What does Linen accomplish, that Leather Doesn't?

[michiganlover]

Total newbie question here, but what does the linen side of the strop accomplish, that simply using a Leather strop doesn't?

I have a Illinois/Bismark strop that has a linen (more like a heavy canvas) side. How many passes should I make on the linen side typically? I have seen videos that do about 20??

 

[betat]

Could be completely wrong here but I was under the impression that several passes on the linen "warms" the edge and prepares it for the leather. I do around 20 passes on the linen before doing around 30 passes on the leather. Since I consider myself an apprentice, I hope one of the masters chimes in.

 

[Chimensch]

If I can paraphrase an old quote, "I don't know anything about strops, but I know what I like". I also have an Illinois strop. I strop every day, 25-30 on the linen and 50-60 on the leather. I decided to stop stropping on the linen to see if it made a difference and, by the third day, the razor was a lot more irritating. Why don't you try the same experiment. Strop linen/leather for a week and then strop leather only for a week and see if it makes a difference to you. If you don't feel a difference then it doesn't matter. But it does to me.

 

[jtrops]

I did an experiment to just use the linen for a few days, and it worked pretty well. I am still using about 30 linen, and 50 leather most days, but based on my little experiment, that has no scientific basis, I would prefer a shave off of linen alone than off of leather alone. The weird thing is that my linen has a little more draw than my leather. I would imagine it the other way around.

My strop is an old barber strop the leather is called "Prince, Medium Heavy Shell," and the linen is called "Squire." The maker is "Buerger Bros. Supply, Denver Colorado.

 

[Klarion]

Hmm..... I think I may give the linen/fabric only shave a test.

 

[DE Shaver]

A linen strop with white paste sharpens and gives a straight razor the equivalent of a very light honing. Plain linen is mildly abrasive. It does not sharpen a straight razor that is dull but it will extend the period between any required honings. The leather strop completes the blade finishing process. Stropping by itself removes oxidation an aligns the blade edge.

 

[michiganlover]

Thanks for all of the responses so far.

I though at first I may have dulled my razor stropping on the Linen, it seemed to pull, and sing more loudly than during past shaves. A couple of passes on a piece of balsa w/ ferrous oxide seems to have made vast improvement.

I am thinking the dullness was probably more likely caused by stropping over a deep nick I placed in my leather strop very close to the one end. I will need to shorten my stropping passes in the future to avoid doing this.


P.S.: Got my Illinois/Bismark strop in the mail last week. Proceeded to cause above damage within the first five minutes. DOH!! Fortunately, it was only $21 shipped.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I don't know. I just know that 20 linen 40 leather gives me a better edge than 60 leather. I can strop without linen, but it takes more passes to get a similar edge.

Don't feel bad about the strop. I paid $30 and waited three months for international shipping on a 70 year old vintage strop, then nicked it multiple times my first use. My Bismark made it oh, three months before I put the first nick in it.

 

[huntmol]

I'm in the camp that believes that the dulling of the blade is due in part to micro-oxidation forming on the edge, and daily use of the linen component removes the oxidation prior to going to the leather. My stropping regimen is 50 linen, 30 latigo, and 30 horsehide before each shave.

Note: I have zero facts to back any of this up, but I will repeat a great quote by Chimensch, "I don't know anything about strops, but I know what I like."

 

[Moe]

With 30-50 cycles on a leather-only Rup Razor Filly, it seems to me my carbon-steel Dovo tortoise "Special" is much more comfortable coming off a 3-line Swaty than is my recently acquired stainless-steel Dovo Inox. They shave equally close and without redness or irritation bumps, but there is a noticeable difference in comfort during the shave. Is it possible my stainless razor needs linen more than the carbon-steel? FWIW, I have a linen on order, based on Chimensch's observations.

