Homemade linen strop pictures

[bluesman 7]

With so many claiming better performance from real flax linen over denim I wanted to try it. Often the term linen is used to describe the fabric component of strops and it doesn't necessarily mean that the fabric is actually flax linen. Shopping for flax linen webbing is difficult so I came up with a different plan.


I didn't use webbing. I just went to a fabric store, found a coarse weave bolt of cloth labeled 100% linen and bought a 24" by 56" piece because of the lay of the weave. I cut off a 24" by 5" piece, folded 1.25" back on each side and ironed it, then sewed D rings on the ends, resulting in a 22" by 2.5" strop. I had previously made a denim strop this way that held up fine.

 

[KZero]

Cool! I'm looking forward to seeing how it does for you.

 

[bluesman 7]

I've only been using it three days so far, but I'm sold on real flax linen. If I test HHT on a clean razor right after shaving, then do 30 or 40 laps on the linen, I see a definite improvement in HHT. Much more that I would expect from my previous denim strop.

 

[BDF]

Good idea and you have enough material there for a lifetimes worth of strops.

I agree with you on the linen- it does something quite effective to the razor. If I take a well- stropped razor (leather stropped) and put 10 laps on linen, then go back to leather, I can feel that the razor is 'draggy' and seems rough for about 6 laps on horse hide. I can also repeat this anytime and again, the linen does something quite discernible to the razor each time. Also, I find the keenness put on a razor by the linen and leather combination is almost impossible to duplicate with any other method. The only thing that gets close is 0.1 micron CBN on balsa.

The funny thing I find is that it is the linen and leather combination that works. Using either one alone is just not as effective and will not produce the same edge sharpness in my experience. And it does not take many laps either- 15 linen and 15 on leather is ample although I usually do more laps on the leather just because it does not seem like it was worth stropping for 15 laps.

To go way out on a limb, it almost seems like linen and leather stropping is enough to keep a razor going almost indefinitely. Alfredo got over 100 comfy shaves from a blade by doing nothing but stropping and I believe he uses canvas and Cordovan Shell- I would love to see someone give that a try using linen and horse hide; I think it could go on more or less forever.

So for all the time, effort, thought, worry and money we all put into honing, I find it is stropping that is the key to an excellent shaving razor. And the other big variable in a shave is the soap used (not the lather quality really, just the soap itself). The honing method falls into the background almost.

Brian

I've only been using it three days so far, but I'm sold on real flax linen. If I test HHT on a clean razor right after shaving, then do 30 or 40 laps on the linen, I see a definite improvement in HHT. Much more that I would expect from my previous denim strop.

 

[bluesman 7]

Just following up on the homemade linen fabric strop. I've been using this strop daily for almost two months now. The strop is holding up and performing well. My strop and another that I made and PIFed to another member are both showing cupping. We both agree that it doesn't effect performance, but I wanted to mention it in case it affected anyone's decision to go this route. The fabric strops are easy enough to replace that if the cupping starts causing problems or the strop wears out it is no big deal to just make another one.

I have however been curious about using hemp fiber, as hemp fiber has a lot of similarities with flax (linen) fiber, and the original canvas strops were made of hemp fiber. I have made enough strops now that I was motivated to make a fixture fore making D rings that were a little nicer.


Here they are on the new hemp strop, with the older linen strop on the left. I could not really get the cupping to show, but you can see that the wear is minimal.

 

[Brianskeet]

Very interested in your results. I am a huge fan of linen and having recently gotten similar performance from Kanayama canvas I can't help but wonder what it is made of.

 

[AndroiDad75]

Hey bluesman,

Your new strop looks great!!!

Nice job

 

[Shave_Rat]

I love the hemp strop. Great idea!

 

[aephilli]

I'm liking the one I made out of 2.5" hemp twill.
Bluesman, would it be possible to get a pic of the fixture for making the rings? I'm thinking the half circles may be better than the triangles.

 

[drawonme]

Well done!

Marty

 

[bluesman 7]

I'm liking the one I made out of 2.5" hemp twill.
Bluesman, would it be possible to get a pic of the fixture for making the rings? I'm thinking the half circles may be better than the triangles.

Sure, I'll try to get one up tomorrow

 

[bluesman 7]

Well, the D rings work great but the hemp twill is a fail IMO. The yarn in the weave is pretty coarse and the strop sheds fine fibers that float around and get in my nose and throat. No thanks. I've gone back to the homemade linen strop.

 

[Shave_Rat]

Well, the D rings work great but the hemp twill is a fail IMO. The yarn in the weave is pretty coarse and the strop sheds fine fibers that float around and get in my nose and throat. No thanks. I've gone back to the homemade linen strop.

I wonder if the hemp twill needs to be put through a wash and dry cycle or two first, is all. I know there is a process for conditioning hemp rope to soften it up and break it in, so to speak. Maybe something similar is needed on the raw twill as well.

 

[aephilli]

Well, the D rings work great but the hemp twill is a fail IMO. The yarn in the weave is pretty coarse and the strop sheds fine fibers that float around and get in my nose and throat. No thanks. I've gone back to the homemade linen strop.

Mine seemed to be somewhat like the cotton, not soft enough, lots of "high spots". Both cotton and hemp seemed to benefit from "scrubbing" with a brass wire brush.
With all the dog hair around here, I can't tell what's shedding fron the hemp or the dogs...

 

[aephilli]

I wonder if the hemp twill needs to be put through a wash and dry cycle or two first, is all. I know there is a process for conditioning hemp rope to soften it up and break it in, so to speak. Maybe something similar is needed on the raw twill as well.

I'm gonna do something (wash, scrub with wire brush, beat on rocks...) for my next set before assembling. ( I still have a piece of cotton and a piece of hemp left)

 

[bluesman 7]

I'm gonna do something (wash, scrub with wire brush, beat on rocks...) for my next set before assembling. ( I still have a piece of cotton and a piece of hemp left)

Maybe some kind of fabric softener. I know that hemp fiber is used in cloth for clothing, and is described as being softer than cotton. The fibers in my twill would be worse than a hair shirt! More like a burlap shirt.

 

[Shave_Rat]

Maybe some kind of fabric softener. I know that hemp fiber is used in cloth for clothing, and is described as being softer than cotton. The fibers in my twill would be worse than a hair shirt! More like a burlap shirt.

Yeah, there is a huge difference in feel between conditioned and raw hemp stuff.

 

[bluesman 7]

D ring fixture

Now I just bend the other side in, cut to length, and weld.

 

[aephilli]

Thanks! Even someone as inept as me can do that.

 

[kurtmhodges]

Where did you get the material

With so many claiming better performance from real flax linen over denim I wanted to try it. Often the term linen is used to describe the fabric component of strops and it doesn't necessarily mean that the fabric is actually flax linen. Shopping for flax linen webbing is difficult so I came up with a different plan.


I didn't use webbing. I just went to a fabric store, found a coarse weave bolt of cloth labeled 100% linen and bought a 24" by 56" piece because of the lay of the weave. I cut off a 24" by 5" piece, folded 1.25" back on each side and ironed it, then sewed D rings on the ends, resulting in a 22" by 2.5" strop. I had previously made a denim strop this way that held up fine.
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