Thread: DOVO Rindleder "hanf"

I have just picked up my equipment and I have a little questiuon..
The Rindleder Sollingen strop has a white backside, wich according to DOVO homepage consists of "hanf"(probably german for something) i dont know what this means but i assume that this is the course side of the strop, to be used before the leather side???
It also appears thaat this side is covered with some sort of pouder of some sort.

Next question i have is Pressure.
How much pressure is one to excert to the razor while stropping?
Is it good enough to let the razor's own weigh do the job or does one need to apply pressure as well?

Is there a difference in pressure used on linen/canvas than that wich is used on leather side of the (hanging)strop

Thanks in advance
Hector

Hello Hector,

'The word hanf' is German for 'hemp'. Besides the smoking aspect this plant is known for it's strong fibers and applied a lot in clothing textiles and has many other uses.
In the case of your strop the hemp side is probably a substitute for linen which is used before the leather. It's the first time I hear about a Dovo strop with a hemp side.

Can you post a picture of the strop ?


I have always applied equal pressure on the linen side as to the leather side.

Using light pressure but enough pressure to retain full control over the razor while stropping works well for me.

Thank you very much
I will take a picture when i get back from work, and post it, so you can see how it looks.
Thank you for the advice on how to strop (pressurewise) i will try it asap
Hector

I have tried to capture the texture of the strop and you might be able to make something of it.

Hector

Clear pics


I have exactly the same have always presumed that it was genuine linen as it was sold that way.


PS: Be careful not to pull the 'D-ring' to hard while stretching the strop. I managed to rip it of accidentally.

Originally Posted by hector

Next question i have is Pressure.
How much pressure is one to excert to the razor while stropping?
Is it good enough to let the razor's own weigh do the job or does one need to apply pressure as well?

I'm a newb, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. But to try to answer your question, here's how I see it.

You want to have just enough pressure on the blade so that the full length of the blade is being stropped. This will ensure that the whole blade gets equal treatment.

In most cases "linen" has become a generic term for any cloth material on the back of a strop. Most seem to be cotton as is my "standard" material, some like Illinois say "linen weave" or similar, Dovo and Jemico both have different materials in use depending on which strop one buys. There is the white cross weave as shown in the photo in this thread as well as a looser, herringbone weave that is more the color of my real linen.

All seem to work well but many feel real linen or real hemp to be more abrasive than cotton which seems to be a much more highly processed fiber.

Tony

I greatly appreciate the replies, and have ofcourse one more question.

I see conflicting information about conditioning a new strop with something (i don't know what).
Is this required or is the strop supposed to be used without any sort of treatment

Hector