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Stropping the Night Before vs the Morning of the Shave?

In the spirit of doing something by Close of Business vs First Thing in the Morning: is there any difference between stropping the SR you intend to use the next morning before heading to bed, versus stropping said razor right before the shave? I've started stropping the evening before a shave because: my coordination and dexterity is better than in the morning (don't want to nick a new strop), to cut down on the noise (I'm usually up and moving before my wife and I normally hang the strop from the bathroom door handle, requiring the door to be open), I have my hearing aids in at night so I can hear the sound of the blade on the strop. It's slight, but it does shortens the morning shave time slightly. I can attach the strop to other points in the bathroom, but the mechanics are off (door handle is waist-high). My reasoning for there not being an issue stropping the night before, is that if you send a razor out to be honed, common practice is to not strop it before its first use. I haven't noted a difference between an edge that's stropped the evening before vs the morning of, I'm just curious if there's a valid reason why one wouldn't want to strop the night prior to the shave (other than habit). Thoughts?
 
i recall some members doing a stropping session at the start of the week - stropping a weeks worth of razors ahead of time and favoring the time spent in such a way. I like to strop before i shave, kind of one activity for me. This is for practical reasons around my time and not for any preference to the edge (i dont know if it makes a difference for me).
 
No reason not to, sometimes it's nice to just grab the razor and go when you're rushed in the morning. Sometimes if I've honed and stropped a razor but don't get to shaving with it for a couple weeks, I'll do 10-20 licks on leather just to make sure there's no micro-oxidation on the bevel. But I can't think that would be an issue overnight under normal conditions.
 
No idea if there's a right or wrong way, but I strop my razors later in the day that I've shaved with them, so they go away ready for the next shave..
 
If there is a difference, that would also imply that there is some residual stress that changes the edge after a resting period.
I always strop before and after a shave. It probably doesn't make any difference. I just like the ritual.
I have been wondering the same thing.
For some reason razors that have been laying idle for a while seem to be performing worse then I remember when I used them the last time.
Don't know why. Poor memory maybe.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I haven't noticed any difference in shave quality from stropping after a shave verses stropping just before a shave.

Physically there is a difference. Most metals start building up a layer of their oxide on their surface immediately they come in contact with air. The thickness of this oxide layer can increase with time. Stropping just before a shave can help remove this oxide layer.
 
For the last year or so I strop immediately after the morning shave, and then at lunch time or during a work break in the afternoon. No noticable difference in the feel of the shave from when I used to strop immediately before the shave. Yes, there may be an additional nanometer thickness of oxide, but I can't feel it.

Strop when you want. If it's within a week of using it you'll be absolutely fine.
 
I haven't noticed any difference for when I strop. I now strop before and after my shaves, usually with two different strops.
 
Look at the bevels and edge before stropping with magnification.

You should strop after shaving, on linen to clean the blade and edge. No matter how well I clean the blade, (damp microfiber) there is always micro bits of soap, hair, skin, blood and water on the bevel and edge. This begins to oxidize/rust and attack the steel, first at the weakest point, the edge.

Stropping on linen will remove the schmutz. It will also prevent it from attaching to your “pristine” leather strop and causing even more issues when you strop on leather. Stropping on leather will also polish and straighten the actual cutting edge.

The effects of stropping, are way under rated, especially linen.

Once the bevels and edge are clean and properly stropped there should be no ill effects from stropping the night before, or immediately after shaving and shaving the following morning. But there can be in letting all the contaminates rest on the blade all day and for some all night long.
 
Agree, stropping on linen doesn't seem to be talked about much -- I always do a single hand strop on each side after a shave to dry the blade and get any large particles off, followed by 10-15 on linen and then ~15-20 on leather and then a thin layer of mineral oil before putting them away in another room (i.e., not the bathroom). I'll wipe the oil off before stropping on leather before a shave, whether its evening before, morning of.
 
I don't have any issue stropping many at once and coming back to use them. I would imagine unless they are in high humidity or something it wouldn't cause an issue.
 
I don't think it makes any difference when you strop, as long as you do. I always strop straight after shaving so that way I know it's done.
 
I strop after shaving - a couple dozen on leather or linen - to clean the blade, not as pre-shave prep. I like to think this gets moisture off all the way to the edge.
My blade preparation for shaving - always right before shaving, maybe sometimes 5 minutes before if i jump into a shower :c9:
 
I strop before and after each shave. I do ten laps with extremely light pressure. There was a time when I would go 40 laps or more with a bit more pressure. But I have learned that stropping does not make up for poor honing. So it's just ten laps before and after to help straighten the edge.
 
I shave in the morning. Afterwards, I strop on linen 30 laps. Oil the blade.
Before I go to bed, I wipe off the blade, strop on leather 70 times. Oil the blade.
 
That's a lot of stropping on leather. I'm not sure it is all that helpful, other than providing a feeling of confidence. I say that because I think 70 laps is a bit extensive.
 
That's a lot of stropping on leather. I'm not sure it is all that helpful, other than providing a feeling of confidence. I say that because I think 70 laps is a bit extensive.
I'll pare it down to 15 linen, 15 leather after the shave and see how it goes.
 
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