How Many Useable Sides?

[spoonman]

I fear this may be a stupid question with an obvious answer but here it goes:

Do combination leather/canvas (or linen) strops that are actually two seperate strops, such as the Illinois line, have two or four useable stropping surfaces? I ask this in comparison with a strop such as a Dovo combination strop that is only one strop with leather on one side and canvas on the other.

It appears to me that with an Illinois strop, you could put two different pastes on either side of the linen strop, and even a third paste on the back of the leather strop and you would have yourself a handy sharpening station for little outlay. However I then question that if this is the case, why would anyone buy a strop like the Dovo? Is the difference in quality that great? Is it just a preference thing? Am I overthinking a simple piece of leather and canvas? And is 'useable' a word?

I hope my question makes sense

 

[Chimensch]

I have two Illinois strops (don't know anything about the Dovo). You could certainly paste the backs of both the linen and the leather, but I would leave one leather and one linen side unpasted for use as is. The linen part is actually intended to be reversible because the linen wears faster than the leather.

 

[spoonman]

Thanks, I figured that was the case. I wouldn't paste all the surfaces, I was just trying to make my question clear.

How do you find the quality of the Illinois strops?

 

[hakan]

Thanx for this thread. Ive been searching the answer to this question for a while now and havent found it stated outright anywhere. It's only been implied at places.
Thanx "Chimensch" for the answer.

 

[natchez]

And is 'useable' a word?

usable adj
Definition of USABLE
1: capable of being used
2: convenient and practicable for use
— us·abil·i·ty\ˌyü-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun
— us·able·ness\ˈyü-zə-bəl-nəs\ noun
— us·ably\-blē\ adverb
Variants of USABLE
us·able also use·able \ˈyü-zə-bəl\

 

[huracan]

Keep in mind you can only paste one of the components on the back because otherwise they cross-contaminate when the strop is hanging and both components touching each other.

 

[Tony Miller]

Also keep in mind that in most cases the "money" side of the strop is the leather side facing outwards. The back may be smooth enough to use or may be very rough as it is the flesh side of the hide and the usual stropping surface is the skin side.

I know on the strops I made the back were probably usable but in most cases not a surface I would choose to use.

Leather definitions:
"skin side" ; the side of the cow that faces the world
"flesh side" : the rough side that faces the cow

Tony