Nicks on my strops

[HVenture138]

hello all

I have been having a problem with nicking my strops and was wondering who else this is happening to.

I am right handed and the heaviest ones appear on the lower right hand side but also - though lighter - on the upper left hand side. And in both places they peel away from the center of the strop. I have three strops and the same thing happens to all of them. While I am stropping there never seems to be any problem, i.e. I’m not rolling an edge.

Would this be due to stropping technique or maybe the way I’m honing my blades?

Someone please help me save my strops

 

[ScottChapin]

It sounds like you’re flipping the blade before coming to a complete stop. I have a real shallow nick on my strip that I’ve been using for about 18 months.


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[stone and strop]

It sounds like you’re flipping the blade before coming to a complete stop. I have a real shallow nick on my strip that I’ve been using for about 18 months.


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This sounds probable.
When I show someone how to strop the end of one stroke ends with the blade facing up- spine on strop. The next stroke begins and ends with the edge facing up - spine in contact.
If the cuts were just at the lower right side I would say try lowering where your strop is attached but seeing it is happening at both ends then the blade is still moving when the flip occurs.

 

[ScottChapin]

This sounds probable.
When I show someone how to strop the end of one stroke ends with the blade facing up- spine on strop. The next stroke begins and ends with the edge facing up - spine in contact.
If the cuts were just at the lower right side I would say try lowering where your strop is attached but seeing it is happening at both ends then the blade is still moving when the flip occurs.

I think we’ve all done it. Just go in slow motion at first and come to a complete stop, then turn the blade.


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[stone and strop]

I think we’ve all done it. Just go in slow motion at first and come to a complete stop, then turn the blade.


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I think this where people get cuts from.
Do NOT come to a stop then flip. When you intentionally try to stop a moving razor it actually moves backwards a tiny bit causing nicks.
Come to a stop with the edge pointing up -That is the end of the stroke! The rotation up prior to stopping prevents problems.
The trick is to practice moving slowly and finishing edge up - stopping, then go back the other way stopping, edge up. This will engrain in your mind that the edge must be up at the end of the stroke.

 

[ScottChapin]

Never had a problem. I don’t draw the blade back. After awhile, it becomes instinctive to lift the blade a wee bit as you’re coming to the stop, but I never change direction until after the blade is turned. It’s like turning a bow on a fiddle.




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[stone and strop]

It is just a safe way to teach someone.
They will not cut their strop if they do this.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Not sure that nicks would be caused by honing. Damage caused by a bent toe or heel would be more evident on the surface than on the edges of the strop. So I'm inclined to think it has to do stropping. When I started out with straight razors, I would mysteriously nick the strop at the top and bottom on the right side, me being right-handed, and not the top left side. The cure for me was to grip the shank differently. At the time, I was gripping the shank from top to bottom, with a pencil-roll type release during the flip, whereby my hand-wrist orientation remained the same resulting in a lack of control over the blade. After some advice from a now-deceased member on another forum, MrSell63, I was convinced to grip the shank more from side to side, involving a slight turn of the wrist during the flip, with the thumb being balanced towards the edge side of the shank both to and fro. Since then, I have not mysteriously nicked a strop for a number of years now.

I used to link Sham's video to demonstrate this, but it does not seem to be on Youtube anymore. As shown, he started from bottom to top whereas I start from top to bottom.

 

[HVenture138]

Not sure that nicks would be caused by honing. Damage caused by a bent toe or heel would be more evident on the surface than on the edges of the strop. So I'm inclined to think it has to do stropping. When I started out with straight razors, I would mysteriously nick the strop at the top and bottom on the right side, me being right-handed, and not the top left side. The cure for me was to grip the shank differently. At the time, I was gripping the shank from top to bottom, with a pencil-roll type release during the flip, whereby my hand-wrist orientation remained the same resulting in a lack of control over the blade. After some advice from a now-deceased member on another forum, MrSell63, I was convinced to grip the shank more from side to side, involving a slight turn of the wrist during the flip, with the thumb being balanced towards the edge side of the shank both to and fro. Since then, I have not mysteriously nicked a strop for a number of years now.

I used to link Sham's video to demonstrate this, but it does not seem to be on Youtube anymore. As shown, he started from bottom to top whereas I start from top to bottom.

Not sure that nicks would be caused by honing. Damage caused by a bent toe or heel would be more evident on the surface than on the edges of the strop. So I'm inclined to think it has to do stropping. When I started out with straight razors, I would mysteriously nick the strop at the top and bottom on the right side, me being right-handed, and not the top left side. The cure for me was to grip the shank differently. At the time, I was gripping the shank from top to bottom, with a pencil-roll type release during the flip, whereby my hand-wrist orientation remained the same resulting in a lack of control over the blade. After some advice from a now-deceased member on another forum, MrSell63, I was convinced to grip the shank more from side to side, involving a slight turn of the wrist during the flip, with the thumb being balanced towards the edge side of the shank both to and fro. Since then, I have not mysteriously nicked a strop for a number of years now.

I used to link Sham's video to demonstrate this, but it does not seem to be on Youtube anymore. As shown, he started from bottom to top whereas I start from top to bottom.

So far as it possibly being from honing, I thought maybe I was putting to much of a sharp corner on the ends of the cutting edge.

I’ve tried slowing down my stroke and I think I’m having the problem more when I go fast. In any case I’ve decided to reteach myself stropping
(especially important as I’ve begun to take interest in nicer strops). I’ve ordered a 2inch strop (all to date have been 3) to instill some more discipline in the process.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Out of curiosity, what is the 2-inch wide strop?

 

[HVenture138]

Out of curiosity, what is the 2-inch wide strop?

It’s a Herold Wild Juchten. I had been interested in trying one but heard that they had been discontinued, so when I saw one on WCS while browsing 2inch I snatched it up. I think it’s great but the linen is a bit tame.

 

[HVenture138]

So after breaking down my stroping stroke (does stroping have one p or two?) I realized that I have somewhat of a sweeping motion to my stroke and tend to snap the razor when changing directions. I think that this led to me sort of pivoting the blade - that is to say kicking the toe forward and the heel back - on my turn at the bottom of the strop where I have the most trouble with cuts. Almost like a whole helicopter blade moving forward while one side retreats (in this case the heel retreating). And doing the inverse at the top of the strop, though to a lesser degree. My solution.... keep the blade perpendicular at all times. Which I’ve found I really have to mindful of to do.
But this is one of the things I really like about straight razors, they Insist on focus and follow through.

 

[Alum of Potash]

It’s a Herold Wild Juchten. I had been interested in trying one but heard that they had been discontinued, so when I saw one on WCS while browsing 2inch I snatched it up. I think it’s great but the linen is a bit tame.

A last piece of Wild Juchten. Lucky you. Load some of the Herold white paste on the linen side, if it doesn't have it already. Might pick things up a bit.