Thread: Abrasive Hanging Strops Users??

How many of you fellow actually use abrasives on hanging strops. I know there were a few threads about abrasives on linen, etc....
I know this was common practice many years ago and even my barber had a "Sharpen"/"Finish" strop on his chair. One component was plain leather, the other coated with a red abrasive.

So, have you experienced any rounding of the edge with normal use or do you take extra effort to keep the strop even more taut than usual? How about the fineness of you abraisives......TI pastes (2 micron maybe), Dovo red, green or black? Chromium?

Do you use it only occasionally like a paddle for refreshing or do you use a mild abrasive almost every shave to maintain a highly polished edge?

I got my own thoughts on this and have experiemtned quite a bit but wanted to hear your experiences first.

Tony

I had pasted a couple hanging strops with Amplex Diamond .5 and .25 but to tell you the truth I used them lying flat on a table. I got good results but I think a paddle or bench strop is the way to go with pastes. If I was going to use them hanging I would keep them as taught as possible.

I'm pretty sure Chris Moss uses them.

I like my pasted hanging strops, one linen with beeswax, chrome on one side and Hand American boron carbide on the other side. I also have amplex .5 on the back side of a leather strop.
I do not use them on a daily basis I use them to refresh, or a few 5-10 swipes after sharpening.
The hanging strops have really earned their keep with smiling and warped blades. I have since learned to sharpen out of the ordinary blades, but prior to learning that, the only way I could get them shaving and non-tuggy was with the hanging pasted strops.
I do pull like Jack La Lanne when using the pasted strops. I have not noticed any rounding of the edges.
Charlie

I use a hanging strop pasted with .5micron and .25micron diamond paste. I pull like Charles Atlas and use the .25micron daily to maintain a really keen edge. I love the results and have not noticed any negatives. I may live to regret it, but for now, I enthusiastically endorse their use!

I have one side of a leather hanging strop pasted with the Dovo Red paste.

I use it infrequently - mostly after the hone (gives a slightly finer, or at least smoother, edge than straight off the 8K) or if a blade needs a minor touch-up.

Never had an issue with rounding edges - I'm always very careful to keep it taut (I pull like Schwarzenegger on a lat machine...)

Personally, I find it quite useful to have if needed. Light pressure and a little bit of velocity (not too much) seems to give a very nice polish, even with the relatively coarse Dovo Red grit.

James.

Tony I use Dovo Red paste on the back of one of my leather strops once about every 2 to 3 weeks to refresh my blade.

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

PuFF

I don't think I have a problem with rounding edges, but I only use my pasted strop (linen side only} after honing to give a smoother more polished edge and rarely to touch up a blade.
Oh, and I pull my strop like Mark Avery pulling on goat teats!

I ordered your latigo/linen 3" strop and it included a free "started".
I had been using the starter with green paste.(not sure what leather this is)

I just keep the abrasive to the center, keep the strop taught and it takes a decently finished edge from "nice" to "so nice I have to make a thread about it in the forum."
Hard to keep track of how often for each razor as I got a bunch of straights like we all do. My supergnome has gone a few shaves since it was last put to the pasted strop.