 

[mparker762]

The linen side will help keep the razor sharp. How well it works depends on a lot of variables (what type of "linen", your stropping style, etc). And why this works is still a matter of debate, though I incline to two theories (1) it does a better job of removing microscopic oxidation (2) it's slightly abrasive. I once succeeded in sharpening a dull razor using just unpasted linen, but it took about 45 minutes of vigorous stropping (~1500 laps). AFAIK all of the guys that have been doing this for decades and can keep a razor going for months on a single honing without touch-ups all seem to use the linen side religiously. When I first started I couldn't tell that the linen did much at all, so I just stropped on leather since that did make a huge difference each day. But once I began taking the linen seriously my edge life went from 7-10 days of daily shaves between touch-ups to 4-6 months of daily shaves between touch-ups -- either way only 3-5 laps on a barber hone is sufficient to restore the edge. I don't necessarily think that it's important to be able to stretch out an edge like this given how easy it is to haul out the barber hone or pasted paddle, but it does provide some confirmation that the linen is useful for long-term maintenance, while the leather seems necessary for that day's shave.

 

[Klarion]

I'm actually on my third day of fabric only stropping.

Using a Yankee Cutlery 909 as my control blade, my post-shave stropping has consisted of only fabric..... 25 laps on Tony Miller smooth cotton, and 25 laps on a Hess Hair Milk Keen Edge strop. Not that it matters much at this point, but I've noticed no loss in sharpness thus far. I think I'm starting to feel a loss of smoothness in the edge, as the razor felt slgiht "grabby" with my facial hair, but did not tug. It actually felt like it shaved closer with my initial XTG pass. I finished up with an ATG pass like normal. Results still BBS, no irritation when faced with the alum block.

 

[dreka]

linen is useful for long-term maintenance, while the leather seems necessary for that day's shave.

Very well said.

I'm doing 25/25 linen/leather right now. I might have to up the ante to about 30/60 linen/leather.

Lately, my razor has been pulling a lot. I'm suspecting that it might need a touch up. Would doing about 100 laps on the linen (no CrOx) bring the razor back to its sharpness?

Thanks for the information guys. I find myself learning several things every day.

 

[jtrops]

Lately, my razor has been pulling a lot. I'm suspecting that it might need a touch up. Would doing about 100 laps on the linen (no CrOx) bring the razor back to its sharpness?

It certainly couldn't hurt. If it is only just starting to pull the linen alone may be just the ticket. I suspect that my linen has some sort of dressing on it that is slightly abrasive, but not as much as CrOx.

 

[Klarion]

I think it also depends on which kind of fabric you're using. I has a TM smooth Cotton and Hess Hair Milk, and I can certainly say the Hess has a touch of abrasiveness to it. You can see it graying a bit from use, whereas my cotton looks as clean as the day I got it.

I've personally experimented with using fabric only to strop with for a week. 25 on the Hess Hair Milk "Silk Finish", and then 50 on the Tony Miller smooth cotton. While the edge felt a touch rougher than normal, my shaves were perfectly fine - no harshness to my face, no excessive weepers, nothing. The alum certainly helped me gauge for any irritation, and nothing.

The experience was certainly a satisfying experiment, but I was too chicken to try it for longer, like a month. And I've got a bunch of other razors that are getting lonely, darn it!

 

[W_B_K]

I use TI #260 paste on one side of the linen but I just read on a wiki the following:

Rouge or paste should never be applied to the cotton or linen side of the strop.

It showed this link as the reference:

Premium_Knives_help-Straight_Razor_Care.htm

This link is blocked at my work so I have know idea what it says.... anyone know why they would say that?

 

[Chimensch]

I use TI #260 paste on one side of the linen but I just read on a wiki the following:

Rouge or paste should never be applied to the cotton or linen side of the strop.

It showed this link as the reference:

Premium_Knives_help-Straight_Razor_Care.htm

This link is blocked at my work so I have know idea what it says.... anyone know why they would say that?

Because they don't know what they're talking about. They also say that all their razors come shave-ready from the manufacturer.

 

[W_B_K]

Excellent

I would think if using a paste on the linen was a problem, it would have been discovered on the forum by now.