Rethinking the handleless strop

[ouch]

My recent poll regarding strop handles yielded a mixed bag of opinions, with leather handles, D-rings, and the no handle options all having fans.

Aside from aesthetic considerations, the always astute Phil (luvmysuper) pointed out the phenomenon of hand cramping when using a strop with no handle. This has happened to me, as well, but it has forced me to consider an obvious but for some reason overlooked aspect of stropping- I'm holding the strop too damned tightly. I now find that holding the strop more loosely (though with still sufficient tightness to ensure a flat surface) also allows for a more relaxed grip for my stropping hand. In any event, I'm getting better, and certainly more comfortable, results.

How tight do you hold your strop? Easy peasy or white knuckles?

 

[joshmpdx]

Im certainly guilty of a few too many white knuckles...

However, this is an interesting subject, now that i think about i assume i hold the strops with handles lighter than i do those without to keep the same taughtness.

 

[luvmysuper]

I'm definitely a "white knuckle" guy.

Ok, maybe not white knuckle, but certainly a stronger grip than is probably necessary.

I still struggle to decide if I want to go with the "thumb over" or "whole hand" grip and, at least for me, either way seems awkward, and so I put a little more into it than I need to I'm sure.

I guess my attraction to the D ring handle is that it may allow me not to worry about grip at all.

I'm thinkling you'd just hook the fingers through the ring, and just maintain tension with the arm muscles.

Though I'm still struggling, I'm glad to hear that you've worked out the mechanics of it.

 

[ouch]

I'm far from done.

I think the D-ring would also prevent the cupping that will come with the no handle design, especially if you're a "thumb over" guy, like me.

 

[huracan]

Me too. As I've come to use my handless strops more I noticed the white knuckles.

An added benefit I've found from relaxing the grip is that if my stropping makes the holding hand loose its grip, then I must be slapping the blade down too hard, so it has forced me to concentrate and ease up my whole stropping technique.

I also like holding both components together for better stability and more rigidity on the stropping surface.

 

[thirdeye]

I'm not a big fan of handless strops. I like the D ring more than I like the handle but I moved to a Wacker a will back and really dig it.

 

[ouch]

A whacker? I thought that was something we use to break in new mods.

One thing I do notice about my handleless strop is that it gets a bit crinkly and much drier at the point where I hold my hand. It seems that no amount of neetsfoot is able to make it match the feel of the working area of the strop. It doesn't affect the stropping in the least, but it is something that is noticeable.

 

[azmark]

I've never had issues with plain end strops. I grabe the end of the strop with my index and middle finger in a fist. It is very comfy and you get to use the pretty much the entire strop.

I'll put some pics up soon.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I like D rings best, but I mostly use vintage strops and they mostly come handleless, so I mostly use handleless.

If the strop is in new condition, I hold it tight. If the leather is old and somewhat degraded, I hold it looser, as I can (and have) Ripped chunks off the bottom of a strop (stropping surface smooth, but the end where I grip dry and cracked) by holding it too tight.

 

[huracan]

I'm not a big fan of handless strops. I like the D ring more than I like the handle but I moved to a Wacker a will back and really dig it.

That Wacker strop intrigues me. It looks well engineered to keep from stretching the leather yet offer flex.

So many toys.

 

[huntmol]

I used to hold my strops WAY too tightly, then I realized there's a reason we use hanging strops instead of leather glued to twenty inch wooden planks. Now I use just enough strop to keep the surface flat.

 

[azmark]

Here are a couple of variations I hold my plain end strops.

Picture 1. I just removed the rings off and use the leather as a grip. This works great and really comfortable.

Pictures 2. I use this method 75% of the time. It is extremely comfortable and a natural feel but most importantly the strop stays completely flat as opposed to a grip where the strop will have a tendency to cup.

Picture 3. Use it on my shorter strop I travel with. Still comfortable, use with a closed fist and also as with method 2 the strop stays flat.

Hope this helps folks with plain end strops.

 

[jkh]

Great pics, Mark. I prefer the grip shown in #2 for the same reasons.

 

[professorchaos]

Interesting thread...I have all kinds of strops - handles, handle-less, d-rings, you name it. Regardless of what is attached to the end, I always hold it as if there were no handle. They are purely aesthetic, apparently.

 

[Scotchhound1969]

I'm a handle-less strop owner and i grip it, as shown in azmark's second pic. My hands dont seem to cramp very easily, even with strong pressure/pull.