Thread: Abrasive Hanging Strops Users??

I have used the TI white paste, the Green and the Red pastes on hanging strops, but mainly as the final touch in the honing process before going to the leather. The results have been hit and miss. Sometimes they have made a razor shave smoother and sometimes sent me back to the hone. The same applies for when I have tried to touch up on all three. I really like the Green and Diamond pastes on the flat bed leather hone if needed for the final touch when honing.

Lynn

Originally Posted by PuFFaH

Don't think I need to post, Tony knows about my pasted hanging strop fetish

PuFF

http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=13229

Puff's directions worked great for me. Probably didn't do this link justice but follow it down a ways and you'll get to his HOW TO part.
Thanks again, Puff.

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

I will be honest and say my reason for asking this is marketing research.
Tony

Tony,
I thought I smelled the sticky sweet aroma of Capitalism in Action!!!
Good place to research a possible need in the market...

Dewey,
It easy to design a product I like, but better to see if there is a need or a better way of doing things. if guys are already doing the pasted hanging strop thing it's best to see what already works.
I'm still seeing this as a less is more type tool. Very fine pastes and very few passes. I can see where more could easily send one back to the hone.

Tony

Tony I've noticed it works better on a short strop as opposed to a longer one that way there is a lot less give when held tight. The ones I sell are about 17-18 inches from the top of the handle so you have about a good 15-16 inches of stropping space which works out pretty good.

Damon,
You are right in that longer is not always better. it's the skill of the stropper, not the size of the strop (or something similar <g>). Longer strops, whether pasted or not flex more and can sort of swing or tilt side to side a bit in use, especially if not held really tight.
I've made a few "Monster Strops" but to me anyway they are too long. I am a tall guy with long arms and a standard 24" strop with 15" to 18" of surface is plenty.
Thicker can make tame a longer strop to some extent but it comes at the price of keeping it flat and un-cupped from side to side. Too thin it flexes too much, too thick you can loose contact due to cupping or bowing.
I used to hate the Jemico strop I owened because every one would cup withon weeks. But when using it I did find the area under the razor laid flat since the leather was thin enough to flex. A heavy cupped strop may not fair as well.

Tony

I'm using green paste on my linen. I put a couple passes on it then strop on the horse side. I hold very tight. I've rarely had to hone and I do not seem to have any rounding. My razors do stay prime with this routine.

I'm really not a fan of pastes in general, I have a couple hanging strops that are pasted. I made them from old belt leather but one is canvas/linen. i've tried everything from TI's white paste to Dovo and green chrome oxide. Like Lynn said its hit or miss for me as well. I choose to stick to my stones.

When I want to "touch up" the edges on my razors, I use a Hand American "Old Dog" hanging split-hide strop that came pre-pasted with chromium oxide on one side and boron carbide on the other. I hold it very taut and and give it about 7-10 passes on the boron carbide side and another 7-10 passes on the chromium oxide side, followed up with a regular stropping on my No. 3. I do this approximately once every 6 or 7 shaves, and it works really well. That first shave off the split-hide strop is exquisite; it goes through my beard like a hot knife through butter and the whiskers just seem to get "wiped" off my face.

No rounding that I've noticed, although, a couple of times I've managed to work the edge to the point of actually being a little too sharp and had to bring it back to a more comfortable level of sharpness by doing a little extra stropping on the linen side of my regular strop.

I've only had to use the Norton twice during the past year on my Dovo Best Quality 5/8" (my favorite razor); the rest of the time, I'm just doing touch up on the split-hide. Each of my other razors have only needed an initial honing on the Norton and an occasional few strokes on the split-hide.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Damon

Tony I've noticed it works better on a short strop as opposed to a longer one that way there is a lot less give when held tight. The ones I sell are about 17-18 inches from the top of the handle so you have about a good 15-16 inches of stropping space which works out pretty good.

+1 Damon,
FYI Tony,
On the hanging pasted that I made, I have only one split side pasted (.5 at the bottom and .25 at the top of the strop) which makes about 12" of each paste to use. Hope you can visualize what I'm describing.