Thread: Thoughts on make-shift strops.

Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

The green side is higher grit than 12k. Well.. Not higher grit, but smaller particle...

To save you the long version, the essentials are that there is no finite answer to your question, it's different for every razor.. When the razor starts to tug, or give rough shaves, give it 10 laps on the Green, then give it a good stropping on Latigo, if that fixes it, yay, if it doesn't, 10 more laps, repeat as necessary... When the Green doesn't do the job, you need a finishing/barber hone.

That answer your question?

yes, thank you

Hey Toplin, lots of people love their Filly's!

Unfortunately due to where I live, just the cost of getting it here and the exchange rate would more than double price. This was kind of my big problem with a lot of stuff having to do with SR shaving. I know of no one in the country who hones razors. I had to send it internationally just to have it honed by someone I felt confident in trusting. I know of no manufacturer on this side of the planet who makes nice strops. After shipping, even a cheap strop becomes mid-range.

This was, essentially, the problem that caused me to try out a belt for stropping.

So, if a newbie finds themselves in similar need, it seems the very *best* investment, if they live in the more accessible places in the world, would be one of the starter strops that the wonderful people in the SR community make, such as the Filly.

Otherwise, if in my situation, or so broke that that extra 20 bucks seems like it would hurt, and one would like to go DIY, start with raw leather. You know what's gone in to it and how it's been treated. Knowledge is power.

And besides, making stuff is fun!

ShavedZombie - Thanks. I didn't like it as a kid being teased on the playground, but I gotta say, I'm lovin' it now.

Yes, we should all send Oni candy.

You did a great job explaining this! I used a belt for about two months when I first started, not believing a real strop would make much difference... but oh how it does! It's often hard to convince a beginner, though, because it seems perfectly acceptable to save some money and use a belt or whatnot...

...I will now direct these poor unfortunate souls to your thread! What a great contribution to SRP!

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

Unfortunately due to where I live, just the cost of getting it here and the exchange rate would more than double price.

No friends or relatives travelling to Europe or the US?

Originally Posted by Toplin

i'm a beginner and I got ken rup's filly strop and I recommend it. I do have a question about the rough side with the green paste. How often should i use that side, and is it equvalent to an 8k, 12k stone? Or am I thinking about all this wrong?

If you're wondering about grit and micron sizes, here is a useful little file that was floating around a while back.

It is a useful comparison of grit size to micron size and shows where a lot of the stones sit in comparison to each other. Do bear in mind that the grit sizes given for the natural stones are approximate.

To answer your specific question, chromium oxide is about the same grit as a 30k Shapton stone. So its a very fine final polish, or a very light touch up. ShavedZombie gave great advice on how to use it.

Good luck!

I bought several new belts from our local gigantic flea market. They all said genuine leather on the inside. I got them for five dollars each. I got one wet and it disentigrated. When I inspected it the thing was made out of ground up leather and something else pressed into a belt blank. The something else is probably what tore up your razor. The other two belts started rolling on the edges and didn't last long. It may be genuine leather but it is not solid leather. For what it is worth. I am sorry that had to happen to you. Any one of us could have done the same thing.

Mackie - Interesting you say that. I won't be soaking the belt, as I plan to make it available again to other broke people, ha ha. But really, I wouldn't be surprised. I just don't know!

I could be the manufacturing, how it was shipped, how it was worn, how it was stored... who the hell knows.

But I didn't know they could pulp and reconstitute leather like bad orange juice.

Originally Posted by MistressNomad

But I didn't know they could pulp and reconstitute leather like bad orange juice.

That's how Ford and GM make cars. Duh. Gosh how could you not know about reconstituted pulp manufacture?