What should I add to my linen strop?

[temjeito]

I have an all-linen strop from The Superior Shave, and I'd like to add a paste or spray to one side. My typical routine currently is to strop every razor before I use it 20 laps on a felt laptop strop with diamond spray from Star Shaving, 20 laps on linen, and 40 laps on leather. If the edge starts to feel rough, I will use CrOx and FeOx on a balsa strop. I believe the diamond spray o n my felt is somewhere between the CrOx and FeOx in terms of grit size, so I was wondering if it made more sense to do FeOx (smallest grit) for daily stropping. Would that even work on a linen strop? Or is there something else I'm not thinking of?
Here's the strop:

 

[Doc226]

Nothing

 

[Loner16]

Nothing

Ditto!!

 

[temjeito]

Interesting. How come?

 

[Doc226]

I never liked any stuff on my strops, when I started out I used a balsa wood for touch ups. I think stuff on a handing strop rounds off the edge faster.

I now don't use anything for touch ups, stones, and leather only for me.

 

[temjeito]

I never liked any stuff on my strops, when I started out I used a balsa wood for touch ups. I think stuff on a handing strop rounds off the edge faster.

I now don't use anything for touch ups, stones, and leather only for me.

So you don't use untreated linen/canvas/felt?

 

[eaterofdog]

It's a hell of a lot cheaper to try pastes on balsa. Once you put paste on a strop, it's never coming back out.

 

[KindestCutofAll]

One side Diamond and the otherside clean and untouched.

 

[Doc226]

So you don't use untreated linen/canvas/felt?

I only use linen post shave to dry off the blade, quick 1-12 passes.

 

[tomjr]

nothing is the correct answer IMO.

 

[BDF]

Plain linen makes a nice pre- strop strop IMO. As others have said, once pasted, the material can never be 'un pasted' again, and it sounds like you already have plenty of pasted material around. Try using the linen plain for a while and see how you like the linen / leather combination for maintaining your razors.

As Alfredo already said, pasted hanging strops tend to radius the edge of a razor a bit- that may not be a bad thing and some people like it but it does make the razor act quite a bit differently than one with flat bevels. Your felt will also cause a bit of rounding of the edge although less than a hanging strop with the same abrasive pasted to it. Hard balsa <may> radius the edge but if it does, only a very small amount and it is not accumulative meaning the radius will not get bigger and bigger as the stropping continues (it will with a hanging strop).

Brian

I have an all-linen strop from The Superior Shave, and I'd like to add a paste or spray to one side. My typical routine currently is to strop every razor before I use it 20 laps on a felt laptop strop with diamond spray from Star Shaving, 20 laps on linen, and 40 laps on leather. If the edge starts to feel rough, I will use CrOx and FeOx on a balsa strop. I believe the diamond spray o n my felt is somewhere between the CrOx and FeOx in terms of grit size, so I was wondering if it made more sense to do FeOx (smallest grit) for daily stropping. Would that even work on a linen strop? Or is there something else I'm not thinking of?
Here's the strop:
View attachment 359359

 

[Hangten]

Nothing is my opinion as well.

 

[ouch]

It's a hell of a lot cheaper to try pastes on balsa. Once you put paste on a strop, it's never coming back out.

This.

 

[Kentos]

Linen is already mildly abrasive as it is. I prefer sprays on leather myself.

 

[CanonSterVa]

Plain linen is what I prefer.
When I need a paste, I go to Balsa - but only on a rare occasion.

 

[Alum of Potash]

For ferox, I currently prefer to use hanging strops made from vegetable-tanned leather. One piece has the ferox, the other is left plain. But this is at the end of the honing process and not part of the daily routine. After stropping on the ferox, the blade is gently wiped with a cloth, and then briefly stropped on the leather (which is dedicated to this purpose, and inevitably builds up with a faint amount of ferox), more or less to "clean" the edge. So I suppose the pasted balsa you have been using would work in their place here. Before shaving, the razor is spritzed off with alcohol and gently wiped (I oil my razors during the downtime), then stropped for ~5 laps on plain linen, again, just to "clean" the edge, followed by ~60 laps or so on a nice piece of horsehide.

 

[Whiskey Badger]

I voted off the main page and didn't realize it was a hanging strop:

-1 CrOx
+1 Nothing

 

[Seraphim]

Dovo white is what belongs on there.

here

and here

and here

 

[Alum of Potash]

I agree that Dovo white can be useful on linen and canvas, although I've moved away from it in wanting just to clean the blade's edge with the linen side and not having to wipe the blade again before moving to leather. How much white paste are you putting on the linen, Seraphim? That surface looks plastered with it, to the point of taking a sheen.

 

[Seraphim]

I agree that Dovo white can be useful on linen and canvas, although I've moved away from it in wanting just to clean the blade's edge with the linen side and not having to wipe the blade again before moving to leather. How much white paste are you putting on the linen, Seraphim? That surface looks plastered with it, to the point of taking a sheen.

Yes, that is the point of Dovo white. It smooths out the weave, and adds a lil' sumpin' to the edge while its at it.

From a page from a old barber manual on Classic's website:

Canvas Strop


The Canvas or Linen Strop is generally used before final stropping on the leather strop. It's purpose is to provide a very honing to the razor's edge, replacing most of the keenness which was lost in it's last use. While it has proven effective for this purpose, it will not sharpen a dull razor but will extend the period between honings.

This strop is composed of high quality linen or silk woven into a fine or coarse texture.

A fine-textured linen strop is most desirable for putting a lasting edge on a razor. To obtain the best results, a new canvas strop should be thoroughly broken in. A daily hand finish will keep its surface smooth and ready for stropping. For a hand finish, the canvas strop is given the following treatment:

* Attach the swivel end of the strop to a fixed point, such asanail.
* Lay the strop flat on a smooth and level surface and hold the unsecured end firmly.
* Rub a bar of dry soap over the strop, working it well intothe grain of the canvas.
* Rub a smooth glass bottle over strop several times, each time forcing the soap into the grain and also removing excess soap.

Many modern Linen strops often come from the manufacturer pre-treated with a very fine chalk-based abrasive. These strops are generally quite stiff when new and do not require any break-in though their performance does improve with use. Over time the chalk abrasive may be worn away. It can be replaced with Linen Strop Paste, which is itself chalk-based and usually is either white or gray in color.

Sounds like the cavas strops were designed to be loaded up with "stuff" prior to use.