Honing on a strop.

[Rufty]

Hi, I've got a Wilkinson Sword Empire razor. No strop, two dull blades. I've also got (leftover from repairing a chair) lots of canvas webbing strap that's just the right size for a stop. If I paste up a short length of that with some #2000 or so lapping paste, another length #8000, will I be able to sharpen up these blades, or will I just round off the edge? Worth a try?

 

[Ladit]

Don't know how the edge looks, if it is intact you can try to maintain it on the strop. If not you have to renew it.

 

[Rob72]

They should be honed first, then you strop to maintain the edge. I don't recommend putting paste on a strop for safety razors, as the strop is also abrading the bars in the razor as you strop. It eats the finish quite a bit quicker.

 

[misterelie]

Do you have a holder for the blade? My Empire has a swivel head where the blade is stropped in place a la Valet Autostrop. Do you have a holder for the blade? My older Pall Mall is a different story, but the Empire does not have a way to hold the blade. Gonna be really hard to strop it without a way to do that.

 

[Rufty]

They should be honed first, then you strop to maintain the edge. I don't recommend putting paste on a strop for safety razors, as the strop is also abrading the bars in the razor as you strop. It eats the finish quite a bit quicker.

Ah, I can see that. Not a good idea, then. Just really didn't want to hand hone these tiny blades. I'll keep a lookout for a blade holder.