Stropped beyond repair?

[geoidwalker]

I have a leather/linen 2" strop which I need to repair - however there quite a few nicks and I am wondering if it would be better to get a newer, and perhaps wider strop. I read in a few posts how to fix nicks with rubber cement but with so many repairs would it still have the same honing effect as a smooth strop? Also...are these nicks because...I'm THAT bad? Is it just technique? Or do all strops get nicks in em. I was also thinking of getting a linen strop and pasting it - but I wonder if I am getting ahead of myself.

Also, I have a razor I recieved as a gift and I was wondering if it is a "good" one. I believe the razor in question is this one:

http://www.theartofshaving.com/Black-5/8%22-Blade-Straight-Razor/BLACK58STRAIGHTRAZOR,default,pd.html?start=8&cgid=razors-straight-razors&navid=razors-straight-razors

Or would it be better, since I am now getting the hang of things to get a better blade.

 

[cb91710]

Linen with paste is not a replacement for leather.

Nicks happen, I have some on my Tony Miller, but it is a problem of technique, lack of attention.

As for the idea of a wider strop, I don't care for them. Even a 3" strop is still narrower than my favorite blades, and wider strops are more prone to cupping.

 

[geoidwalker]

I have both leather and linen. To be honest I don't understand why I would need paste if I can hone and use my existing strop.

 

[cb91710]

Pasted linen or balsa are frequently used as a final polish after honing.
Some will go to the pastes once a week or so to extend the edge and prolong the interval between honings.

Personally, I have not touched paste in well over a year, and have only honed my regular-use blades twice in the last year on my Coticule.
Daily stropping is 30-50 passes on linen (or suede when I use my Kanamaya), and 50-70 passes on leather.

 

[Mike H]

You have a good razor, I would however invest in a new strop.

 

[BigFoot]

This may seem like a dumb question, but with some of those cuts I have to ask. Which way do you pull the blade, Spine or blade 1st? Make sure the spine is facing the direction you are going.

 

[driftwood]

My first strop looks the same way. I bought a new 3" English bridle and felt strop to replace the one I learned on. It's just technique, practice makes perfect!

Pastes are a personal preference. I have chromium on balsa and when I replaced my first strop I kept it and used the linen side for chromium. If you don't hone yet pastes may be a good investment to prolong your edge between honing. If you do hone then its maybe something you could try and see if you liked the effect on the edge.

I'd say if money wasn't an obstacle then purchase a new strop once your comfortable stropping and aren't likely to nick your new investment. Since you'll be using it every time you shave with your straight it pays to have a properly functioning strop.

I didn't see the picture of the razor, didn't come up for me so I can't comment.

The member who suggested that a 3" strop will cup was right, but storing them flat (I hang mine from a hook when not in use) will prevent major cupping. Strips with D-rings for handles also help prevent cupping the strop while you are actually using it to strop a blade.

Personally I feel a 3" strop makes it easier to strop as you can focus on your "flip" and maintaining feather light pressure without having to contend with also stropping in an X stroke. If you get/have a blade that is longer than 3" then all you need to do is angle the blade slightly so the entire edge makes contact with the face if the strop.

Hope that helps.

 

[geoidwalker]

Thanks that does help. I'll probably try to fix my strop as best I can and continue practicing - then buy a new one. Sounds like pastes are the next step for me until my razor dulls enough to need honing again.

 

[Slash McCoy]

You need a new strop, I think. Yours is pretty chewed up and it only takes one bad repair out of the many, to spoil the stropping. Sure you can probably use it and make it work, but I would go for a new one.

There is something to be said for wide strops. I have never had one that cupped noticeably but it is more likely to cup if it is wider, yeah. However, your grip can mitigate that. Use your index finger knuckle under the end of the strip to apply a bit of extra tension to the middle.

I am a big fan of strops with removable hardware. It is nice to be able to end-for-end the leather so the right edge becomes the left edge, and if it is a wide strop, most of your usual nicks on the old right edge will no longer be an issue. Unless of course you nick up your NEW right edge. Then, if the hardware is removable, you just find another piece of leather and cut it to match, then replace leather.

The one strop that I know of that combines both extreme width and replaceable hardware is the Big Daddy from www.starshaving.com. They also sell spare leather pieces, and the strop is fairly cheap. Not only is it wide, but it is also pretty long, and I like that, too. YMMV on the felt piece. I seldom use it, myself. Some guys like it. If you don't, just ignore it or cut it off or remove it or replace it with a second leather.

I have seen better strop leather than what the BD is made from, but not at this price, and it seems perfectly adequate to me. I have two, one for home and one for work/travel.

