Thread: Linen & Leather or Just Leather

I got my first linen strop this year and it seems to make a noticeable difference. I use it every time now.

I get best results when using both. No proof, but I surmise that the linen pulls off contaminants from the edge, preventing them from reaching the leather. Then the leather burnishes clean steel.

it does have some abrasive nature, just look at your linen several hundreds of laps with your razors,, it gets darker form the metal that is being worn down with use. its not anything really aggressive cause it takes time but my linens have plenty of metal on the face Tc

I’ve always done both.
That has served me well really.
I’m able to do it without the pre-leather, but seem to get more consistent results with them both.
So that’s what I’ll continue to do.

Fresh after honing I will do about 70-50, on regular rotation about 50-50.
Regardless of strop really.

Originally Posted by Jnatcat

I think I will do an unofficial test and try linen/leather for a week and then just leather and compare the shaves because in the end the shave is all that matters, in my tiny mind I am thinking the linen has an abrasive quality and will help keep the edge going longer.

I agree. While it is certainly true that the real test is shave quality, I have done my own TPT pre-stropping, after linen, and after linen + leather. To me, the biggest improvement happens after linen. The leather then refines it a bit.

Linen 40....leathah 100... then Palm strop..that's the latest set up for me

Well today's shave was 25/50 with linen and leather and the shave was very smooth, the post shave consisted of 10/10. Going to try this for a week or so and then try leather only and see if I notice a difference.

Like you Jnatcat, I use a Kanayama #70000. I've settled on doing 20 on canvas, 30 on the suede and 100 on the primary leather. I've stuck at that for a couple of years and been happy. Only thing I've added was I put lead on one of my canvas pieces. I read it can help, but many have said it's toxic. That may be so, but I'm trying it out.

For me, I for some reason really like stropping. On a regular shave linen and leather, somewhere around 60 linen and 100 leather. After honing I have a progressive stropping routine that I believe makes for the smoothest shaving edges. As always YMMV.

Gentlemen,

Currently I use the Mastro Livi loom strop. About 20 strokes on the skin side plus palm stropping put a sweet edge on my razor. About every four or five shaves with the razor, I give it about 10 strokes on the CrO coated side and then to the skin side.

I also have an old Illinois hanging strop, no longer made, and use it mostly for after the shave — 10 strokes on linen and 10 on leather. When I used the hanging strop before the shave, it was always 25 to 30 strokes on linen and 50 to 60 strokes on leather.

Whether the linen helps or not I'm not sure. I suppose it does. The old time barbers used it followed by leather. Maybe they realized its magic long before we did.