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Bought me a Tony Miller Plain Chocolate strop.

I'm excited to say I finally bought me a TM plain chocolate strop. Hear nothing but greatness about these strops.

I also got a 1x3x12 in balsa wood block to throw some chromium and iron oxide on. Quick question though:
Do I need to sand the balsa wood down to make it totally smooth or will the oxides fill everything in? If so, what grit do I need to go with?
 
Since no one else is chiming in. . . I think that is more of a "honing" forum question. I know, it's technically a strop, but it's dealing with abrasives. If I recall correctly, it does need to be sanded--not just smooth, but also flat. I don't know about the grit. I'm guessing at least 1k, probably more like 2k.
 
Thanks for the reply otter. I agree it should be under honing. It was a thought that came to me as I was writing about the strop.

I was hoping other people would chime in about their TM strops. I feel like I made the right choice. I was shopping and researched for about two weeks before committing to a strop.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
Congrats on the strop! You can't go wrong with a TM.

I don't use balsa for razors that much anymore but I'd think lapping up to around 600 W/D would work fine.
@Slash McCoy is the resident balsa king around here, maybe he will drop by soon.
 
Tony Miller gets high marks around here, i have several and love them as far as the balsa goes you can use a flat granite tile or similar with fine grit sandpaper to get it flat then lightly rub the CrOx on it until even coated, kinda like you are coloring the wood ( not thick and no pieces ) don't use the CrOx very often as it's very fast to polish and can erode a edge quickly especially if heavy pressure is used so only do say 5-7 passes after the strop loses it's ability to keep the edge up and then do the light passes with spine leading stroke and after that ensure you wipe the edge clean as you don't want to get paste on your strop.
 
yes, the balsa needs to be lapped perfectly flat, just like any other hone. then apply the CrOx/FeOx. do it dry, on the sanding.
 
I have Tony's Plain Vanilla. It is a fantastic piece of gear. I want a Plain Chocolate to go with. Will have.
Congrats on a fabulous strop.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
How good are TM strops? They're magical.

Almost ten years ago I asked Tony if he had any seconds or starter strops that I could purchase to give to an old friend who was down on his luck. He said he would do even better and put together a starter strop with cotton and hardware for a pittance. My friend just got out of the joint (the big house, the slammer, the grey motel) and needed a hobby. Apparently he managed to make himself presentable enough to get a good job and get his life back on track. Some may say it was all the support groups, but I say it was the strop.

More recently, another magnanimous member (who would probably be embarrassed to be named, as is the nature of the truly magnanimous) forwarded a TM to me with the suggestion that it might be useful for our annual auction. I subconsciously gave it a water stain almost immediately so that I couldn't part with it :001_rolle, and decided to substitute items that brought in just shy of $300. Such is the nature of TM strops- great product plus good karma.
 
Just got my TM strop today. Really happy!
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Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
The TM looks like quite a well crafted strop, I gotta say.

As for the balsa, yes, lap it. Apply abrasive very sparingly, rub it in well. You don't want microboulders rolling around between balsa and blade. You want crystals embedded up to their necks in wood fiber with just their pointy little heads sticking up to scratch steel. If you think you have enough, you actually have far too much. I much prefer diamond paste over the pigment abrasives, anyway. Grit size is more consistent and diamond cuts nicely. So little is used that cost is not an issue. How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop for more depth.

I used to use thick balsa but now I prefer thinner, glued to a rigid substrate before lapping, to control warp. 1/4" works great.
 
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