Thread: Pasted Hanging Strop????

OK,
As some of you have noticed, I ventured out into the DIY Strop land and now have 2 new 3" wide cowhide hanging strops. Is it OK to buy some diamond paste for one of them? Will that work on a hanging strop? It seems that pasted strops are usually paddle strops. Any particular reason for this?

IF it is OK to paste a hanging strop, which side would be best to paste? Both sides seem to have nice stropping abilities (the finished side and the split leather side).

And finally, I have a Boss Barber Hone and these strops - that's it. What grit level should I choose for the strop for maximum sharpening ability given that I would then use a barber hone and plain strop?

Thanks for the input!

Boy that is a dizzying array of questions. I bet you can guess why so few hanging strops are pasted*. For an all around paste that would complement a barber hone and be used before a barber hone I guess I would have to recommend 3 micron. Thats my guess, three micron! Wouldn't it make a little more sense to use .5 and use the barber hone first? Well anyway, lets see how many divergent answers you get. No way on the planet that anyone will agree with me.

* You can use paste on a hanging strop and get a few good strokes out of it but it rolls the edge after about 20 strokes. Best to keep it flat on a table or something. You can do 4-6 strokes and then shave for a while, but don't do a lot. Even a slight sag with a hanging strop and paste and you've got some wicked edge damage. It works and can even tighten an edge but hold it taught or flat on a table.

I have two hanging strops with diamond paste on them but I never used them hanging, always flat on a table which would really make them bench strops I guess. Its not really a good idea to use pasted hanging strops. Better to buy a bench strop or dedicated pasted paddle.

So I am gathering that it would be best to mount this stop on a board to allow for a little lift on the right side (as I am a righty) instead of using it hanging.

How messy is the paste after application? Could I use a 1.0 micron paste on one side and a .5 micron on the back side of the strop to effectively create my own two sided paddle or would the split leather side not work well with the paste? Does it matter which paste is on which side?

Thanks for the info, gentlemen.

There is nothing wrong with pasted hanging strops and they require no more attention to use than a paddle. If you keep the strop tight and use light pressure they will give you a very keen edge after you come off the hones. 25+ years now I have used pasted hanging strops and have never had edge problems but quite the reverse. Always strop on a pasted hanging or paddle strop so that you maintain the striations from honing. This means that the fine scratches made by the hone are not crossed by the scratches from the paste abrasive but run with them. Remember the pasted strop is another form of hone and so you should maintain the same angle of scratching on the edge.
For me, I hone X style with heel leading which creates striations pointing from toe to heel at an angle of 30-40 degrees (never measured the angle though). This I believe is text book style? When I use a pasted strop I lay the razor toe leading and run diag along the strop in an X pattern (spine leading and edge trailing), Like back honing. This maintains the hone scratch angle and so does not create X hatching which weakens a delicate edge.

(Scratches sounds harsh but I am sure you get my meaning)

PuFF

does anyone use/has used a loom strop? seems to me like it would perform the same as a taught hanging strop.

I use a pasted hanging strop with the Dovo red paste. I don't know the grit of that paste, but seem to recall from somewhere it's roughly equivalent to the 8K side of the Norton.

Like Puffah says, I keep it taut and maintain a similar angle to that used on the hone - I've had no edge problems this way. However, like Alan says, I don't do many strokes (mainly just a quick edge refresh, or a fine tune off the 8K).

And I've found a light touch works best too - if the Dovo red is about 8K in grit, I've found a light touch on the pasted side of the strop gives me what *feels* like a smoother edge than off the Norton, but this may just be in my mind of course...

James.

Like Puffah, I use and very much like pasted hanging strops. Maybe its a westcountry thing?!
I make sure to keep it very tight and strop carefully. I guess you also have to be careful that you have a very smooth strop with no defects though. It might affect your edge.

Definitely agree - defects and cuts are a bad thing. But it doesn't necessarily have to be completely smooth - I paste the embossed side of my strop. It has a raised domino pattern up the middle and horizontal ribs off the side (photo)

Admittedly, its an even pattern but not completely smooth.

James.

The embossing is fairly usual on Russian strops...of course Russian can refer to shell process Horsehide, or a compressed leather strop, or a textured leather strop, or all together in one strop.....but generallythey will be different than 'regular" strops.

Embossing and texture seem to be a little puzzling though. on one hand they do increase the sensation of draw. The razor slows as it passes the ridges, pebbles, ridges, etc.... giving the impression of more draw. All the raised textured nubbs actually reduce the surface contact area of strop to razor though so possibly reducing the actual effect of the friction of steel on leather.

This sounds like one for AF Davis to solve....<g>.

Tony