Thread: Belt as strop...?

You can get a zeepk strop on ebay or some other cheapo to learn on. You'll probably take a few good chunks out of it anyway. It'll take a while to strop, but it will keep some degree on sharpness with some work. Good luck!

Hi khaos,

Yes you can use a leather belt as a strop. I used my 2.5" belt so for a couple of months until I got a store-bought strop. You need the belt to be smooth, and the wider and thicker the better.

Another option for a strop on the cheap is to use the cardboard backing from a notepad. I can also vouch for it's effectiveness. I understand that because of the clays used in cardboard manufacture, there is a small amount of abrasiveness to it's surface, so it works a little like a pasted strop.

Be careful, and have fun!

Jeff

Use the belt!

I use my belt sometimes when I'm travelling, works like a charm! A few years back, I remember a guy who posted that he put his jeans on and then stropped his razor on his thigh. Honemeisters will cringe anytime that you use anything other than a strop- but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Originally Posted by khaos

Hey I'm a college student and I'm paying through my nose for everything.... would it be feasible to skimp a belt as a strop? Yes I know that its not the right tool and a real strop would work better etc, but i'm not getting an amazing razor, and until I know if this is really for me, will a belt get me by? And if so, what kind of leather should I look for?

A good hand made latigo leather belt would be better than a cheap strop but a cheap strop would be good for practice with a cheap razor. The shavette path is a good option till you decide if you like it tho

my strop method when I started was a layer of athletic tape (easy enough to find part rolls at games I'm sure) on cardboard. worked not too bad. another option is a notepad, as has been mentioned. the main thing to remember is that you want a FLAT surface, after that see what works. I figure that if razors got packaged with instructions to strop on the hand, it must work, although I prefer leather.

thanks for all the advice guys
right now i'm checking out ebay cus it looks like you can get a good vintage and cheap strop for a little more than a shavette, so that might be a good option.
I strop my knife on my jeans, but then again, my knife, while very very sharp, does not need the immaculate edge that a razor does.

so in theory, any cheapo strop is better than no strop at first?

i think no strop is just nutz - use newspaper if you don't have a strop or a belt that works, should work reasonably well.
if you can't afford to throw away a strop don't go the ebay route. yes you can probably find really good ones for cheap there, but i've gotten quite a few that went to the trash.
get the one from ruprazor for $20, i haven't tried one of them, but he knows what a strop should do and i'm sure uses leather that does the job.
you can use jeans for canvas strop.

I used a belt as a strop but in the end, the edge near the heel is not as sharp as under the point. The front part is stropped more than the back part. I hope you understood. I'm getting a strop these days and beginning to shave.

My girlfriend purchased me a dovo strop for my birthday this year and only being new to SR shaving i completely hacked it up and ruined it, so i went on ebay and bought a cheap one just to practice on. It was only $25 Australian and does the trick. My advice spend the money on a decent strop when your experienced and can afford it. For now just but one on ebay to get you by.
Good Luck