Thread: Please critique my stropping

Can't critique that! There's not enough evidence! I can't find a single nick in that strop!! Looking good, +1 on the x stroke. Keep having fun!!

Regards,

Howard

Less wrist motion will give you better control but so far so good. You can use a toothbrush to practice the flip. No need to use the razor.
I'd also move the strop right to the edge of the table. Don't want to hit the bench if you slip off the leather.

Looks pretty good. No stopping though. Get that razor on the move-on in the other direction as soon as it starts flipping. You've got a pretty good, semi-disciplined pattern going on.

Its good to hear that I'm not doing anything overtly wrong. After this morning's shave, I went ahead and hung the strop and used it the "normal way" and didn't have any issues... even got the x pattern down a little better. Now I'm just waiting on my razor from Whipped Dog to get here. I had been using a razor that I purchased from Larry, but I smacked it on the sink Wednesday morning and ruined the edge. So I sent it back and traded for another one. In the meantime I'm using a razor that's been borrowed from a friend, however after using it twice I've come to the conclusion that it isn't shave-ready like I was told. I even tried a pasted balsa plank to see if that would help out and it hasn't.

and so the next acquisition appears over the horizon... a stone

The rabbit hole only gets deeper, doesn't it?

...as the mad hatter puffs merrily away on his pipe... or was that the caterpillar?

You look fine to me, particularly as you are in the early stages of the learning process. Don't worry about a linear X pattern. If your style naturally gravitates toward a windscreen wiper action (like an arc on the strop) that is fine - in fact that is my preferred stroke. I find it ergonomic and effective, and a lot more controllable.

James.