Hi,
Do you always have to paste your strop or you can use it without paste?
Thanks.
Do you always have to paste your strop or you can use it without paste?
Thanks.
Strop pasting necessity
- Thread starter cristobal41
- Start date
Depends on what kind of paste your talking about. There are pastes that are meant to condition the strop and there are pastes that are used to put a refined edge on the blade (such as .5 and .25 diamond pastes and Chromium Oxide). I have a Tony Miller red latigo/linen strop that I do not use anything on. I rub my hands on it and the natural oils in the skin help condition the strop. But I also have a felt strop that I applied Chromium Oxide paste to. I use it to refresh a blade that is just turning. I also sometimes use it as a final finish for an edge that I have honed. It is not "necessary", though.
What kind of paste do you mean? And what kind of strop are you using?
s.
What kind of paste do you mean? And what kind of strop are you using?
s.
- Thread starter
- #3
Hi, Persco,
Thanks for your answer. I was not talking about any kind of special aste but in a general sense.
For what you say, I can paste the strop for edge maintenance and use a non paste strop for the edge "softening". In this case, the oil of your hands would be enough. In the other case, which one do you recommend, Chromium, diamond?
I currently have a padded strop that could be used with no paste and buy a leather/linen one to be pasted.
Do you agree?
Recommendations and concerns, please.
For the daily stropping, unpasted is the only way to go. Going with linen (or canvas, or cotton) before the leather may also be advantageous, but is not required.
For a touch up strop. CrOx is generally considered smoother, but not as sharp as diamond. You'd also probably want something a bit more aggressive than .5 micron for a really tired edge. Something like 1.0 micron diamond followed by either .5 micron diamond or .5 micron Chromium (CrOx) would probably be a pretty average set up. I haven't ever used diamond myself so cant really advise you. I've used only hones and CrOx.
I see that paddle you have now. Is it currently unpasted? Do you prefer stropping daily on a paddle, or do you want a hanging strop?
I read somewhere that someone could use shaving cream to condition the strop if required, is it a myth?
How do I know if my strop needs a conditionner paste?
I can attest to the fact that Tony's just needs to be rubbed down with the oils in your hands every once in a while.
If your strop does not dry out, its a good strop. If you notice it drying out and you rub it with your hands ever now and then; then it needs some oil to prevent cracking.
No, it's not a myth. Plain old leather conditioner works too.
I'll go rub my strop right away! Thanks!
Thanks for that! I'm wondering why I bought a tube of Dovo leather conditionner then... Silly me!
SavantStrike gave you great advice. I haven't used diamond pastes, either; I can only comment on CrOx, which I find works very well. About the paddle strop vs hanging strop, etc: You might consider using your paddle strop for pastes and the hanging one for daily stropping. That's what I'd do, although I only use hanging strops for both daily use and paste. I use a red latigo/linen strop first, followed by a Kanoyama cordovan strop to finish. For refreshing a blade (or finishing a honing touch up) I use a pasted hanging felt strop.
s.
