Thread: Ideas and Suggestions for SEM honing and stropping research experiment

Originally Posted by mparker762

For example it may be that "strop contamination" is actually critical for proper strop function. Maybe the little bits of oxide that are coming off the razor as it rusts are acting as an abrasive that keeps the razor sharp. The guys that are reporting year-long edge lives are typically using vintage strops after all.

this would be easy to add to the experiment.. just get a clean strop and a normal everyday use strop... being too fanatical about this is what will get us closer to a real world understanding... account for all of the variables we can and we get closer to the real relationships.

BTW, are you guys going to call for razors or strops to be loaned for this experiment?

Originally Posted by Del1r1um

are you guys going to call for razors or strops to be loaned for this experiment?

The answer is, probably eventually. Nothing is final yet, anything is in the air.

I have 8 Double Arrows, that I use for conducting honing experiments. I can confirm that those razors take excellent edges and that they all respond very similar to a given treatment (they were ordered at once, so they likely come form the same batch.)
I happily contribute them for the experiment, if that would be considered beneficial. Glen or Lynn, or whomever we see fit of preparing them, could set them up and send them to RossCollins3. He may remove the scales, by cutting them off (they need rescaling anyway).

I 'm also in possession of a few straps of horse leather, purchased from Keith (HandAmerican) and still unused. I'm willing to turn them into a hanging strop and a paddle strop, and I have no problem for lending them out.

I am also willing to fund part of the costs involved with these experiments. I do think that the people involved should volunteer their time, but for all other costs, I believe we could raise some funds and I would be happy to contribute.

Bart.