Thread: Belt for stropping

If your donating a belt to this cause (I had one the clasp broke on) try and find a section with the least amount of crevices in the leather and give it a little lapping would be what I have done. Working fine for the moment but +1 on the newspaper on flat surface working out also in a pinch.

@aroliver59: I wrote this early in the morning (I live in Norway), while making my coffee. That will be my excuse for mixing the terms. I was referring to stropping the knife, not lapping the stone :-) Thanks for your reply!

Originally Posted by Tubaplayer

Which side of the belt do I use? The "rugged" inside, or the "slick" outside?

Strop on the smooth side. Paste the rugged side (assuming it is sufficiently smooth and flat) with some CrO.

But I would only recommend it if you are stuck in some god forsaken corner of the world with no alternative. This can work well with knives...especially when skinning. But your razors...that's like your lady putting makeup on with your sock.

It works.


You need a nice smooth topgrain leather, but it'll work. If you have a belt that fits the description, go ahead and use it.


That said, how much does a belt cost these days? $15-25?

If you can go that little bit more, you can get a Tony Miller starter strop for ~$35 delivered, or check the classified section for the Proforma strops, they are also around $30.

Well Said, bottom line it works but you'll need a quality strop just as much as you need a straight razor to actually shave.