Thread: Strop break-in: dumb it down please!

Welcome Scoundrel

From Lee Valley I have the single Norton stones in 1000, 4000, and 8000 grits. I do have other stones from them for my carpentry tools, and knives, but I picked these up exclusively for razors. I went with the singles instead of the combination stones out of convenience/laziness in that the Stone Pond will hold 2 stones side by side, so I can set up the combination I wish to use and not need to flip back and forth. Something I started with my tool and knife sharpening and decided to continue the method I was familiar with. Thanks for the heads up on the stones though, very much appreciated whenever anything is pointed out and passed on.

I've found that a good quality strop does not need any break-in. In the old days when I started I used to use a rolling pin but I don't think it was ever necessary. As far as using both sides. There are some strops that are two sided and both sides can be used however most are not. If its one of the two sided varieties both sides will be smooth. If one is really rough it not designed to be used.

Originally Posted by Scoundrel

From Lee Valley I have the single Norton stones in 1000, 4000, and 8000 grits. I do have other stones from them for my carpentry tools, and knives, but I picked these up exclusively for razors. I went with the singles instead of the combination stones out of convenience/laziness in that the Stone Pond will hold 2 stones side by side, so I can set up the combination I wish to use and not need to flip back and forth. Something I started with my tool and knife sharpening and decided to continue the method I was familiar with. Thanks for the heads up on the stones though, very much appreciated whenever anything is pointed out and passed on.

Well Scoundrel it sounds like you are already well on your way, so we know you've done your homework. The 8k wil be enough to get you shaving, but you might consider getting a finer finishing hone down the line. Plenty of info here or on the Wiki. Let us know how goes.