Newbie Strop Question

[TimmyBoston]

What the Linen/Canvas side of the strop for?

Is it where the paste stuff is put? :confused:

[moses]

Well, there is an old school habit of putting paste on it. (I remember seeing my grandfather's strop with paste on the linen). But nowadays I usually hear it recommended against.

It seems a little superfluous. There is a theory that it warms up the blade, which softens the metal and makes the stropping more effective.

-Mo

[Suzuki]

Well, there is an old school habit of putting paste on it. (I remember seeing my grandfather's strop with paste on the linen). But nowadays I usually hear it recommended against.

It seems a little superfluous. There is a theory that it warms up the blade, which softens the metal and makes the stropping more effective.

-Mo

The linen/canvas side is really a throwback to days of yore.

The only thing you should put on the linen/canvas side of your strop is chalk or a paste specially designed for this (Dovo makes a white paste for this) - but this is not necessary.

Most folks do it out of habit, but the linen/canvas is, as Moses says, superfluous.

That being said, I still use mine - just part of the ritual.

[Thebigspendur]

I don't think the linen side of the strop is any more or less superfluous than it was years ago. It still does the same thing. I think it better prepares the edge for stropping on leather. Is there any proof of this? No. Like many other things if it works for you, you do it and if it doesn't you don't.

I've never used any paste on my linen. I don't see the advantage to it. Same caveat as what I said above.

[TimmyBoston]

Thanks for the info guys.

[EL Alamein]

This is an old debate that goes back many a decade - to use the linen or lose the linen. In the end you're going to have to make the decision for yourself. As for putting pastes on the linen I would forgo that as it serves the purpose better to have a seperate pasted leather strop.

The linen's primary purpose, as put forth by many a barber and which I embrace, is to prepare the edge for the leather by cleaning it and simultaneously doing the grunt work of aligning the micro-fins of the edge. The leather then further refines the alignment and polishes the edge from there.

To be fair a lot of people reject this and find that the leather is all you need. The only way you're going to know if you like it is to experiment with it's use and non-use. You will come to one opinion or another.

There is also the theory about it heating the edge up which I never accepted. I think also it was pointed out many a year ago on the original Yahoo SRP that there's no way to get the edge near as hot as it needs to be in order to affect the steel with just stropping on linen or even leather. So for me the heat explanation doesn't ring true.

Hope that helps.

Chris

[sphughes]

I use the linen side for ~10 strokes prior to ~20 on the leather. This has always worked well for me. I'm waiting for Tony to weigh in with his thoughts.

-Scott

[joel]

I use the linen side for ~10 strokes prior to ~20 on the leather. This has always worked well for me. I'm waiting for Tony to weigh in with his thoughts.

-Scott

Scott,
Tony and I have talked about this in the past. Our opinions are the same - if we could only have one strop - it would be one of his red latigo strops... with no linen side.

On multiple occassions I have done "tests" by taking 2 of the same razors, honing them up in the same fashion - then using one with leather/linen - and the other JUST leather on the same strop. I did the idential amount of "strops" per razor - the linen/leather I did 10 strops on the linen and 30 on the leather, on the leather only I did 40 strops on the leather. I took turns shaving with the razors - one day the linen/leather razor, the next just the leather stropped razor and I did this for 40 days (20 shaves per razor) and at the end of the test - shaved 1/2 of my face with the linen/leather stropped razor, the other 1/2 of my face with the leather only stropped razor (keep in mind - the SAME strop was used for both razors in the test, so the leather only razor wasn't getting a leg up with a different leather) and I couldn't tell a lick of a difference.

I encourage/invite everyone with a linen/leather strop to do the same, and I think you'll come up with the same result. If there is a difference/benefit in using the linen - it is so marginal it probably isn't worth the time, or additional $ (in purchasing a more expensive strop with 2 sides).

Note: for a barber that would shave quite a few customers in a day, and didn't have the time to carefully wash the blade under water (to get all soap residue off of the blade) and dry off the razor - the linen may have been handy to clean the edge off and prepare it for stropping... but for us hobbyists, and daily shavers, I don't think it makes a difference, or is necessary at all.

Of course, with most things straight razor related, everyone has differing opinions, but so far I have not hear of a single individual stating they actually get superior shaves, or a longer lasting edge using linen & leather versus only leather.

[Tony Miller]

As Joel said he and I are pretty much on the same page here. I will use it a few times a week, mostly out of habit and that I "ought to" use it. I can't say it improves anything. I tend to use 2 types of leather just as often. One with a higher draw, one with a smoother finish.........of course this dual draw, dual leather setup may be doing exactly what the linen does <g>.

When in a hurry it is leather only.

Tony

[izlat]

snip Note: for a barber that would shave quite a few customers in a day, and didn't have the time to carefully wash the blade under water (to get all soap residue off of the blade) and dry off the razor - the linen may have been handy to clean the edge off and prepare it for stropping... but for us hobbyists, and daily shavers, I don't think it makes a difference, or is necessary at all.

Of course, with most things straight razor related, everyone has differing opinions, but so far I have not hear of a single individual stating they actually get superior shaves, or a longer lasting edge using linen & leather versus only leather.

I do get superior shaves when I use both linen and leather vs. leather only. :smile: (can't say about long lasting edges because I haven't shaved that many times with a single razor)

I have also heard people on SRP say that they don't hone for a really long time - iirc all of these stropmeisters use linen. I think this is not a coincidence. I strongly believe the linen does have a place as a prep before the leather. You can take a somewhat dull razor and bring it back much faster using linen + leather than leather only, in my experience. The linen does remove the (tiny amount of) oxidation that starts to develop on the edge just from the daily exposure to air. Also, I am absolutely positive that the linen does warm up the blade a bit - my guess would be that it's just enough so that the oils from the leather dress up the edge better than without linen.

And this thing about the barbers - well, it just sounds too icky and unsanitary - cannot possibly believe that this was why barbers used it :eek:

Of course, YMMV. I absolutely agree that one can get a fabulous shave without the linen too.

Cheers
Ivo

[AFDavis11]

I'm still open to the linen side being used when the razors edge becomes too smooth. This is documented in a few barbers manuals. I need to experiment with this a little. I would think, if this were true, that you could strop on leather for a month or so and then go to linen.

Since the linen is in fact very rough and unsmooth it would make some sense that it might unsmooth the edge somehow. I suppose a microscope would be a good way to see if any of this were true.

Very strange concept though.