Thread: Questions on strops

Hanging strop waist high for me, too, gentlemen. I have always been fond of the Illinois strops, especially the barber strop, the one without a handle, whatever the number is.

Many thanks for all of the feedback.

yes, on second thought my strop-on-wood is probably way too rough for razor - I'll keep it for knives. Balsa wood with CrOx seems like a cheap way to go. Are there any other paste-y things aside from CrOx which are worth considering at this point?

I'll have to see what I can rig up for the hanging strop - I imagine it might be easier to manage at first at least at waist height. (Do I need to do anything to condition it? It's about 15-20 years old, but hasn't been used.)

Well, there are a few abrasive, high grit pastes available. Diamond (0.5 and, I believe, 0.25 micron) sprays are popular, some people use ferric oxide - I believe those, along with CrOx are the main ones.

With the strop, a piece of leather lace or a shoelace or bit of string makes things very easy in terms of attachment to various things around the bathroom area such as door knobs or towel rails etc.

In terms of conditioning the leather, there's a tonne of leather conditioning creams and oils out there. But it really depends on the condition of the strop - if it seems supple and in good condition (and, as it has never been used I suspect it's probably OK), then just rubbing it with your palm before each stropping session will impart enough oil to keep it nice and conditioned. If it seems hard, then a good quality leather conditioner will help (I use a leather "cream" I picked up for good quality handbags - not my handbags, just handbags in general )

James.