There are a lot of ways to skin the cat. Some guys like and some don't like pastes. I think a lot of guys who don't, haven't used them properly and so got underwhelming results. Myself, I don't use pastes on hanging strops unless I am trying to tame a harsh edge. I don't like pasted hanging strops for routine maintenance or for most finishing. I think it gives too much convexity and that it is sort of cumulative in effect. I have not done this but anecdotally I can say that lots of guys have had the experience of crox on hanging leather helping to maintain the edge for a while but then gradually degrading it until re-honing is required. Also it is common to see too much paste used. This gives a slurry effect and will only improve the edge up to a point, after which it will not improve, and so it does not take an edge to its full potential. If you only finish with a half dozen or so laps on it, it won't matter. Won't hurt anything at all. But enough laps to refresh or maintain an edge, done with a coating of paste on the strop, could disappoint. Best results are to be had with an amount that seems like not even half enough, rubbed in well. And not on hanging leather. Again, you should NOT have a coating. You want to embed the particles into the leather bench strop or paddle or a tight loom strop, or better yet, into the grain of a nice big piece of balsa that has been lapped nice and flat. This is what I use, after every shave. I seldom see an edge going dull, and when I do, I give it some attention from the coarse side. My coarse side is .5u diamond, my fine side is .1u diamond. The fine side I use after every shave, about 4 dozen laps. It should be mentioned that balsa is subject to warping from age or humidity and so re-lapping may be needed. Meanwhile you should swap ends with the balsa halfway through your stropping, vary the heel leading angle, and use a small x-stroke, all so the razor does not travel the same path up and down the balsa. Refresh with more diamond paste about once a month or two.

Some guys like red and green (chromium oxide and iron oxide) pastes and they work. Diamond is faster, though. CrOx gives smoother edges than diamond until you get your diamond down to .1u grit size, where some smoothing is possible due to the much smaller scratches it makes in the steel.

The reason balsa works so well is partly because the soft and open grain will load up nicely with diamond particles, and partly because it is resilient, and gives a trace of convexity but the convexing is not cumulative.

A lot of guys don't use enough laps with diamond pasted balsa. At .1u, you aren't going to be wearing out any razors. 50 light laps is not excessive. 100 won't hurt anything. I have gone 400 laps just to see what it does. Doesn't hurt a thing. If you think somehow you have made a wire or fin edge, just strop on leather or hit your finish hone a half dozen laps, but I have not noticed this problem with diamond on balsa. YMMV I guess.

 

[ouch]

Everyone will nick their strop. At upwards of 100,000 strokes a per year, even with 99.999% stropping accuracy you'll nick your strop much sooner than you'd like.

 

[tomjr]

i used pastes etc early in my honing but not in a very long time.

 

[geoidwalker]

@slash - thanks for the tips! So you don't eve use a hanging strop at all it sounds like. Just the pasted balsa wood. I would've thought stropping on linen after a shaving and then leather would be a good daily routine with the balsa maybe once a week or once a month. Isn't using pasting on balsa so often going to be somehow...too much? Or too aggressive? Like you said there are many ways to skin a cat. I'll start with a new strop and look into the balsa a bit more.

 

[Slash McCoy]

No I also strop on hanging leather before each shave.

No, stropping on .1u after every shave is not doing so much. Remember that is 5x finer than CrOx. Don't fear the balsa. Once a week or once a month isn't going to do much for you. You will still have to re-hone.

 

[Slap Chop]

I'll start with a new strop and look into the balsa a bit more.

I'm a newbie to wet having and just getting my setup together. I was having the strop issue too. Which one blah blah blah. Well I came across a thread here about the tony miller plain vanilla strops. Top quality leather that didn't pass Tony's initial inspection due to minor imperfections in the leather or it might be dirty anyway, does not affect functionality just doesnt meet artisan appearance standards. members in the past love these and give them amazing reviews. I didn't know if I wanted a 2.5" or a 3" so I emailed tony to see if he had the same style of the plain vanilla, in 3". He looked around and put together a 2 1/2" plain vanilla steer hide with dee rings (less cupping) and a firm cotton, and a 3" plain vanilla steer hide with dee rings and a med/firm cotton $93 shipped . I wanted to get two because I know I'll end up messing one, or both up though I hope never too bad, plus they ship together. Now I can see which works best for me, I plan on going real slow and just getting the technique down . But I must thank a member here, Raven312, I purchased a SR and a brush from him off the forum, and he generously hooked me up with an extra pigskin strop he had to get me started on this stropping process! Completely unexpected and I cannot thank him enough. I respect the kindness and support the members here on this forum have. And if you want, email tony at thewellshavedgentleman.com. He replied quickly and got me set up pronto. I was expecting a week or two, however, mine ship out Tuesday. good luck