Thread: Solingen "Strangen-Pasta" Black & Red

Hi there!
I'm a complete newby with a Solingen strop and strop paste - not knowing if I should use the paste at all!

So, I got this nice SOlingen strop with ONE very SMOOTH CREAM LEATHER SIDE and the OTHER a not-too-fuzzy SUEDED SIDE, and together with it a small red box "Stranden-Pasta" (apparently DOVO sells it) with two even smaller pastes inside wrapped in blue and red paper.
The blue wrap has a BLACK paste. The red, a kind of brownish-red paste. Both smooth to touch.

On the internet I found that the black is extra-fine and the red is fine.

SO QUESTION: which one to use??

And on which side of the strop - sueded or regular side?

SHould I use both - one on each side? Or keep one of the sides clean?

Thanks !!

dont use the paste at all. unless you get a dedicated strop for sharpening. you will use both sides of the strop for your daily use. get a second strop to apply the paste that you will use about once a month or once every two months. you might want to get your new blade honed so that it will be shave ready. they usually don't come shave ready.

hmmm ok!
I think I'll get an old leather belt for the paste.

About honing....what if I give 60 light strokes each side with the strop...can I sub that for sending it out for honing?
I was also considering buying a 8k grit GOLD japanese and doing it home.

Originally Posted by aefavant

hmmm ok!
I think I'll get an old leather belt for the paste.

About honing....what if I give 60 light strokes each side with the strop...can I sub that for sending it out for honing?
I was also considering buying a 8k grit GOLD japanese and doing it home.

No, you need to strop EVERY shave regardless. Stroping is not the same as honing.

If your razor did not come from a venor that hand hones the razors before they send them out it will need a professional honing before you will get a decent shave out of it. Check with where you got it from and if it was not hand honed by them it needs to go out. http://straightrazorpalace.com/class...wcat.php?cat=4

If the strop is a single piece of leather dont use the rougher side. It is a single component strop so just use the smooth side.