How am I nicking my strop?

foundlingofdollar · 07-06-2008, 06:28 AM

I have a used strop, it came to me with 2-3 little nicks in it. Today I took a close look, and it seems that I've added a few. These aren't sections of missing leather, but rather just little slices into the edge, mostly at the bottom of the strop. My question is how in the world am I nicking my strop? It just doesn't make sense to me. Watching my motion, as near as I can tell the blade isn't moving away from the spine at any point.

How do nicks in strops happen? What am I doing wrong?

KenS · 07-06-2008, 06:32 AM

Are you nicking it when you turn the blade over at the end of a stroke? I think that's pretty common.
Ken.

Blazed Monkey · 07-06-2008, 06:43 AM

I had a problem when I first started stopping, much like you are describing. At the end of my outstroke, I would flip my blade the proper way, but for some reason, it would still slide forward and nick the strop.

I found it to be a case of trying to go too fast. You have to develop the muscle memory with stropping so that you don't nick it with your blade, before you start going quicker.

Nickelking · 07-06-2008, 06:43 AM

And are you positive that the spine is staying on the leather?

psdarby · 07-06-2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blazed Monkey

I had a problem when I first started stopping, much like you are describing. At the end of my outstroke, I would flip my blade the proper way, but for some reason, it would still slide forward and nick the strop.

I found it to be a case of trying to go too fast. You have to develop the muscle memory with stropping so that you don't nick it with your blade, before you start going quicker.

+1. I'd recommend slowing down a bit. Most nicks occur when flipping the blade over.

Patrick

hoglahoo · 07-06-2008, 08:09 AM

slow down and don't press so hard

Ockham · 07-06-2008, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

slow down and don't press so hard

+1 on that. I had the same issues when beginning to strop, and I realised that I sometime incline slightly my hand holding the strop to the left or to the right and that my strop and my razor are not absolutely parallel; or that I didn't draw the strop tight enough... but with the practice it will come.

AFDavis11 · 07-06-2008, 01:23 PM

Are you stopping the motion at any point? That does it too.

netsurfr · 07-06-2008, 01:40 PM

I was wondering about this myself at one time. I was nicking my strop a bit. I found that when rolling the blade I actually needed to start the stropping motion and this prevents the blade from slipping forward. I guess this is another way of saying what AFDavis said.

zuul · 07-06-2008, 07:43 PM

but, is there a way to recondition or refinish the leather? i haven't screwed it up yet, but just in case!

shuredgefan · 07-06-2008, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Are you stopping the motion at any point? That does it too.

Yeah, roll the edge off the strop before you reach the end of each stroke.

foundlingofdollar · 07-06-2008, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netsurfr

I was wondering about this myself at one time. I was nicking my strop a bit. I found that when rolling the blade I actually needed to start the stropping motion and this prevents the blade from slipping forward. I guess this is another way of saying what AFDavis said.

Thanks, I suspect this could be it. I am going very slow with pretty much a hard stop and start. I will try rolling the blade and beginning my stroke before the edge touches the leather. I may also be having some trouble with keeping the strop level.

AFDavis11 · 07-06-2008, 08:49 PM

Thats it! This is why I only do two shows a night!

The razor should be turned and the opposing stroke direction begun before the blade touches down. The blade can never, ever stop on the strop.

thebigspendur · 07-07-2008, 12:09 AM

I never actually nicked my strops but in my earlier shaving days I was apparently doing too exaggerated an X motion and was dragging the shank along the strop so I was getting these scratches at the top and bottom of the strop. Once I realized that it stopped happening.

PuFFaH · 07-08-2008, 09:15 PM

I would suggest that you are twisting the strop. Tension at the held end can make the edge of the strop nearest to you, twist up leading to the "flip" for the next stroke hitting this bit first. Make sure the strop stays edge parallel. Uneven pressure across the razor while stropping will tend to twist the strop so that the hook end dips away if too much toe and visaversa. Tension also has to be even through both edges of the strop also as this can lead to edge bias on the strop as well.

PuFF