Thread: Why do people use pasted strops?

Hi, this is my first post, but I've been going through the wiki for a few days now, and I have a question about pasted strops.

In the wiki, it says these are the disadvantages of pasted strops:

1. Once the bevel is arc shaped, the very edge can no longer make contact with the flat surface of a hone. Not without resetting the bevel first. Hence one cannot touch up a pasted razor with a hone.
2. Since the abrasion is done with the edge trailing on pasted strops, the very tip of the bevel will be composed of bur-like steel, which isn't as durable. It depends a bit on the abrasive medium used, but in any case, part of the obtained keenness will disappear within very few shaves. The wow-effect of a pasted edge usually lasts but one or two shaves.
3. With each touch-up the edge becomes more arc-shaped. One can try to avoid that, but that also robs the process of its main advantages. In the end, the arc become so rounded, that the shaving comfort will be seriously compromised, and a lot of work to recreate flat bevel panes will be needed.

Given this information, I don't really know why a person would use a pasted strop. It seems like it hurts your edge in the long run and creates the need for some serious honing.

I've heard people say that it's cheaper, but unless you make a strop yourself, the cheapest strop I've seen is $20 which just happens to be the cost of a Chinese 12k or a barber hone on eBay.

From what I've read, using a hone for touch-ups can make an edge last for years, but using a pasted strop means that it will inevitably need to be sent to a honemeister. Assuming that the cost of lapping the hone and pasting the strop will roughly equal out, the pasted strop seems like it would cost more in the long run because of the trips to the honemeister.

I'm sure I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, but why would you choose a pasted strop over a barber hone or Chinese 12k???

I duno, at the moment the only strop I use is a CrOx pasted Balsa strop that I made myself.

If you don't want to mess with a hanging strop, I say just pick up some CrOx paste or powder from HandAmerican and spread a little across your wet C12k, and strop on that.

I know I've seen Bart do it on a Coticule, so doing it on a C12k or barber hone shold be just as good

Originally Posted by Victor

Hi, this is my first post, but I've been going through the wiki for a few days now, and I have a question about pasted strops.

In the wiki, it says these are the disadvantages of pasted strops:

1. Once the bevel is arc shaped, the very edge can no longer make contact with the flat surface of a hone. Not without resetting the bevel first. Hence one cannot touch up a pasted razor with a hone.
2. Since the abrasion is done with the edge trailing on pasted strops, the very tip of the bevel will be composed of bur-like steel, which isn't as durable. It depends a bit on the abrasive medium used, but in any case, part of the obtained keenness will disappear within very few shaves. The wow-effect of a pasted edge usually lasts but one or two shaves.
3. With each touch-up the edge becomes more arc-shaped. One can try to avoid that, but that also robs the process of its main advantages. In the end, the arc become so rounded, that the shaving comfort will be seriously compromised, and a lot of work to recreate flat bevel panes will be needed.

Given this information, I don't really know why a person would use a pasted strop. It seems like it hurts your edge in the long run and creates the need for some serious honing.

I've heard people say that it's cheaper, but unless you make a strop yourself, the cheapest strop I've seen is $20 which just happens to be the cost of a Chinese 12k or a barber hone on eBay.

From what I've read, using a hone for touch-ups can make an edge last for years, but using a pasted strop means that it will inevitably need to be sent to a honemeister. Assuming that the cost of lapping the hone and pasting the strop will roughly equal out, the pasted strop seems like it would cost more in the long run because of the trips to the honemeister.

I'm sure I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, but why would you choose a pasted strop over a barber hone or Chinese 12k???

Here is a revelation... The Wiki is not God it is a collection of parts of threads in the forum... I always reccomend the anytime you read a Wiki article that you follow the link back to the original thread as many questions are asked and answered in the thread...

Now on the topic you bring to the table, I am actually still doing an experiment on it right here...

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...xperiment.html

Actually, the wiki states those are the disadvantages of a convex bevel - I don't know that a pasted strop necessarily creates a bevel so convex as to inherit those disadvantages to a measurable degree

I think this line in the wiki should probably be removed or qualified as a disputed theory:

When a blade is honed on a strop loaded with some sort of abrasive compound, the cutting bevel looses its triangular shape and becomes arc-shaped (or "convexed")

IMO the pasted strop is a useful tool, it will bring the edge back when plain stropping wont. and is very useful for finishing an edge after honing, it will not however make for a good replacement to use instead of a hone.

I only use paste after honing if I cant get the edge quite smooth enough, and the same applies if I find my regular linen then leather stropping doesnt give me the edge I desire, I would never use one regularly or for more than 20 or so laps at any one time, if the pasted strop doesnt do the trick after that many laps, I go back to the stone for a few finishing laps

Thing is, everone is different, what works for me and my razors may not work for you, what I like in a shaving edge may not be right for you either, its a case of finding what suits you

Hope this helps
Ralfy

i agree with ralfy i only use after final honing i never use as touch up i always go back to hone then paste i test shave of hone if all good i just do 10 to 20 light laps. I get more than 1 to 2 good sahves of finishing on paste in fact i generaly get 7 plus m\y be 20 max. Paste gives more glide and i think in some cases gives ultra keenes that hones carn't the old barbers used roug after there coticules. if your bevel rounds it would'nt take that long on a coticule with slurry to get it back may be 50 laps max

There are plenty of good reasons to use a pasted strop. Price, I used an old seat belt for mine. Easy to travel with, if you're going away for a few weeks it's not a bad idea to travel with one.

Another handy element is you don't need to use tape on a pasted strop. I've honed about 20 razors and because I didn't keep a record at the time, I have only a vague idea of which ones were taped and which ones weren't. It's not a big deal, but 5-6 laps on a pasted strop is quick and simple and seems to help with edges that need to see stones in their not so distant future.

There is a big, important difference too between a paddle strop and a hanging strop. Generally I find that a rough paste say 1 micron is a little too much for a hanging strop, particularly if you're going to let it sag a bit.

A really high grit paste is nice though for quick touch ups. I like to use fireash (on linen) and graphite, personally.

Like any other technique though you have to learn the ins and outs of how to do it. It won't be second nature. But a strop is considered easier to use than a stone. We have lowered the learning curve of a hone, but many consider honing something that requires a big learning curve.

The idea that you can not hone an edge that has pastes used on it is something I would disagree with. It may be a suggestion that you might need a lower grit than just a finishing stone. I suppose it would require a mild bevel reset, but that isn't very hard, more just a question of time on the hone.

I would have to concede that a burr is more likely with a hanging strop, as suggested over at RazorCentral, but that wouldn't disuade me entirely from using them.

What I like to do is to spread a little graphite on my hanging strop, and sharpen the razor. Then I dry wipe the graphite off. There is just enough graphite remaining on the strop that it acts like a daily strop, yet sharpens the blade so mildly that the razor shaves almost forever, like years. Its kinda neat, unless you like honing.

You simply ran into some subjective bias that filtered into the Wiki, which I think anyone can contribute to.

I use diamond sprayed on felt or CrO sprayed on linen as a final step after honing. On some razors I can't get as fine an edge just off stones no matter how long I try. A few dozen light stropping laps seems to finish things better.

I use diamond and chromium oxide as my finishing steps, applied to balsa wood strips purchased at Michaels hobby store. Works very well. Based on what people say, even with my light touch, I suspect I am rounding the edge slightly. But, if this is the effect, I think I like a slightly rounded bevel. (There's tons of threads on the rounding effect, so will skip the discussion.)

But, pastes on balsa are just fine for me.