when am i done? stropping? looking for what i should be feeling when stropping

[Staggers and Jags]

what are some tactile hints and feed back i should get wehn stroppin a razor to klnow when its done. im making some correlations with hopw it feels with the draw and when its finished but im unsure if thats quite the way it is. ive noticed also that doing the traditional ammounts of stropping laps may not get me where i need to be. one of the things ive noticedd is if i pull the strop hard and really push down on the razor on it some how i get a good shaving edge but that hurts my hand and cant be good either for the strop or razor. im looking for some things i should be feeling for when stropping to know when its finished also amout of pressure seems to stay quite steayd at what i need to get the best edge possible which is always a good bit more than i think i9 should be using
!

 

[PintoPlain]

I usually use enough tightness on the strop to keep it taut, with a bit of give. I also use enough pressure on the razor. Not so much that I'm pressing hard on the strop, but enough pressure that the edge is in contact throughout the pass. Probably doesn't make sense, but I don't know how else to describe it.

The number of laps I do varies depending on the razor. Some razors need more laps than others. I tend to determine the number of laps by sound, but I only figured it out by experience. I started paying attention when doing 60 or 70 laps on leather and listening for the change. It is very subtle and easy to miss. Now some of my razors only need a dozen laps while others are close to 50 or more.

I can't really feel a difference when stropping, but can tell when shaving if I haven't stropped enough. If that happens, I clean the blade and go back to the leather. Then rewet the lather and try again.

Sorry if it seems confusing, but that's what works for me.

 

[duke762]

Having only recently mastered stropping, the thing that drove the point home for me was using magnification to see if my apex was all cleaned up. I haven't developed the feel totally to the point that I trust it. Usually about 50 laps does the trick unless I was lax on apex clean up on the finisher. Lax on the finisher is not desirable but small, apex sparkles can be cleaned up on the strop.

 

[duke762]

See my thread, I Blamed Everything for My Troubles: pt2

 

[Staggers and Jags]

Having only recently mastered stropping, the thing that drove the point home for me was using magnification to see if my apex was all cleaned up. I haven't developed the feel totally to the point that I trust it. Usually about 50 laps does the trick unless I was lax on apex clean up on the finisher. Lax on the finisher is not desirable but small, apex sparkles can be cleaned up on the strop.

what should it look like. when stropping and i look at it with a loup afterwards i see a black line on the edge opn both sides at the very tip

 

[duke762]

Apex sparkles. They show up really well with my $10 Carson scope. It lights from the top and high lights them.

 

[Honedright]

The traditional barber’s “test” is to moisten the pad of the thumb, then touch the edge of the blade from heel to point a small portion at a time. You are seeking the sensation of the edge sticking to your thumb. This is done very lightly, gently, and carefully so as to not actually slice into the thumb. Just enough so that the edge feels like it’s sticking. Additionally the sensation should have a smooth quality. If the sticky sensation is accompanied by a rough sensation, then more stropping is required. This method requires a lot of practice to develop the sensation of what a correctly stropped edge should feel like. You can use this periodically while stropping to see if you’re in the ballpark, or getting close. Finally, try shaving. That is the ultimate test. But the thumb test, once learned, is a quick way to monitor your progress. Once you have achieved an edge that shaves well, you may be able to correlate a certain number of stropping laps that will maintain the edge where you want it. But the thumb test still comes in handy if you’re in doubt.

And all of this, of course, depends on whether or not the edge was first correctly honed.

Fun stuff!

 

[Southbound1]

I learned a lot from this video when i first started. Bart Torfs masterfully stropping with friction/speed.

 

[Honedright]

I learned a lot from this video when i first started. Bart Torfs masterfully stropping with friction/speed.

It looks as though he is reaching out and over the strop from its end. I suppose this is OK if you are used to stropping this way, but I would find it very awkward. Especially the away stroke at it’s terminus. By attaching the strop to a point in front of you that is slightly below waist level, and then pulling the end up and to your side, at or slightly above waist level, (in other words standing directly next to and over the strop) I think you have better access to, and better control of, the strop as well as control of the razor without having to reach out to one end of the strop.

 

[Southbound1]

I a

It looks as though he is reaching out and over the strop from its end. I suppose this is OK if you are used to stropping this way, but I would find it very awkward. Especially the away stroke at it’s terminus. By attaching the strop to a point in front of you that is slightly below waist level, and then pulling the end up and to your side, at or slightly above waist level, (in other words standing directly next to and over the strop) I think you have better access to, and better control of, the strop as well as control of the razor without having to reach out to one end of the strop.

Myself i don't strop with it directly in front on me, i stand to the side. My strop is waist height . I agree with your assessment.I just incorporated his way of flipping the razor and not bending the wrist and the x-stroke, and the speed. I don't encourage anyone to use speed until they get comfortable. Because they will eat up a strop bad. But Imo speed equals (moment) more (think carpet burn) friction and i go fast. Its just how i learned.

 

[Honedright]

I agree that speed can have a beneficial effect once your technique is practiced enough to allow it. A slower stropping stroke allows time for variation in pressure, angle, etc. on both sides of the blade. A faster stroke can be much more uniform which is the goal of stropping.

 

[duke762]

It seems a lot of things in straight razor maintenance depend on feel. I can feel when I'm done on my hone but not my strop. I don't think my hands are capable of developing a lot of the different feels for things. They've seen too much rough action over the years. I don't trust my eyes very much anymore either. I lean on magnification like a crutch.....But I've learned from it!

 

[Roughkype]

I just do it by count, 50 on linen and 70 on leather. Pressure should be minimal. If you hang a half-sheet of newspaper (torn lengthwise and folded to the width of your strop) from a bulldog paperclip, you should be able to strop without it slipping in the clip. If it pulls free, you're holding it too taut and/or pressing too hard.

That edge, though steel, is a microscopic thing and small forces matter.