Thread: is linen necessary?

I bought a TM strop. It was already prepared.

I love Tony's strops. Lately I've been using one of his Horsehide/Linen paddles to great effect.

I enjoyed mparker's remarks about hones and trying to avoid their use. Looking over the gunwales of the same boat and looking at buying yet another hone, I also wonder if I increase the laps on my strop(s) to 112 if I can put off using it for another 8 months, maybe 9. Or if I do a linen, a buffed horsehide, and a shell horse, can I forestall the honing indefinitely? Maybe with a custom engineered blend of printer's ink, CrOx, wood ashes, and a few et ceteras, I can annoint the strop with the hone obviator.

My head is starting to hurt...

If you want to read a good thread on this topic look at this one here . Particularly mparker's post (4th one down page). That is the post that got my stropping routine set. I misread it (dyslexic) and started doing 50 and 50 instead of 50 and 30 and I still do the former. I find the linen to be a real asset to my edges and I can't help but think that if it wasn't effective the linen would have gone the way of the horse & buggy a long time ago.

I didn't believe at first. I tried the thing and it scared me cuz it seemed rough and made a buzzing noise. Why should I subject a carefully honed edge to that. Then, after reading here on the forum I started using the linen and the more I used it the more I liked it. I am now getting really nice shaving edges. I always use it. Even after fresh honing sessions. Most mornings I use 50 linen and 30 leather.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

If I can't help but think that if it wasn't effective the linen would have gone the way of the horse & buggy a long time ago.

What are you talking about? Our whole way of shaving went the way of the horse and buggy, with the exception of us throw backs!

And yes, if you dont like honing then the linen is needed!

Originally Posted by JMS

What are you talking about? Our whole way of shaving went the way of the horse and buggy, with the exception of us throw backs!

Darned if you ain't right. Got me to thinking about those Amish guys that work for Tony Miller. I guess a horse and buggy is fine with them.

It's been said - a lot of guys love their linen, I tried it for a while and wasn't a huge fan. I'm now using an old Tony Miller Horsehide/Latigo and I'll never go back.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Darned if you ain't right. Got me to thinking about those Amish guys that work for Tony Miller. I guess a horse and buggy is fine with them.

Jimmy,
For my Amish friends horse and buggy is just fine, shaving, no way. <g> They all seem fascinated with the whoile straight razor thing and don't understand why anyone goes through such trouble. Plastic disposables are the norm with them for the small amount of shaving they do, removal of cheek and moustache hair only.

Tony

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Jimmy,
For my Amish friends horse and buggy is just fine, shaving, no way. <g> They all seem fascinated with the whoile straight razor thing and don't understand why anyone goes through such trouble. Plastic disposables are the norm with them for the small amount of shaving they do, removal of cheek and moustache hair only.

Tony

Tony, isn't that something ! They ride around in a horse and buggy and use plastic disposables ? I would have expected a 7/8 W&B at the very least.