Just got a strop. How much paste?

[dnjrboy]

Everyone,

I just picked up a double sided strop with some green paste from Lee Valley. How much paste do I use? Could someone post a picture of their 'appropriately pasted' strop so that I can compare?

[HarrisonFan]

Check out JoshEarl's Tutorial on Pasting a strop: http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...-tutorial.html

[Rawaz]

How about when using a brand new strop, how often should I use the yellow paste on the strop? I shave maybe 2 times/week. And the ammount is just so it will cover the whole leatherside i guess?

What about the canvas side, I read that the white paste is meant for this...should I use it? and how frequently in that case?

[gugi]

Yes you want very little - so that the green is kind of like a tint on the leather.
As far as the yellow paste - that's just conditioning. The standard recommendation is to use none, unless you don't like the draw, in which case you can increase it by pasting it a little. To keep the strop supple the best is to rub it with your hands whenever you pass by - the oil in your hands is enough.
As Lynn says less is more.

[netsurfr]

+1 That pretty much says it all. Most folks do not condition their strop beyond perhaps an initial conditioning if it appears very dry.

[Rawaz]

So I shouldn't use anything on my strop at all, just the blade and nothing else..but what is the yellow paste good for then? Is there anytime I should use it at all?