Do I need leather on my paddle strop or...
...can I put the paste directly on the wood . I ordered some .25 micron diamond paste , so now I need to make a new paddle strop . I have a nice piece of poplar for the paddle and I also have the leather (12oz. veg. tanned 1-1/2" strap) . Just for kicks I took a razor I've been working on the 1k hone (taking a frown out of it) and gave it 3 laps on the poplar , and I was amazed at how sharp it got . Which leads me to another question : have any of you guys tried stropping on plain wood ?