Thread: Ok I'm getting a little irritated!!!

Alright, I have a brand new/shave ready Dovo that I used once. As soon as I stropped it, after the hundred videos I watched and thousands of threads on stropping, the damn thing is dull. I stropped slow, exactly how everyone explains it, little to no pressure, x pattern, flipped on spine, the same way guys do it in every video I watched!!! What the heck am I doing wrong here?? BTW I have a Dovo Prima Rindleder. I am going to have a hard time thinking this is my technique, seeing that I do it the same way everyone else explains it in threads and shows it on videos!!! Thanks for the help.

if your stropping technique is not proper you can dull the razor just like that.
Too much pressure will roll your edge easily. Fact of the matter is no amount of video material will substitute for practice.
A way of practicing I saw posted by Rayman, is to fold a sheet of paper to 1/2-1" width grab it ~ 3" from the end and strop it while trying to avoid bending the paper. That will give an idea what kind of pressure to use.

Hey thanks for the response and info. I have in fact tried this, and found that I am not using too much pressure. I was aware of the damage too much pressure can do to your blade while stropping by reading all of these threads. Thank you again though

I did the same thing, watched tons of videos, practiced on newspaper for days and mine seemed to dull a bit fast at first too, so I picked up a paddle strop with paste to touch it up. When I started stropping on the paddle it turned out I was holding the razor on the strop a bit heavy to one side.

I wasn't till I had it on something rigid that I realized there was an issue with my stropping technique, even as much as I thought I had the technique correct for sure, I turned out to be wrong.

just a possibility to consider.

Stropping is one of those things that when you watch someone do it it seems like a real no brainer. However there is more to it then meets the eye. You can't really learn by watching a video any more thatn you can learn to drive a car by watching a video of someone driving. You just have to do it. Since you dulled your blade you have now found this out. Usually its either a pressure thing or its the way you lift the blade off the strop. Pressure is very relative and you may think you are using none when in fact you are exerting enough force to cause the problems.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Stropping is one of those things that when you watch someone do it it seems like a real no brainer. However there is more to it then meets the eye. You can't really learn by watching a video any more thatn you can learn to drive a car by watching a video of someone driving. You just have to do it. Since you dulled your blade you have now found this out. Usually its either a pressure thing or its the way you lift the blade off the strop. Pressure is very relative and you may think you are using none when in fact you are exerting enough force to cause the problems.

So true...

You clearly feel that you have your stropping technique down and I'm sure it seems like everyone has jumped in here and told you that you don't. Yet, I think we are all playing the odds here.

We've all heard of and dealt with the trouble of the stropping learning curve, it's very common starting out to have issues stropping (whether you know it or not). However, a dovo with bad metal is nearly unheard of.

It's not that we don't believe you have studied your technique, at the same time I don't want you to think we're just ganging up here.

Ya I guess as much as I hate to admit it, I dont have my stropping down!! Ouch... If I dull my blade by stropping, can I get it shave ready by stropping also? I also have a coticule and chinese water stone too, wasnt sure if I should start out stropping first or not?? Thank you all for the feedback

Good discussion here guys, in my experience and i have been in the stropping dilemma before, i have found the same problems been highlighted here.

The one common factor i have found here...the strop has to be under good tension...

Pressure...me personally, not to gentle, although saying that,the blade i use has a little influence.

I have not noticed anyone mention drag..when a razor is stropped there is a certain amount of drag....i found this by accident one day a good few years ago and it improved the edge...it will suddenly appear and you will notice, however to notice this you must find consistency in your technique, it took me a while....

at the moment for the guy who started this thread practice different numbers of passes, do not be fooled into thinking 30 will do or 40 is enough...i regularly put 50-60 on mine but thats me....not everyone is the same...

The danger as we all know is rolling the edge...take your time you will be fine...enjoy your results, there is always more than one way to skin a cat...

It took me about 8 months to a year to get good at stropping. Hang in there & dont give up-!!!