I got into straight razors a couple months ago. I bought a brand new Dovo strop when I started. I've done nothing to it. I keep reading in these forums about draw. That the strop should feel like it's kind of grabbing the razor. I definitely not getting that feeling. Am I stropping wrong? Do I need to do something to the strop to get it to work right? I've even tried laying my strop on a flat surface and stropping that way to make sure I had the blade flat, no draw. Or am I just not understanding what draw is.
Strop doesn't have any draw
- Thread starter Carlry
- Start date
Draw is the resistance that you feel from the leather when you strop, and you may just have a strop with very light draw. You can add dressings and the like to change that, but its not necessarily a bad thing, I have a Tony Miller red latigo, and it has moderate draw, but I also have an Illinois strop that has very light draw, and honestly I prefer the Illinois strop most of the time. Its definitely a YMMV situation.
You don't HAVE to have draw for the strop to be effective. It's all a personal preference. 
- Thread starter
- #4
Good to hear, I was worried that I was messing it up.
I've got a Tony Miller horse butt strop and it is slicker than baby's snot. Zero draw. As already mentioned, draw is a matter of personal preference, not efficacy.
I prefer strops with less draw. That's just what I like.
Draw is a purely personal preference and has no effect on the edge. As long as your stropping technique is correct, you will get an equally good edge regardless of draw. I happen to like horsehide, which has a very light draw. However, my horsehide strop does not get me a better edge than my other strops with more draw.
The current Tony Miller steerhide strops have no draw at all...and that is how he designs them.
Well, actually the steer itself designed and manufactured the low draw leather, the tannery made the best of it and I simply recognized its attributes and used it for strops
Tony
Well, actually the steer itself designed and manufactured the low draw leather, the tannery made the best of it and I simply recognized its attributes and used it for strops
Tony
And we're all glad you did . . . .
Wow, next thing you will tell us is that Mr. Naomi does not design the horses he uses for his strops either. Some people just are not going to believe that.... 
Brian
Brian
Well, actually the steer itself designed and manufactured the low draw leather, the tannery made the best of it and I simply recognized its attributes and used it for strops
Tony
