I've got an old barber's manual that says that only leather should be used on a day-to-day basis, the linen component being reserved for when the edge drops off a bit and starts to tug. That said, the current trend seems to be towards a heavy second component use on a regular basis, followed by leather. After shaving, I appreciate the second component's function as a towel during a brief stropping, to remove any residual soap scum and beard grime on the blade. But I wonder about the second component's aggressive nature, viz-a-viz what the barber's manual stated.
On other threads, I've read how felt is ineffectual, used by itself--i.e., without a sharpening paste. I've used it plain to some extent and noticed that it does tend to grey-over lightly with repeated use, but certainly not as much as the vintage fire hose. All the same, if the felt can be taken as relatively neutral in effect, this has me thinking that it might be the ultimate towel after shaving, so as to remove soap scum and beard grime, if one wants to pursue a leather-only stropping regimen.
Thoughts or comments on this would be appreciated.
On other threads, I've read how felt is ineffectual, used by itself--i.e., without a sharpening paste. I've used it plain to some extent and noticed that it does tend to grey-over lightly with repeated use, but certainly not as much as the vintage fire hose. All the same, if the felt can be taken as relatively neutral in effect, this has me thinking that it might be the ultimate towel after shaving, so as to remove soap scum and beard grime, if one wants to pursue a leather-only stropping regimen.
Thoughts or comments on this would be appreciated.
