Thread: New Strop V's Old

Does an old strop work better than a new one?

I recently bought a new strop because I heard that linen improves a coticule edge, so I bought one with a linen side. My new one is also a little wider than my old one. But what I have noticed is that I can get a better edge and quicker if I finish with my old strop and I'm wondering why this is. Is it because older strops work better when they as worn in, or is it more to do with the type of leather, or is it something completely different such as - is my technique wrong now that I have a wider strop? To add to the confusion, my new one was more expensive, so is it true that more expensive does not necessarily = better?

Your latter question has answered itself. Likely it is simply less flexible than your old strop or more slippery or differs in some other way that you are not accustomed to. It's a piece of leather, it's not going to differ wildly.

Incidentally, can you recall where you read the advise vis. coticule and linen strops?

As long as a leather strop is quality they all do the same thing. You pay for the size and the thickness and the finishing and maybe the name on it and of course the quality of the leather and critter it came from. The difference is how it feels and how you use it. As to the fabric strops I don't think anyone has ever tested materials like linen and canvas or silk or synthetic materials from a comparison standpoint. Historically Linen was considered the cats meow and I've seen some rare old pieces made from a knobby silk material which are supposed to be supreme.

What age is your 'old' strop? Is it a genuine oldie, or just old compared to the one you have just bought, and therefore contemporary rather than decades old?

I ask because if the 'old' strop has been owned by others, you do not know what they did to it. It could have had an abrasive compound applied that is so well worked in that you wouldn't notice it. A lot of old strops were like that, some were even made that way by the manufacturer.

As far as I am concerned, unless you have a very good 'finishing' coticule (v hard, usually v expensive) than the edge off a coticule is 'mushy' - to me without using an abrasive like chrome oxide or CBN. YMMV, of course. But just supposing it is a middle-of-the-road coticule (ie a jack of all trades, master of none), then an old strop with the remnants of some form of abrasive might very well render the edge 'keener' for want of a better word.

As for linen being more abrasive than cotton, then this is true for the less processed type of linen (ie not table or bedsheet types) which is a bit of a murky grey/brown colour - it simply retains more of the abrasive particles that further processing removes, as in the case of refined cotton. It is only slightly more abrasive, but countless people who have used it attest to that fact.

And yes, of course, expensive does not mean better. Personal preference is what counts, mostly. That applies to most things in life. For instance an old banger and a Rolls Royce will get you from A to B, but I would rather be riding in the Roller.

Affected? Moi?

Regards,
Neil

Watch out, Neil! That ride could be your last!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Watch out, Neil! That ride could be your last! [

Nah, from what I've been told I'm going off in a handcart - you can guess where!

Regards,
Neil