Spitballing and testing newsprint as a strop.

Here's a Jsynth polishing hone finish on a razor.

Off the stone first.
Then following 60 passes on a newsprint "strop".

It does appear possible there is abrasion happening, even some slight bevel rounding perhaps... though hard to say without more testing. What is definitely happening is some level of functional stropping. My HHT is demanding enough that it can not be passed directly off a hone; it requires a stropped edge; the newsprint stropping got some very poor HHT results; but HHT results nonetheless. This effect is also visible in the images, the edge is slightly wavy and tilted towards the lens pre-stropping; and is straight and tilted slightly away from the lens after. It is accomplishing stropping; possibly not as fast or as thoroughly as a linen/leather strop; but SOME amount of stropping is happening on a free piece of newsprint I rolled up and pinned against the ground under my foot. When I find time I'm going to do some further testing with more familiar hones; and see exactly how newsprint compares when substituted for linen and leather, as well as seeing how it changes the character of some of my more commonly used finishes.


If you look closely at the image you can line them up... the prestrop image is a few dozen microns up the edge from the post-strop one, but using the more distinct scratches (the dark, wide scratch that splits into two finer ones near the edge, and the arc from wiping the blade) you can orient yourself.

Awesome shots! Thanks for posting.

Ok, attempted to strop a Thuri edge on just newsprint to test it as a substitute for linen/leather. Did 70 passes. Shave was not the same as no stropping; but it was not the same as a stropped Thuri edge either.

Sharpness would be difficult to compare, possibly similar in sharpness to Thuri edge, but can't judge without a full shave... but edge was definitely harsher. Most notably, the edge had a slight curve to it; reflected in one side of the razor shaving relatively smoothly; with the other side demonstrating significant irritation; a look under the scope confirmed this; the edge is subtly curved at the very apex away from the side last stropped. This could be related to my technique not allowing the newsprint to be sufficiently taut... but I suspect it's at least in part due to the amount of compression possible by the medium (coiled paper) itself... basically; the edge had a very subtle roll to it.

In general the edge failed in many ways that seems to suggest a number of things.

1. This stuff does seem abrasive... the edge did not feel like a thuri edge at any point between stropped and unstropped.
2. This stuff is functional as a strop, but mechanically it may be difficult to work out due to its low strength without layering; and extreme amount of compression possible as a layer... likely it would require rigging to another surface that provides the strength and lack of compression that paper lacks to be functional... so basically it would require a strop underneath it to be used as a strop somewhat defeating the purpose.
3. The upper limit of the function as a strop is unanswered and likely limited by the fact that the stuff does seem to be abrasive, making it behave more like a pasted strop than a clean one. Highly unlikely it will function as a substitute for leather.

Given these; I think I'll test it next as a "pasted strop". Using it to try and progress/change an edge; follow it with a linen/leather stropping to fix and strop what it leaves me with; and seeing the results that gets me... mainly how quickly the newsprint stropping can overwrite the feel of the stone finish it follows.

I know guys have used duamond sprays on a folded over newspaper strop

With how it behaves; I'd think any sizable abrasives would round off the edge something awful. I could see it being used with finer grit stuff as a sort of pasted strop on steroids. My guess is it makes a convex bevel faster than just about any other method; the minute amount of abrasion it seems to have as it is, is already enough to start rounding off the edge... but maybe I just need to figure out a better rig for it. Maybe I'll try winding a single layer around something.

You could try the murray carter thing and just lay some print over a true surface

Removed as the point was already made.

Super information. Thanks.

I use newsprint when i forget to bring a strop with me on the road....works wonderful when placed on a flat hard surface. BUT not all news print is the same...the glossy stuff doesnt work, you need the parts where the "news" is not the adds and you need about 5 to 8 pages folded in half. I also found, for me, that hanging the paper like a strop doesnt work.
I even wonder if the news print works better than my TM strop but i have no proof, just feel.

Yeah, I suspect it would work better as a paddle strop, and probably could be made to work as a hanging strop; but I'll need to tinker until I find a way to get it setup without too much slack. Seems to work more as a substitute for linen than for leather though. I think it's actually less abrasive than leather; but with the amount of give it just works the edge back more... maybe through fatigue or very slight abrasion... as it definitely is rounding off the edge for me. Once I work out a way to mount it that I'm happy with I'll get more reliable results. As it is, the flex it's creating in the edge is just going to obfuscate everything.

Fascinating read. Awaiting more results with interest.

SliceOfLife said:

Yeah, I suspect it would work better as a paddle strop, and probably could be made to work as a hanging strop; but I'll need to tinker until I find a way to get it setup without too much slack. Seems to work more as a substitute for linen than for leather though. I think it's actually less abrasive than leather; but with the amount of give it just works the edge back more... maybe through fatigue or very slight abrasion... as it definitely is rounding off the edge for me. Once I work out a way to mount it that I'm happy with I'll get more reliable results. As it is, the flex it's creating in the edge is just going to obfuscate everything.

Click to expand...

I dont know if this will help but i get one of those smaller type papers (not the New York times type paper) grab 4 pages out of it and fold it in half or more to give me a 3 inch styip by the length......place the strip on a desktop or dresser and run the spine diwn it a few times to make it flat.....then strop away....it will remain flat and does a good job.