laps before each shave. After the shave and rinsing the blade, I dry the blade with a clean dry towel, being careful not to let the towel touch the edge. Then the blade gets about 5 to 8 laps on a clean chamois strop to clean the bevel/edge of and soap residue. From there, the blade gets 60 laps on a 0.1μm diamond pasted hanging balsa strop (including short X strokes) before being Renaissance waxed and put away for the next shave in a few weeks time.
Leather is mildly abrasive believe it or not and don’t believe a razor can be over stropped.
And some are forced into their choices. When my long awaited Kanayama strop arrived, I found to my confusion and delight that it was three strops:
The Cordovan strop itself
A very rough linen strop
A rough-side-of-the leather strop
I suppose I could have put some of these aside, but I just couldn't do it. So I made a routine.
Before shave: 15 passes on the rough leather, 50-60 passes on the cordovan
After shave: 15 gentle passes on the rough linen
I admit that I don't know whether this routine accomplishes anything, but I kind of treasure it anyway.
Quite probably correct technique would include knowing when to stop. This only comes with experience though, and I find differs between steels.
Too many laps shouldn't be detrimental to an edge, but one nick in the leather, a too loose strop or rolling the razor on its edge will affect the edge.
Ha! When my second semicustom kani showed up without the sueded piece i was even more concerned about the full stropping process.
“Is there a point where you've gained all the benefit you're going to get out of stropping and doing it further accomplishes nothing or can you actually degrade an edge by over-stropping?”
No, years ago on another forum a few of us stropped and shaved the same razor daily on a Chromium Oxide pasted strop for over a year.
The concern at the time was that Chrome Oxide would excessively wear the edge or cause some harm. None of that happened, after about a week the bevel was stria free, mirror and the razor shaved smooth and keen for the whole year.
After a year of 20 or so laps each day, there was also almost no measurable wear to the blade width.
No, years ago on another forum a few of us stropped and shaved the same razor daily on a Chromium Oxide pasted strop for over a year.
The concern at the time was that Chrome Oxide would excessively wear the edge or cause some harm. None of that happened, after about a week the bevel was stria free, mirror and the razor shaved smooth and keen for the whole year.
After a year of 20 or so laps each day, there was also almost no measurable wear to the blade width.
Interesting. Was that the only strop your were using, and how and why did you all settle upon 20 or so laps a day? What was the material of the strop being used, sanded leather, linen, cotton, etc.?
If stropping is all about restoring the edge, then it shouldn't leave a secondary bevel. Yet a leather strop is mildly abrasive, as mentioned above. Over-use of a slackened strop (slackened being hard to avoid in stropping) tends towards a secondary bevel, so less stropping would seem to be called for there, not more. Why else would someone have to return to the stones "for a touch-up" or to a pasted strop "to round the bevel further" if plain-leather stropping was inherently inert?
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I stropped on a pasted Polyester Canvas strop, I don’t recall what others used, it was over 10 years ago. I did 20 laps because that is what I normally do on leather.
What ever substrate the others used, I recall we all got the same results. The razors did not need a touch up, the bevel was stria-less/ mirror, shaved well the whole year and no remarkable loss of blade width or other damage.
I did a few laps on linen to clean, but there was no need of stropping on leather.
What ever substrate the others used, I recall we all got the same results. The razors did not need a touch up, the bevel was stria-less/ mirror, shaved well the whole year and no remarkable loss of blade width or other damage.
I did a few laps on linen to clean, but there was no need of stropping on leather.
Thank you. From the earlier post, I was thinking that you all were sharing the same strop and had settled on 20 laps in advance.
An old Norwegian barber that was formally educated and practiced the trade said i could keep a razor going for over a year with professional use just by using linen and leather. The strops he showed did not show any signs of pastes. He also said that they did not use the smooth side of the leather. They sanded down the rough side of the leather and only used that side. This is what they were thought. I doubt this will start a new trend though. I tried this on my Latigo strop. It definitely increased the draw, but it really did not do anything the other side of the strop could do for me. I used this side for a while to dry the razor after shaving, because i did not like the poly webbing that it came with all that much.
Most of my razors seem to sort of plateau in performance after a few months of daily use. They get honed long before they need to.
I just honed one of my test razors a couple of days ago. I was thinking of using this exclusively for a few months to see what happens to the edge if I only use a leather strop.
Most of my razors seem to sort of plateau in performance after a few months of daily use. They get honed long before they need to.
I just honed one of my test razors a couple of days ago. I was thinking of using this exclusively for a few months to see what happens to the edge if I only use a leather strop.
I tested the fine linen strop several times,
If the rough linen edge will be blunt edge.
If the rough linen edge will be blunt edge.
In the video, the strop is very loose. Wouldn’t this roll the edge? Have you done this experiment keeping the strop taught?
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Stropping on a loose strop is best for those who prefer a more convex (less keen) edge. The convexity effectively increases the bevel angle. I am not one of those.
What is the level of HHT? I can see the edge state, is it a blunt edge? The video below is how I usually use it.
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