Pressure SR on the strop
- Thread starter Loca92
- Start date
You really don't want to use any pressure, especially when you're just starting out. Slowly draw the razor across the leather, spine leading/edge trailing, keeping both spine and edge on the leather. Don't worry about the sounds you hear other guys make zipping their razors back and forth with seemingly reckless abandon. You'll be able to do that soon enough, but only after a whole bunch of practice. Like shaving, good stropping requires good muscle memory, which only comes with practice. Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #3
So basically, i just use the weight of the razor? And does the strop need to remain tight or a little bit of slack. In the video's it looks like they bend a little when they do the passes
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Weight of the razor is fine. Hold it taut, but don't worry if there's some slack. The amount of slack is a matter of preference, imo.
I’m also learning. I watched the video by Lynn. He said tight strop, very light pressure stroke. His strop bends pretty significantly during the strop.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Your strop sags under light stropping pressure more than you realize. Nevertheless you don't need to haul back with all your might on the strop. This will only hasten any tendency to cupping and result in little if any increase in performance. Try pulling back with about twice the weight of your arm, and yeah, just a tiny bit more than the weight of the razor on the strop. Some strops have a bit more draw, or grab, and may need slightly more pressure to keep the razor under control while you are learning. If the razor skips or digs, pull tighter and increase pressure slightly. It may help if you hand rub the strop before stropping, or it might not. Try it both ways. Don't apply any strop dressing of any kind to a strop that shows no signs of drying out, and even then only a few drops rubbed in with the palm of the hand. Use a bit of an X stroke even if the strop is wide. It also helps if you swap ends once in a while, which is one reason I usually toss the fabric component (IMHO it does nothing that the leather alone can't do) and put a "D" ring on each end instead of one of those silly clip thingies.
The lighter the pressure you can apply and the tighter you can pull the strop, within reason, the less negative impact stropping will have on a well honed edge. If the edge actually could use a refresh, then possibly increasing the sag a tiny bit by pulling more gently will enable you to get a couple more shaves in, but you must still use light pressure on the razor.
The lighter the pressure you can apply and the tighter you can pull the strop, within reason, the less negative impact stropping will have on a well honed edge. If the edge actually could use a refresh, then possibly increasing the sag a tiny bit by pulling more gently will enable you to get a couple more shaves in, but you must still use light pressure on the razor.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thank you for the clear explanation! I'll keep it in mind the next time
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I personally hold a strop taunt but not white knuckle taunt, a hanging strop will give some as you strop like it flexes from the downward pressure, as far as pressure goes you don’t want to really push the blade down into the leather as this will cause problems but the whole weight of blade thing has to be taken with a grain of salt, I personally don’t believe that you would acoumplish much just letting the blade rest flatly on the leather as you use almost no pressure as some pressure has to be used to allow the leather to polish the edge so for me I have not way to measure pressure but figure I use about a pound of downward pressure maybe but like I said I have no way to measure the pressure I use so I gage the pressure on how the edge shaves and the sound of the blade as it’s being drawn over the leather.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
A pound doesn't sound excessive to me. I let the razor and about a finger's weight do the work, for me. My usual strop has more glide than draw so a razor travels very smoothly on it. My #2 strop has a bit more draw and I probably use an extra finger weight or two on it, without really thinking about it, because it will drag and skip on occasion if I get too light. Both are fairly large strops and I go 50 or 60 laps on either one and notice no perceptible difference in the shave from one to the other.
JUST the weight of the razor, you might be right, it might not be enough, but I will have to try it some day, yeah. Could be it would work with slightly less tension on the strop and more laps, I don't know. Maybe it would work anyway, with no change in technique. I will try it some time, maybe. But my usual stropping I don't really think about too much... at this point in my shaving career it is kind of like how do I belch or how do I yawn or scratch an itch or adjust myself discreetly in public... done so routinely that I don't really analyze it very much or consciously direct the process as I do it. I think it is probably the same for most shavers a year or more into the game, but for a beginner it does raise a basketful of questions.
@Slash McCoy you are correct, I actually don’t honestly pay much attention to how much pressure I apply as I go by feel as in draw.
All the strops I currently have are all pretty fast, not glassy mind you but very little draw in my opinion, the one with the most is a oil tanned, I find a glassy strop not good for me as it tends to allow the razor to get going to fast and run the risk of cutting it, the less than full hollows I have due tend to drag more I believe this is do to more blade in contact with the leather so with these I use the strop that has the lightest/fastest draw.
My stropping does not consist much more than 30-40 laps on leather on the preshave and 20 each on linen and leather on the post, I feel the linen just aids in drying the blade before hitting the leather, I have done as much as 100 laps on leather for the preshave and honestly don’t feel a difference in the shave.
see thas what im having issue with. a lot of the great shavers and honers strop it makes this very distinct sound that i dont have a name foe. but i dont ever get that sound. but today i tried something different than just stropping standardly and i got much greater efficiency and comfort. so i do believe sounds matter. especially how it sounds. before today i was stropping and gwtting little to no sound and what i did get was hard to dfistinguish to see if i was getting equal pressure
I've got the gold medal for ineffective stropping! I had the motion down for a long time but not the pressure and then one day, in a fit of frustration I tried to strop purposely with more pressure. I was in fix it or break it all the way mode, and a little angry. Boy was I surprised. I'd been giving my strops butterfly kisses when I should have been giving it hickeys. Man am I glad I got that squared away.
To each his own, but I strop the **** out of my razors. I learned right away that playing nice was wasting time. I hold strop firm and lap firmer. I make 30-50 medium passes on cotton/denim/firehouse or whatever cotton I feel the need for, then 100 or so on some combo of horse or steer and finish on Buffalo. Thats what works for me. After a shave I usually go to Denim with 30-40 laps. None of my stop laps is as light as a pound, I would hate to guess, but it’s way more than that.
I don’t use pastes are anything like that so I won’t speak on that.
As I said, to each his own, if butterfly wings is your thing and it works, keep doing it.
I don’t use pastes are anything like that so I won’t speak on that.
As I said, to each his own, if butterfly wings is your thing and it works, keep doing it.
A lot depends on the type of razor. A full hollow will do better with less pressure than a half hollow or a wedge. Generally the correct amount of pressure is one and one half the weight of the razor. It’s important to apply enough tension to the strop to keep it from sagging. And make sure if you’re using a double strop to hold both together as one will act as a cushion and support to the other.
Ultimately you will need to experiment with each razor using varying amounts of pressure to see which works best for you and the razor. It may also depend on the type of strop you use. A thick and heavy Russia type strop may do better with heavier razors 6/8’s and wider. Shell strops may give better results on full hollows of any width and with a lighter touch.
It goes on and on…
Oh BTW, don’t worry about sound. Every strop/ razor combo will make a different sound. Some razors, like one of my TIs, rings while stropping on any strop, but especially on a shell strop. Some razors make very little sound while stropping, and some go zip zip zip.
Ultimately you will need to experiment with each razor using varying amounts of pressure to see which works best for you and the razor. It may also depend on the type of strop you use. A thick and heavy Russia type strop may do better with heavier razors 6/8’s and wider. Shell strops may give better results on full hollows of any width and with a lighter touch.
It goes on and on…
Oh BTW, don’t worry about sound. Every strop/ razor combo will make a different sound. Some razors, like one of my TIs, rings while stropping on any strop, but especially on a shell strop. Some razors make very little sound while stropping, and some go zip zip zip.
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