Homemade linen strop pictures

[bluesman 7]

Where did you get the material

I got it at Joanne's Fabrics in Boulder CO. I would think that most good fabric stores would stock 100% linen fabric. This store had several bolts. I picked the coarsest weave I could find.

 

[Ufgoodies]

I might want to play with this, so here's a bump for a great post!

 

[jj_sharp]

then sewed D rings on the ends

Do you sew length ways as well?

 

[bluesman 7]

Do you sew length ways as well?

No, I do not.

 

[jj_sharp]

Thank you, I am inspired.

 

[MrCrispy]

I am looking at a minimal approach to this as I dont want to sew seams anywhere the razor will contact. How are the sizes holding up with the ironed seams? any stretching in the middle?

I have a yard of raw vintage silk that I am going to work up next week, or that's the plan. Nice work, BTW.

 

[DG109]

@bluesman 7 , just wanted to say thank you for this thread.

You inspired me to do likewise yesterday and I’m pleased with the result.

Appreciate you taking the time to share and document it here all those years ago

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

If you are making your own fabric strops, try using iron on fusing, you can buy it in sheets or strips in rolls. It is easy and quick to use and super strong, the bond is stronger than most fabrics. And does not leave a lumpy seam that sewing does.

Flax strapping is readily available in 2.5 in widths and not expensive. Vintage linen tablecloths also make great finish linen strops, from thrift shops and garage sales.

Or just buy a vintage linen strop and wash it.

Here are some photos of a 3-inch, Polyester Canvas, sailcloth strops I made a few years ago, they are great for paste. The flap is glued with fabric fusing. A canvas weave will fray a bit but then lock on to itself and stop fraying, no need to sew. And a well washed flax firehose with leather end caps.

Warning, strop making is addictive…

 

[DG109]

If you are making your own fabric strops, try using iron on fusing, you can buy it in sheets or strips in rolls. It is easy and quick to use and super strong, the bond is stronger than most fabrics. And does not leave a lumpy seam that sewing does.

Flax strapping is readily available in 2.5 in widths and not expensive. Vintage linen tablecloths also make great finish linen strops, from thrift shops and garage sales.

Or just buy a vintage linen strop and wash it.

Here are some photos of a 3-inch, Polyester Canvas, sailcloth strops I made a few years ago, they are great for paste. The flap is glued with fabric fusing. A canvas weave will fray a bit but then lock on to itself and stop fraying, no need to sew. And a well washed flax firehose with leather end caps.

Warning, strop making is addictive…

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Yours look a lot more aesthetically pleasing than mine.

I just eyeballed, cut, folded, ironed, punched some holes and stuck it over the studs. I used a bolt of linen off Amazon. It seems ok, pretty thin but should do the job.

 

[SliceOfLife]

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.

If you google a bit you may find an article I stumbled across while looking for some info on flax linen a year or two back. I think it was some agriculture scientists dissertation or something. But if I remember right, it compared the Silica content and sizes across flax fiber from different regions. As I recall... basically there are submicron silica particles in a lot of natural fibers. flax fibers are special in some way... near the surface maybe? Been a long time since I read it, and it had nothing to do with stropping or linens use as an abrasive... can't remember exactly what the idea behind it was, but it had a lot of interesting details and high mag pictures of bits of silica on Flax fibers.


edit: Haven't found the article, but found others talking about silicon dioxide existing naturally in flax fibers.


edit 2: This may be it... I remember reading it free at some point... maybe when I was in college, I had a key to the paywall that's now deactivated?

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Estimation-of-silicon-content-in-flax-Si-content-in-flax-was-compared-with-Si_fig2_316526027

 

[Legion]

If you hunt around, you might find flax webbing in different widths and colours. This is a 3” wide strop I made from some I found in a leather craft supplies store.

 

[Frank Shaves]

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.

Can't prove it, but flax seems to give my edges a little boost - and just the amount of boost I need to be happy. I do 25 laps on linen after each shave.

 

[rbscebu]

Can't prove it, but flax seems to give my edges a little boost - and just the amount of boost I need to be happy. I do 25 laps on linen after each shave.

I am finding the same with a fine-weave denim (cotton) strop. I use to just use this strop for 6 to 10 laps to just clean the bevel after a shave. I am now up to about 20 laps offer the shave and am noticing a slight improved difference.

I normally find cloth strops a little hard on my edges so I line them with natural chamois. This fine-weave denim does not require chamois.