Thread: Value of a Swaty, Belgian?

I don't know if the rounding really happens to a significant degree or not. You don't really use any pressure on the strop, but there is obviously some pressure from the razor's weight. But I had some poplar slats lying around that looked like they could be turned into a paddle-like contraption, so I cut one of them up into 8" pieces, lapped them flat and pasted one with boron carbide and the other with chromium oxide, leaving a 2" unpasted bit at one end so I could hold them. The razors I used to refresh on the barber hones I now refresh on the BC, and the ones that were getting refreshed on the leather CO paddle now get refreshed on the poplar CO. Balsa would have been easier to lap than the poplar, and with less grain structure to cause problems. But the poplar seems to work well, and it's quite a bit harder than the balsa, though I'm pretty sure any improvement is mostly imaginary.

To clarify: The problem with grain is that the softer wood in the grain gets dished out a bit when you sand it. I mitigated this to some extent by wetting the surface fairly well, which lifts the grain back up a bit. It seems to work ok.

There were other woods used as well as the balsa. I have one paddle that seems to be basswood that used pasted directly on the wooden sides. In theory the leather is softer but in practice it would take a lot of pressure for it to deflect and round an edge. of course it depends on the leather a bit. I use a hard finish 4 to 5 oz lethaer on my paddles that often feels like masonite it has such a hard surface. Suede on the other hand has a good bit of give and could round an edge more easily.


You will often see paddles from wood that have slots cut in them ti impart a bit of flex like used by Thiers Issard. if you have owned one thiough you would find it take a lot of pressure to flex those wooden surfaces so I think again this is more theoretical than practical. Now a loom type paddle has controlable flex depending on how hard you crank up the handle.

Tony

I've been toying with the idea that strops are supposed to round over slightly to do their job. I'm talking aboout straight leather. If you watch any expert on a hanging strop you can see a slight amount of give, and many paddles are made with a thin, flexible supporting surface. For example, the Streich Riemen, which you can see giving a little as you strop. Then, I have a two-sided old Dorko strop that's like a loom, but it's all wood and is hollowed out under the leather with no provision for tension adjustment. You can see the leather give as you strop. I've seen many antique paddle strops with a similar construction. Also, a loom strop has some give, and it's almost impossible to make the tension high enough to eliminate the give entirely.

So it would seem that a strop is supposed to have a little give. Only my 4-sided strop doesn't. A little give, rather than rounding, would push the fin as upright as possible. Not having it might allow a little spread in the microserrations, making the edge look wider or less sharp.

I have no support for this. I'm just theorizing based on what I've observed.

maybe a dumb Q: but when "on the road" could I just use my leather belt to strop a razor?

Yes, if it's a smooth leather belt. It helps if it's a wide one. Loop it around the towel rack and strop away.

Ivo,
You've asked a question that's impossible to answer. It's kind of like asking what a reasonable value is for an automobile. To me, I look for whatever gets the job done. If that costs more than something which "sort of" gets the job done but includes frustration, I move on. Usually you get what you pay for (but not always!). In terms of hones, I've come to love the belgians because they absolutely blow away the Arkansas stones my family has used for 3 generations. They cut faster, leave a shinier edge, and don't argue with me. What else could I ask for from a hone?

Howard

Thank you all for the answers.

I finally picked up a Swaty for $10 (after losing several in the $20-30 range), photos give reasonable expectations for usability after lapping.

As for the Belgians - seems the answer is around 75 - 80, as 2 went for this much on ebay and Randy has a similar offer from Laager in the BST.

Cheers
Ivo