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Chromium oxide strop paste2/26/2024 ![]() No razor is absolutely perfect, and I believe the x-pattern imparts a better edge to the razor. Only a perfectly straight razor will lay perfectly flat. Use too little pressure and the edge may come off the strop this is both ineffective and increases the risk of damage to your strop.Įven though your strop may be wide enough to accommodate the entire blade, stropping in an X-pattern is advised. _|_ As you can see, this dulls the edge and cuts your strop. Rolling the edge happens when the edge is perpendicular to the strop and you drag it across the leather. ![]() Any more pressure and you run the risk of cutting into the strop or rolling the edge. The pressure required is enough pressure to keep the spine and edge of the razor on the strop. This way, the edge will be off the strop when you stop the razor and start to go the opposite direction. To reduce the danger of cutting into the strop, start turning the razor before stopping completely. Below is an illustration showing you how to make an x-stroke motion.įlipping the blade presents the greatest danger of nicking the strop. A straight stropping motion will not work with curved blades. If you have a 3″ strop, you can strop straight, but I still prefer an X-Pattern to ensure the blade contact. The idea behind stropping is to strop in an X-Pattern so that the entirety of the blade comes into contact with the leather. After you watch the video below, I’ll talk about some of the finer points of stropping. But I’ve found this great video that shows you how to do it. There is no such thing as over-stropping, but your arm will get tired, and you could roll the edge. The 100 passes can be made up from any combination of cotton, linen, and leather. The recommended number of strops is also a personal preference, but I have found that the best results come from at least 100 back and forth passes. If you have a cloth component, you strop on that side first. I do not believe a paddle strop is worse than a hanging strop, but all the best strops are hanging. A paddle strop is easier for beginners to use due to its rigidity. I use a hanging strop for storage reasons. The final option you can decide upon is whether to buy a hanging or paddle strop. The better the quality of the cloth, the better the edge more on this later. The quality of the cotton and linen also makes a huge difference, so make sure you buy from a quality source. Nylon does not work very well, so I only recommend cotton or linen. Modern options include cotton, linen, and nylon. However, the cloth component provides many advantages and is highly recommended. This part is not absolutely necessary, and to be honest, you could just use old jeans or your current jeans and strop on your thigh. The next thing you need to decide on is the cloth component. In the end, it doesn’t make a huge difference, but the strop leather does influence the edge more on this later. You must decide what properties you want in your strop. ![]() The most popular leathers in order of draw amount are: buffalo, latigo/bridle, regular, horsehide, and cordovan. Some leathers have a lot of drag (aka draw), others have none. When you are ready to purchase your first real strop, you have to decide which type of leather you want. Of course, actual strops provide some advantages, but you’re going to damage your first strop, so don’t pay a lot of money for it. You can use a belt, a strip of leather from Tandy Leather, or a real strop. Now, you don’t really need to buy an expensive leather strop, you don’t even need to buy an actual strop. The best results come from stropping on leather. ![]() The truth is, you can get pretty “ok” results stropping on rolled up newspaper and/or your hand. You don’t need a fancy strop, but you should want one eventually. Great stropping technique is the difference between a mediocre shave and a great shave. Different stropping leathers will also put the final finishing touch on the razor’s edge after honing. Much more important than honing, stropping will keep your razor sharp for many months. Stropping is the single most important skill you must learn as a straight razor user. Stropping: How to Strop and What You Need
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