Thoughts on the Linen Side of the Strop?

**danjared** · 06-24-2012, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Slash McCoy

My daily strop is a Star Shaving Big Daddy and I normally just ignore the felt side.

Felt is quite different from woven linen or cotton (or woven synthetic fiber). I know several have found untreated felt to be ineffective.

Originally Posted by Slash McCoy

Post-shave, I give it a dozen laps on pasted balsa and that keeps it sharp seems like forever.

How come you use abrasives on the edge so frequently?

**Slash McCoy** · 06-25-2012, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by danjared

Felt is quite different from woven linen or cotton (or woven synthetic fiber). I know several have found untreated felt to be ineffective.

How come you use abrasives on the edge so frequently?

Because it works. A dozen light laps after a shave will keep it going indefinitely. A half dozen would probably work just as well.

**Alum of Potash** · 06-25-2012, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by Slash McCoy

I simply dry it on a towel. I lightly pinch the towel over the razor and draw it through a couple of times. The balsa does the rest.

Thanks.

**bhorsoft** · 06-25-2012, 10:21 AM

I don't have a linen or cotton strop, but I do have a nylon "seatbelt" and a felt strop. I give about 15 to 20 strokes on the cloth before going to 40 to 50 strokes on the leather. None of my hanging strops are pasted or CrOxed, but I do have a paddle strop with one (rough) side CrOxed. I'll use it for 8 to 10 strokes about every 5 shaves with a blade to touch it up - basically whenever the blade starts pulling a bit.

**Wid** · 06-25-2012, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Slash McCoy

Because it works. A dozen light laps after a shave will keep it going indefinitely. A half dozen would probably work just as well.

So do you shave off the 1um film at all? If so why not just use the film for touch ups when needed?

**inspiringK** · 06-29-2012, 03:08 PM

Thanks for the input, this reassures me that I am actually accomplishing something when I use the strop

I think I will keep using the unpasted linen and keep the paste on balsa for now.

**Seraphim** · 06-29-2012, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by inspiringK

Thanks for the input, this reassures me that I am actually accomplishing something when I use the strop

I think I will keep using the unpasted linen and keep the paste on balsa for now.

Do YOU feel a difference when using the linen?

I never did until I put the Dovo white on there, and after that the difference when using the cloth component was quite apparent

**inspiringK** · 06-30-2012, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Do YOU feel a difference when using the linen?

I never did until I put the Dovo white on there, and after that the difference when using the cloth component was quite apparent

Personally, I don't. But, I am still new to straight shaving, so it may be that I am just not adept enough at stropping or checking edge keenness to pick up on the benefits. I am still a little straight shaving dumb, so I thought I would ask around.

**Slash McCoy** · 06-30-2012, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by Wid

So do you shave off the 1um film at all? If so why not just use the film for touch ups when needed?

When I hone a razor, sometimes I shave off the 1u without pasted stropping, sometimes not. A few laps on pasted balsa after honing isn't really necessary but it seems to do good things for the edge. YMMV of course.

Yes, I could break out the film for touchups, and if it needs it, I do it. But a few laps on the balsa after each shave generally eliminates the need to do touchups. The balsa is low impact and very convenient. Either approach works fine. With the touchup as needed approach, you simply give it a couple dozen laps on the 1u when it seems to be losing its sharpness. With pasted stropping post-shave, it won't lose its sharpness in the first place. At least not for a long time.

**Mick R** · 07-01-2012, 05:33 PM

I use my own homemade single sided 'roo hide strop. I use the flesh or rough side as my 'linen/canvas' side.

Mick

**pal** · 07-02-2012, 05:26 PM

The answer is obvious. Should we not also include a "none of the above" choice in these polls?

**Rschan** · 07-03-2012, 07:12 PM

Currently I don't own a linen component.To use the flesh side of the strop as the "linen side" is it necessary to condition it? (Sanding etc )

**danjared** · 07-03-2012, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Rschan

Currently I don't own a linen component.To use the flesh side of the strop as the "linen side" is it necessary to condition it? (Sanding etc )

It's not necessary to condition either side of the leather, only give it the usual rub. (Hmm, that sounds wrong.)

**mparker762** · 07-04-2012, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by inspiringK

I don't know that it does anything for the razor, but I use the linen side of the strop before moving over to the leather anyway. As I am still new to straight razor shaving, I just assume that the linen side is there for a reason. Do you use it?

Mine isn't pasted right now, I do have some Crox, but haven't decided if I want to paste it on the strop just yet.

The linen side is a hone. It's a slow hone, but a hone nonetheless. Putting abrasive on it speeds it up, and this may be needed if the "linen" isn't really linen at all but cotton or polyester. Dovo white paste is good for this, and some industrial white abrasives may work similarly - I've had good luck with the white crayon-style abrasive from Harbor Freight. My favorite strop for this is a vintage Craftsman with real linen webbing strap, not the flattened fire-hose that's so common on vintage strops. Once I started using the linen side every day I went from getting ~10-14 shaves out of an edge to ~100-200 shaves. Down side is my honing skills have slipped quite a bit from disuse. Upside is it doesn't really matter - I hone the razor as sharp as I can using the stones, then finish sharpening on the linen. Takes a lot of laps, but stropping is much faster per-lap than honing on a stone, so even a couple hundred laps only take a few minutes.

**Seraphim** · 07-04-2012, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by mparker762

The linen side is a hone. It's a slow hone, but a hone nonetheless. Putting abrasive on it speeds it up, and this may be needed if the "linen" isn't really linen at all but cotton or polyester. Dovo white paste is good for this, and some industrial white abrasives may work similarly - I've had good luck with the white crayon-style abrasive from Harbor Freight. My favorite strop for this is a vintage Craftsman with real linen webbing strap, not the flattened fire-hose that's so common on vintage strops. Once I started using the linen side every day I went from getting ~10-14 shaves out of an edge to ~100-200 shaves. Down side is my honing skills have slipped quite a bit from disuse. Upside is it doesn't really matter - I hone the razor as sharp as I can using the stones, then finish sharpening on the linen. Takes a lot of laps, but stropping is much faster per-lap than honing on a stone, so even a couple hundred laps only take a few minutes.

Dude, where've you been?