Fire hose strop caution.

[MO1]

Here is the mention of firefighters and "the water hoses". Is it contaminated while in use? Or is it contaminated when they're made? I don't know. I'm not trying to be an expert here. Only passing along what I've always thought about these strops. Get a flax linen strop. Why does it have to be used or old firehose? And how would anyone even know if a hose was used? They been staring at it for 50,60 or 70 years? It's a totally unnecessary risk IMO. Having said that it's all on you. I don't have one as I said several times. It would suck to find out the one you have is contaminated with asbestos or fire retardant.

Thank you.
Not questioning you, just tried to get a clearer picture.
Tony here, just sent me a strop with flax linen. Havent had the pleasure to use linen yet, but most guys prefer it, and i have heard nothing but good from Tonys strops.

If i like it as much as i think i will, i may have looked at firehoses for a cheap option for balsa strops. So the information is appreciated.

 

[Twelvefret]

Fire Hose Strops | TomoNagura.Com | Keith V. Johnson

 

[MO1]

Fire Hose Strops | TomoNagura.Com | Keith V. Johnson

If you know for sure they are untreated and unused, then yeah no need to worry. Just so little information on this. Last article says asbestos were used on hoses, but not nessecary linen hoses.
And if its a flax linen hose, every hose should be untreated.
Have i understood this correctly? Lol

Max

 

[Twelvefret]

If you know for sure they are untreated and unused, then yeah no need to worry. Just so little information on this. Last article says asbestos were used on hoses, but not nessecary linen hoses.
And if its a flax linen hose, every hose should be untreated.
Have i understood this correctly? Lol

Max

This seller/maker is the only known one that states their strops are sourced from used fire hose. Illinois says their linen comes from the weavers who also make fire hose.

 

[MO1]

This seller/maker is the only known one that states their strops are sourced from used fire hose. Illinois says their linen comes from the weavers who also make fire hose.

Yeah but i mean unused fire hoses which have been taken from old buildings ect. Not used ones.

 

[Twelvefret]

Yeah but i mean unused fire hoses which have been taken from old buildings ect. Not used ones.

That's right. I haven't considered those.

 

[buca3152]

Too many questions and too few real answers. When in doubt? Lol. That's why I stayed away. The goal was to raise awareness about it. If you know there may be a risk and you get one, well that's your choice. Maybe asbestos or fire retardant is a great stropping medium! Hahahaha.

 

[Medivh]

I'm not sure if there's any danger by using a fire hose stop, but for me they're overrated and some people believe that fire hose stops are somehow superior to cotton and canvas strops.

 

[Clay S]

I'm not sure if there's any danger by using a fire hose stop, but for me they're overrated and some people believe that fire hose stops are somehow superior to cotton and canvas strops.

I think it's linen strops they prefer, fire hose is just one way to get them.

 

[MO1]

Yes, the linen is whats interesting. Plus fire hoses had to be tightly woven and be of quality to be waterproof. So that makes it a step more interesting.

 

[buca3152]

My go to is a strop from Scrupleworks. It's flax linen and a tight weave. It works great. There are many others that do that aren't firehose.

 

[psfred]

Linen fire hoses were unlined -- the tightly woven linen isn't waterproof, it bleeds water a little bit. An advantage in a fire as the hose is then somewhat more fire resistant! It also degrades slowly, although it does die of old age. Nothing worse than a rotten fire hose in a real fire.

Used hose can be pretty grubby, even it it spent most of it's life coiled up in a fire cabinet in a building. Vigorous cleaning is a good idea, but typically what is sold for razor strops is either new or unused and not degraded.

The cellulose containing fibers in linen (flax) are much stronger and thicker than cotton, so they act differently when used as a strop. Quite hard but smooth, and linen will greatly outlast cotton for that reason, plus it does a better job of cleaning the bevel.

 

[buca3152]

How do you explain the load of old hose for sale seemingly undegraded and the guys who sell it? Some of them I've seen have lettering stenciled on them. I'm no pro. But I've seen this strop material for.a long time out there. At a meetup someone offered me some which I declined.

 

[Tony Miller]

The stenciling usually indicates the maker, some trade info and a date that the hose was made. The cleanest stuff was usually building take outs. It sat for years in a metal and glass cabinet waiting for a fire that hopefully never came. Even this stuff needs a pretty good washing just from age accumulated grime. Not sure if there were requirements to take the hose down at some interval for inspection or dry rot. The actual fire used stuff I am sure can be pretty bad looking.

I myself like and use flat linen webbing sourced in Europe but the heavy weight of the hose does give it a certain feel thinner webbing does not have. Does one work better than the other? Hard to say but just like with leather a certain amount of it is simply the feedback it gives in use, the rest is the actual edge performance it imparts.

 

[MO1]

The stenciling usually indicates the maker, some trade info and a date that the hose was made. The cleanest stuff was usually building take outs. It sat for years in a metal and glass cabinet waiting for a fire that hopefully never came. Even this stuff needs a pretty good washing just from age accumulated grime. Not sure if there were requirements to take the hose down at some interval for inspection or dry rot. The actual fire used stuff I am sure can be pretty bad looking.

I myself like and use flat linen webbing sourced in Europe but the heavy weight of the hose does give it a certain feel thinner webbing does not have. Does one work better than the other? Hard to say but just like with leather a certain amount of it is simply the feedback it gives in use, the rest is the actual edge performance it imparts.

As long as its only dirt, can be cleaned away, easier than cotton to clean. While on the subject, how do you maintain your linen? I have heard alot of things from pure soap to lather.

 

[A Cut Above]

I have a fire hose strop and haven't used it in years. I prefer Tony Millers fine linen strop.

 

[coldboot]

In case someone else finds this old thread...

Ski resorts around the world use fire hose to supply water to their snow-making equipment. They go through *insane* amounts of hose each season. In the spring they're chopping them up and saving the connectors.

In the USA at least, it's not treated with any chemicals and only comes into contact with snow, water, and maybe some dirt. It usually has an inner liner, but that comes out easily, and often breaks while running the guns. The linen is woven tight enough to keep the water in at 500 psi when this happens.

Just go buy your local snowmakers some beer and you will have more hose than you ever wanted

 

[Legion]

In case someone else finds this old thread...

Ski resorts around the world use fire hose to supply water to their snow-making equipment. They go through *insane* amounts of hose each season. In the spring they're chopping them up and saving the connectors.

In the USA at least, it's not treated with any chemicals and only comes into contact with snow, water, and maybe some dirt. It usually has an inner liner, but that comes out easily, and often breaks while running the guns. The linen is woven tight enough to keep the water in at 500 psi when this happens.

Just go buy your local snowmakers some beer and you will have more hose than you ever wanted

Is it real linen? Most modern woven hoses are polyester.

 

[coldboot]

You're right, I didn't even think about that, but I definitely remember some getting melted now that you mention it.

I got a straight razor a few months ago and heard of people using firehose for stropping. I was thinking about grabbing some from the mountain I worked at a few years ago out of curiosity,

 

[Staggers and Jags]

you know as a former volunteer firefighter of 7 years you would think i would remember if the fire retardant chemicals were used with the regula hose or the rubber hose on the reel. but to be honest dependiung where you source that old flax stuff from if its very rural theres a good chance it wouldent have ever come into contact with fire retardents