Thread: Canvas Strop...again

While waiting for my birthday and strop present from CarrieM and JrJoeD I decided to take another look at my vintage strops that have both leather and canvas. I like using the canvas but have only used one of them due to a wavy or bumpy form to the others. Well they weren't doing me any good the way they were so a plan of attach was formed. We were going to wash the canvas in the cloths washer and spin dry, take them out and steam iron them in an effort to flatten them then hang them with a weight at the bottom to pull them straight. It sounded good.

After the wash and steam iron (hand iron) they were still a little wavy, but not as much as when we started so we hung them weighted and let them finish dry. Well, nothing improved over the ironing so I had to re-think. Maybe we can take them to the Dry Cleaners and have them press them in their professional flat iron? There had to be something else we could try at home. Well, I've been resisting putting paste on any strops other than my paddle so that was out, besides they weren't flat enough. Then I remembered reading on Classic Shaving: "For a hand finish, the canvas strop is given the following treatment:
Attach the swivel end of the strop to a fixed point, such as a nail.
Lay the strop flat on a smooth and level surface and hold the unsecured end firmly.
Rub a bar of dry soap over the strop, working it well into the grain of the canvas.
Rub a smooth glass bottle over strop several times, each time forcing the soap into the grain and also removing excess soap."

So, that's what I did. I got a bar of Ivory and rubbed it into the canvas strop. In the worst case I could wash them again and the soap would come out. To my surprise it flattened and stiffened the canvas! OK, how did the soap effect the canvas while stropping my straight? Or better yet, how did the soap effect the straight? I was delightfully surprised. Other than the dust cloud that formed on the first few stropping sessions and the dust on my blade, the canvas w/ soap and leather stropping resulted in a smoother edge than previously obtained on any of my straights and I and stropped and used the straights I tested numerous times prior to this test. Now I have all of my canvas and linen strops in service and ready for action.

Do any of you have any thoughts as to why the soap improved the action of the canvas? I'd also be interested in hearing of other 'stuff' that you put on your canvas besides abrasive pastes.

I have very little experience with treating canvas/linen strops. The only thing I did to mine was to put on the dovo white paste. Mine is getting pretty dirty (a lot of black residue from a lot of stroppings I pressume) , and I wanted to wash it somehow. I will definitely try just using a bar of soap like you did! Thanks for sharing,

Dave

P.s. Sometimes the best solutions are the easiest, aren't they??

Many vintage canvas strops are found pre-treated with a waxy substance. I'm supposing this was to perform the same function as the soaped strop. My best guess as to why is that the soap/ wax fills the grain creating a smoother surface and still allowing the mild abrasive action of the canvas.

I've read in some threads theories having to do with soap alkalinity aiding in protecting the razor blade. I wouldn't assume this was the intended purpose of the soap tx as it seems to me that there are better ways, such as oils and metal preservatives, that would have been available to barbers.

If you go to Arthur Boone's web site, if I remember correctly, he notes that a perfect stropping surface is almost glass like (I haven't been to the site myself in some time, so I could be wrong). The vintage cordovan shell strop that I own is so smooth that you can see you reflection on the surface. The canvas is factory prepared with the wax impregnation and is very smooth as well. This strop is my best performing and my favorite.

I have another vintage canvas that seems rougher without a definite waxy coating. This one doesn't perform quite as well. So I'm concluding that the soap is for a smoothness factor.

$0.02 deposited


Scott