The Pre and Post-Shave stropping question...

Discussion in 'Straight Razors' started by Rusty blade, May 18, 2021.

  1. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    I know, I know...its been asked a million times. And yet there seems to be no consensus on what is the appropriate number of laps to strop a razor pre and post shave. And I see all kinds of combinations...leather, linen, pasted strops, balsa strops, palms, newspaper, old jeans etc. The sky is the limit. And as for the number of each to lap...roll the dice and see what comes up. It is the ultimate YMMV question.

    But my question this time is more along the lines of what is a reasonable pre and post stropping routine....or perhaps more specifically what is the minimum stropping routine to get a nice edge. For me, I do 50 laps on leather pre and 10 laps on linen post. I get great shaves. I could probably cut the number down even further but I am curious if there are any ideas on what is the reasonable minimum for stropping.

    What are your thoughts?
     
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  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    I don't over think it.
    Pre-shave: 25-30 on the linen, 50-60 on the leather.
    Works for me. I'm happy.
     
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  3. Karl G

    Karl G Well-Known Member

    Post shave only - 35 on linen, perhaps 5 or 10 on paste, sometimes 10 or so on suede, and 65 on leather. The 35/65 comes from piggybacking off of @Steve56 observations from his stropping experiment with one of his Filly’s. The paste laps seem to help maintain a nice edge, and the suede, well, I don’t know, I’ve just starting trying it out, not sure it matters. :sport026:
     
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  4. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    I wonder if @gssixgun would care to weigh in on this question: what is the lowest numbers for stropping (and what material) required to prep a blade?
     
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  5. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    If it works for you, then stick with it.

    I do 10 on a pasted FeO3 strop, then 20 on linen and 50+ on leather pre shave. After shave 20 on linen to dry the blade. I tried lots of different combinations. This one seems to extend the life between touch ups.
     
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  6. gssixgun

    gssixgun At this point in time...

    Supporting Vendor

    Sure - There is NO right answer :)

    Look at this logically, there are just too many variables involved here to every be a right answer

    This is what I post everywhere and recommend on my honing letter I send home with razors

    Pre-Shave = Start with 25 Linen/ Material and 50 Leather adjust up or down as you progress in this hobby

    Post shave = after drying the razor as best you can strop 10 times linen and place the razor in a SAFE place, OPEN until the next day...
     
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  7. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    Thanks for this Glen. I value your input. I generally have not used linen pre-shave....only leather. I tend to use linen only for post shave to ensure a dry edge. I will, however, give this pre-shave linen /leather routine a try.
     
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  8. gssixgun

    gssixgun At this point in time...

    Supporting Vendor
    Try things and adjust to suit yourself

    I tend to do more "Linen" on heavier blades especially Sheffield blades I honed on my Coticule and less on the finer grinds, zero on my Kamisori

    SR shaving is the most comfortable type of shave, because it is infinitely adjustable to each person's face.
    SR shaving to the most difficult to master, because it is infinitely adjustable to each person's face.

    LOL gssixgun ca 2009 and still true today :p
     
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  9. Steve56

    Steve56 Hone Hoarder

    It might be good to think about what stropping does.

    1. It cleans the bevel
    2. It straightens and reforms the edge
    3. It can sharpen, linen and pastes

    I usually do most of my stropping post shave because I want to get the ‘housekeeping’ chores out of the way, cleaning and drying the bevel and reforming the edge. Usually this is 10-30 strokes on linen or suede and about 65 on leather.

    Victor (blueman7, a knife and razor maker) advocates stropping before shaving if the razor has set a while, so if that’s the case, I do a quick 15-20 on leather before the shave.
     
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  10. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Trying Glen's advice to take 10 laps on the linen after drying the razor. We'll see how it goes.
     
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  11. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    Me, I usually do 35 linen, 35 leather, post shave. Then, around 15 leather, preshave. Keeps everything tip top.
     
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  12. Mike-R41

    Mike-R41 Well-Known Member

    Great advice! I’m very new to straight razors and I do 10-15 on the cotton webbing side than 35-50 on leather before and after the shave . I might change it to see if I prefer something else
     

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