Thread: Using strop pastes and the linen side

I have some questions about finishing a razor after honing.

What should the progression be after honing. Currently I am using a strop with red dovo strop paste and then a plain leather strop to finish my razors and the edge still pulls hairs a little when I shave. I think I need to use a coarser strop between the hone and the red strop.

Should I get the green dovo strop paste? And when should I use a linen strop?

Can the coarseness of the linen strop be compared to pasted strops?

Thanks

You should not need to use a pasted strop straight after honing. If you do then perhaps you need to evaluate your honing first. Pastes help to maintain an already sharp razor or bring a dulling razor back to life. Use of finer paste than the hone you used can be an advantage after honing but should not be relied on to cure a less than adequate honing.

In your case it seems to me that testing your razors edge after each progression of sharpening should be done with more care. Reading back through previous posts may offer help on specific problems you may find when you sharpen your razor again.

Try to get your honing right before moving on to stropping and check your edge regular during the process.

A linen strop seems to be an emotive topic here but for me they are a must have item. I will go the linen before a pasted strop to try and regain the edge. If this fails I will try pastes. If pastes fail then it's back to the hone.

PuFF

Thanks for replying.

So when you finish honing you use a linen strop, then a leather strop, and then you shave?

I don't have a lot of experience, but the sources that I have read online and the 'world of straight razor shaving' DVD that I have, both suggest that some kind of sharpening is needed between the hone and the leather strop.

I wanted to know how the linen strop compares in 'coarseness' to some of the pasted strops. Can the linen strop be compared to a paste of a specific micron. For example, one source online suggest that after honing, one should strop with green dovo paste which is around 6 microns, then use a linen strop, and then use a leather strop. It suggests that the green paste is coarser than the linen strop. Does this sound right?

When I hone, I do pyramids on a Norton 4000/8000k stone until the blade feels sharp using the thumb nail test. How would you recommend testing the blade after honing?

Thanks for your help!

Brandon,
I think you will find that the 6 micron paste is even more coarse than the Norton the honing was done on. 3 micron is close to the 8,000 side of a Norton so 6 micron is a good deal more coarse.

Tony

Originally Posted by Brandon Lee

Thanks for replying.

So when you finish honing you use a linen strop, then a leather strop, and then you shave?

After honing I will use just the leather for approx 30 then 10 on the linen then finish on 30 or so on the leather. This can change according to the feel of the razor on the strop or with a thumb pad test.

I don't have a lot of experience, but the sources that I have read online and the 'world of straight razor shaving' DVD that I have, both suggest that some kind of sharpening is needed between the hone and the leather strop.

This is advocated for those that want to achieve the finer polished edge I believe. This is not needed though to achieve a good shave.

I wanted to know how the linen strop compares in 'coarseness' to some of the pasted strops. Can the linen strop be compared to a paste of a specific micron. For example, one source online suggest that after honing, one should strop with green dovo paste which is around 6 microns, then use a linen strop, and then use a leather strop. It suggests that the green paste is coarser than the linen strop. Does this sound right?

Linen can not be compared to pastes, they are not the same animal. linen works more as an alignment tool and the pastes more as a hone.

When I hone, I do pyramids on a Norton 4000/8000k stone until the blade feels sharp using the thumb nail test. How would you recommend testing the blade after honing?

You are correct to use the wet nail test but this is too abusive to the edge when you get to the finer hones and your strop. For those I would only use the thumb pad test. I am sure a search on this forum will bring up a complete explanation, but in brief it is a test where the edge of the razor is touched to a damp thumb pad very lightly. You should feel a slight, barely registrable sensation of stickiness. I must point out that you touch not rub/move your thumb pad on the razor edge

Thanks for your help!

Hope that helps in some small way

PuFF

Thanks for the replying.

I have a couple questions...

I don't have a lot of experience, but the sources that I have read online and the 'world of straight razor shaving' DVD that I have, both suggest that some kind of sharpening is needed between the hone and the leather strop.

This is advocated for those that want to achieve the finer polished edge I believe. This is not needed though to achieve a good shave.

What is meant by a finer polished edge, and how is a finely polished edge different from a good shaving edge?

After honing I will use just the leather for approx 30 then 10 on the linen then finish on 30 or so on the leather.

Why do you use the leather first, go to the linen, and then back to the leather. It seems like the pyramid stroke approach used in honing. Does anyone know why this method is used instead of going from the hone to the linen, and then the leather.

So if I just use my linen and leather strop to align the blade after honing, do I need to treat my linen strop in any way. I bought a Dovo leather and linen combo strop from classicshaving.com, and the strop said that the linen side needed no treatment, is this true? I was apprehensive about using the linen to align my razor's edge because the linen surface seemed uneven and bumpy.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

Finer polished edges are when you go from 8k to say 12k to 30k or use very fine pastes.

After a fresh hone I always go to the leather first to not stress the edge and if it feels ok after doing say 30-40 on the leather, I will sometimes not go to the linen but finish off with very light short passes on the leather again. Like I said, it is a razor Dependant thing requiring a "feel" for what is going on or you do regular tests on the edge to see where you are at. On a day to day basis you just use the leather, but if you feel the edge is being lost you can then go to the linen to refresh the edge, linen then leather or leather then linen then leather, the choice is down to how the razor reacts with whatever approach you take. Always finish on the leather though with light pressure and shorter strokes.

Dovo make a linen dressing that improves the draw to the linen if you don't like the slippery feel of it. Dressing linen is a personal taste thing and one which I use. Line strops have a coures texture that seems to go against reason as a strop for a razor. Believe me, it doesn't harm the razor when used with light pressure and a X stroke. Dovo line is quite smooth in comparison to some and the weave is ideal.

PuFF

Finer polished edges are when you go from 8k to say 12k to 30k or use very fine pastes.

After a fresh hone I always go to the leather first to not stress the edge and if it feels ok after doing say 30-40 on the leather, I will sometimes not go to the linen but finish off with very light short passes on the leather again. Like I said, it is a razor Dependant thing requiring a "feel" for what is going on or you do regular tests on the edge to see where you are at. On a day to day basis you just use the leather, but if you feel the edge is being lost you can then go to the linen to refresh the edge, linen then leather or leather then linen then leather, the choice is down to how the razor reacts with whatever approach you take. Always finish on the leather though with light pressure and shorter strokes.

Dovo make a linen dressing that improves the draw to the linen if you don't like the slippery feel of it. Dressing linen is a personal taste thing and one which I use. Line strops have a coures texture that seems to go against reason as a strop for a razor. Believe me, it doesn't harm the razor when used with light pressure and a X stroke. Dovo line is quite smooth in comparison to some and the weave is ideal.

PuFF

Brandon,
I use a Barber's Hone with water until I feel that I have obtained a relatively sharp edge and then I move to my diamond pasted strops - .5 micron and
then .25 micron. After those two diamond pastes, my edges are nearly feather sharp. Takes a lot of hit and miss to learn. Stick with it!

. . . but thank you so much for increasing the size of the font you use from your first post.