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How to dull an edge by stropping?

I love threads like this--really any that both try to explain what's actually going on when we hone/strop, and, help dispel the old wives' tales about same.

I agree about the bad ad copy posts--they read like adverts.:thumbdown: Or the dogma about use of slurry--that has become a huge annoyance for me ever since discovering the world of Jnats (and coticules!). Really interesting that the same people who mocked the idea of the dilucot when it first came out are now saying that you should always finish on plain water (or dilute!) when using naturals--all naturals, including those that don't play so nice with just water on them. Bit of a shift, no?

I've tried my Kiita w/ just water & it was ungodly harsh--using THICK slurry like Jim's barber recommends, it gives me fantastic (almost coticule-smooth, ultra-sharp) edges. Many on other forums are saying they use thin slurry & then dilute or just 10-15 strokes on plain water & get the same results. (?!):confused: They either have very unusual stones that work well on water only or they finish on paste, which would probably smooth out the harshness, methinks. Same thing on the Escher--most were saying "use water only for best results". I tried that on my barber's vintage Thuringians (think one was an Escher for sure) & the edges were nothing to write home about at all. I suspect some use of slurry would yield better results.

Honestly, I think a lot of these honemeisters are making the mistake of using techniques that work well on synthetics, and trying to relate those same techniques to naturals. Different world entirely, I've found. No doubt some will buy an expensive natural, try a few strokes on water only, get a harsh, not really all that sharp edge, think it's a bad stone, & then buy something else being sold on one of these forums instead. All because they were explicitly told not to do what would give them the best edges. I remember thinking my Kiita was a dud until I tried Jim's method exactly as he outlines it. Only then did I get edges I was really happy with. I'm sure others are in a similar boat.

I apologize if this is WAYYYY off topic, since it has almost nothing to do w/ stropping, but I felt I had to mention this, in light of what others have said here about shaving dogma.
 
Erik,
your entire post made me smile, because I've been there and got wind up about the same things as you. Thank god, someone decided to pull the plug and ban me. That really put me out of my misery...:D
I'm going to quote one fragment of your excellent post, just to enjoy it once more. By the way: nevermind off topic, it's not as if anyone cares in these kind of converstations...:)

PA23-250 said:
Honestly, I think a lot of these honemeisters are making the mistake of using techniques that work well on synthetics, and trying to relate those same techniques to naturals. Different world entirely, I've found. No doubt some will buy an expensive natural, try a few strokes on water only, get a harsh, not really all that sharp edge, think it's a bad stone, & then buy something else being sold on one of these forums instead. All because they were explicitly told not to do what would give them the best edges.

deighaingeal said:
I still haven't touched my BBW because of this. (I do not own a coti yet as I am still a student and do not have the funding.) I might start a thread about this if I ever get over myself.
Gerrit, do start that thread and we will tell you a few secrets about the BBW.

Kind regards, and welcome to Coticule.be,
Bart.
 
Back to the OP: I don't think the problem is as much about ruining the edge as it is not maintaining it very well due to ineffectual stropping technique. While I have ruined the edge on a razor or two, it was quite obvious how it happened.
 
Excellent thread! I use three strops, I never use them all at once, but I always finish on the smooth as shit horse-hide. Sometimes I forget and strop a full hollow on my russian leather (I use it only for wedges) and the suction causes me to raise the spine. Ive done this quite a few times on accident and I can say that doing it once doesn't have any effect on the edge. Doing it repeatedly might play out a little different!
 
I, too, use two strops for every session. Off the stone I use a Dovo with the V type linen and then the brushed, slightly nappy leather. From there I can get very noticeable improvement on the smooth side of the Katayama. I don't just use the Katayama because I am a little leery of the harsh feel of the linen and I still have that new umbrella phobia with the smooth side. After spending 30 minutes producing an edge I would hate to mess it on the Kat linen. This makes no sense since I sharpen for fun anyway. (Bart, you don't know how hard it was for me to dull my first razor on a bottle neck.) Is there a technique for sanding the Katayama linen or a break in procedure that is not heretic?

Another off subject--I have several stones, bouts and squares, that I am still evaluating. I am going to send a couple to Ray after a little vacation. One is especially interesting in that it has a cracked, lined surface; makes dark slurry very quickly, but finishes with an edge I can actually shave with. This might be normal for you pros, but it is very exciting to me. Should that be a new thread or...?
 
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