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Worth my while to get a strop to paste?

I am wondering if it's worth my while to buy an inexpensive strop with the specific intent to paste it and use in between honings and when a plain leather strop is no longer enough.

Would someone please comment and let me know?
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I am wondering if it's worth my while to buy an inexpensive strop with the specific intent to paste it and use in between honings and when a plain leather strop is no longer enough.

Would someone please comment and let me know?
Do you have some reason to think that this might work for you? Guys tried to use this for generations, back when fine synthetic stones and lapping film were not even science fiction yet, and they got meh results. But if it will convince you that it doesn't work, then maybe it is money well spent. Some guys just need to try stuff.

Or, you could try something that DOES work.
 
I've used pasted strops to good effect in wanting to refine and maintain an edge. Depends on the type of strop you want to use. Dovo red and black pastes are good from my experience, either applied to hanging strops or loom strops. The cheap, smaller Solingen strops work well as to leather for pastes like these, as does sanding vegetable-tanned leather to 120x-180x followed by application of the paste.
 
I am wondering if it's worth my while to buy an inexpensive strop with the specific intent to paste it and use in between honings and when a plain leather strop is no longer enough.

Would someone please comment and let me know?

Like you said, its inexpensive so why not try?
Contrary to some's belief, paste has been and is being used in Europe with much success.
If it didn't work then why do so many use it?
There are many ways to get to a shave that is right for you. Trying different approaches is the fun part. What works for you may not work for someone else.
 
I've used pasted strops to good effect in wanting to refine and maintain an edge. Depends on the type of strop you want to use. Dovo red and black pastes are good from my experience, either applied to hanging strops or loom strops. The cheap, smaller Solingen strops work well as to leather, as does sanding vegetable-tanned leather to 120x-180x followed by application of the paste.

Beat me to it Alan!!
 

Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
I have used them for years, usually firm, stiff leather with diamond pastes but they are not for everyone. If held too slack they can round an edge, especially if you inadvertantly lift the soine at all while stropping.

I suggest rigid bench or paddle strops over hanging but as said, they have been used for years and with care can be fine.
 
I personally think it's worth it. It's just 1 method out of quite a few strategies to go about keeping your razor edge sharp, and many, such as myself, have had good results touching up an edge with a pasted strop. I'm also very green when it comes to using a straight razor and haven't rolled an edge yet. If I can do it, so can you.
 
I think crox is far better than meh. I probably would have quit SRs without it learning to really hone well back before you could google all information. Many stones don’t hold up to a crox finish. But it will round the edge and requires stone maintenance. I mostly used long homemade paddles for pastes when I did. I tried some paste experimenting more recently on linen strops but mostly don’t use these days. That said don’t let anyone scare you from trying. If it improves your edge then there is nothing wrong with that.
 
Back in the day, a man named whipped dog used to sell a sight-unseen straight razor starter kit.
It came with an unnamed shave-ready vintage razor, and a 4 sided paddle-strop about 1 inch on each side with tiny packets each of chromium oxide and iron oxide. I shaved comfortably off that for a year.
If you can get your hands on a cheap strop, I'd say go for it!
(Also, a nod to Mr. Miller's advice about keepin' it flat.)
 
Well honed razor do not need a stroping paste
Pure leather strop will be able to maintain
The edge
After a few stroping sessions the edge will go rounder and rounder
So you will need to go back to the stones
When will this happen /or how often/ depends on how good are you with the stone
Or the quality of the strop and the proper stroping techniques and the intermediate maintenance and care for the razor after each shave
And finely the quality of the razor material
You have to find your own way to determine whether your razor needs stropig or honing
Don't forget that improper shaving technique can leed to a wrong conclusions
Maybe a scope 60+ will be good enough for checking the blade for nicks
But your cheeks will tell you when it is time to do something
Best regards
 
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