How to Sharpen a Straight Razor With a Strop

If you want to shave the old-fashioned way using a straight razor, you'll have to take care of your razor the old-fashioned way as well. That caretaking process includes stropping. Stropping, or running the blade along a leather strap, is necessary because shaving actually bends the fine edge of your straight razor. Over time the blade will become dull. The stropping process realigns the blade so you can keep using it over and over again.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Straight razor
• Strop

Using the Linen/Cotton Side of the Strop

1. Attach an end of the strop to a fixed object, with the linen or cotton side turned upward. Stropping on the linen or cotton side will help you reshape the metal when you use the leather side.

2. Pull the strop tight using your non-writing hand.

3. Hold the blade horizontally, with the cutting edge of the blade turned away from you.

4. Pull the blade along the strop toward you.

5. Turn the blade over, so the cutting edge of the blade faces toward you.

6. Push the blade along the strop away from you.

7. Repeat steps 3-6.

Using the Leather Side of the Strop

8. Hold the blade horizontally, with the cutting edge of the blade turned away from you.

9. Pull the blade along the strop toward you.

10. Turn the blade over, so the cutting edge of the blade faces toward you.

11. Push the blade along the strop away from you.

12. Repeat steps 1-4.

Tips & Warnings

• If your strop doesn't have a linen or cotton backing, you can run the razor under hot water instead. Before you use your strop, condition it using strop conditioner. The strop should need reconditioning every 3 to 4 months. Only the strop leather needs conditioning---do not add conditioning to the linen or cotton. You can use a thin layer of abrasive paste on your strop, but it can be hard to apply the paste correctly.

Resources

• MenEssentials--Straight Razors