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In the interest of adhering to the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid) and the cost ( I can make a leather strop but don't know where to get the linen/canvas for a linen one) do you really need anything other than a basic leather strop to maintain an edge? If you have good technique with the leather is that enough?
At some point you will need something to tone up the edge, but linen isn't necessarily the answer. like most things related to straight shaving, there are several options and each user/tool set will benefit from different applications.
X
Like agent Mulder says you gotta believe.
Some use it and swear by it and some have no use for it so as I said you gotta believe.
As far as supplies go I've seen people selling rolls of the stuff on Eboy from time to time. You might contact Tony Miller and see if he'll sell some raw materials. In the end the finished product is pretty cheap though.
It's not a question of belief but of money ... I paid for it and I'm gonna use it!Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I thought that linen wasn't necessary... until I tried it. Now I think it's as necessary as the leather. Lot's of the gurus around here use linen every day... coincidence? I think not. ;)
I’ve pondered this linen question myself. I’ve never had the privilege of using it and I think I have had shaving success, so my vote is ‘Not Necessarily Necessary’. Even if it is required as you approach shaving Nirvana, you can certainly live without it to begin with. KISS is good until you know exactly what you are paying for.
Linen is your friend. Wear it, use it, strop it, keep it in a closet.
- Scott
I did a simple test, I shaved for 15 shaves without using the linen on my TM strop, and then started to use the linen side, the quality of the edge did improve, so in my book linen: yes linen is necessary.
"Razor strops should be used in pairs-canvas and leather. The canvas is the one you first apply to the razor and finish it with the leather. Razors stropped on a leather strop become smooth and require a certain amount of stropping on the canvas. This is in order to roughen the edge. When properly stropped they require less honing. The higher grade of canvas strop is made of hose, and can be used on both sides. Be careful to keep canvas- strops dry as dampness swells the grain and roughens the strop. The best quality is usually made of linen and tightly woven. The cheaper ones are made of canvas and cotton and are usually flat web. They are single thickness, less durable, and can be used only on one side. Some cheaper grades are also made of cotton. Canvas strops gather dust and grit, which should be cleaned off by applying a little lather and immediately scraping it off with the blade of some blunt instrument. Grit on a strop will do much damage to a razor. In breaking in a strop the grain should first be filled with beeswax or soap, or good shoe polish, and rubbed in thoroughly with a bottle. There is considerable labor in preparing a pair of strops.
In selecting leather strops, Russian leather is usually most desirable; although the most expensive, it is a tough, thick, serviceable leather. It is told by the smell and by the grain on the back of the strop. It requires time and patience to prepare Russian leather strops for service, but when once broken in they will last a lifetime. The strop should be prepared by putting a good shoe dressing on the surface and rubing it in well, in the same manner as the canvas strop. From five to ten minutes should be spent on a Russian leather strop ever day for two or three months. The labor required preparing this strop is worth more than the strop itself. Many barbers have strops worth from $5.00 to $25.00. Russian leather improves with age. A horsehide strop is of the same nature, and should be broken in, in the same way; it is favored by some barbers, and although not quite as durable, it is more easily prepared.
Horsehide strops are made in many different qualities and sell at different prices. The shell is the best of this class. It is smooth, never requires finishing, and is of a thinner or lighter grade. It is the most durable of horsehide strops. The other qualities or cheaper grades should never be used by a barber, so we will not take up your time describing them."
This quote is from:
The Barber's Manual
Published by the Moler Barber School, Inc.
(no date)
No single tool in this hobby is necessary beyond the razor. Linen is simply a means of polishing the edge and allows you to stretch the time between honings. If you don' t mind touch-up honing then this is no big deal. Or if you use a pasted paddle then this is no big deal. There was one member here at one time that didn't use a strop at all, he just gave his razor a few passes on his barber hone every morning. And at least one member on this forum can go a year between honings by using his linen strop. It just depends on how you like to do things. I personally find honing a drudgery (though I'm fascinated by hones themselves), so I use the linen every day. I haven't honed any of my razors in over a year.
I bought a TM strop. It was already prepared. :tu
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. :shrug:
My head is starting to hurt... :roflmao
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.
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!Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
And yes, if you dont like honing then the linen is needed!
:gaah: 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. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by JMS
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.
Jimmy,Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Miller
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Originally Posted by mparker762
Hmmmm, did you mean to say Horsehide/Latigo or is there really such a thing as a linen paddle? :hmmm:
Horsehide/Linen...Quote:
Originally Posted by matt321
Well, considering the areas that the Amish shave, I'm not surprised they don't use straights. I had thought it was just under the nose, but Tony mentioned a bit on the cheeks as well. If I chiefly shaved under my nose, I don't know if I would choose a straight either. I would probably choose a DE. That's right, I said it. D. E.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
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Originally Posted by mparker762
I didn't even remember I made one of those.
Gotta take some mental health time.......
Tony
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Originally Posted by mparker762
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Originally Posted by mparker762
mparker,
How did you get that, and how does a Linen paddle compare to a hanging linen strop? :bow
Going completely off topic, but being that they are against anything technological, I can't think of anything other than a straight that they would use.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
Tony could probably make you one, assuming he's still making 2.5" paddles.Quote:
Originally Posted by matt321
I've had this one for a long time but haven't really used it much until recently, because the linen side required some adjustment to my technique. It turns out the linen side is much faster than the leather side and because of this it really needs a little more length than a normal paddle. On my standard-length paddle I would occasionally run the razor off the end and wind up damaging the edge. It took me a while to reliably shorten my stroke enough to avoid this. So if you get one I'd get him to lengthen the paddle about 1-1.5 inches. But this will also increase the weight which may be a problem in its own right.
OK, this linen paddle idea has got me thinking. What type of paste on a leather paddle would accomplish an equivalent function? In other words does the linen paddle do anything that couldn't be accomplished with the more conventional approach? Anyway, that photo looks cool. I would think that the linen surface is less messy than a CrO paddle if it was stuck in luggage.
Hmmm..... if the only purpose of the linen is to lengthen the time between time on the hones... and tri strops are unavailable for an indefinite amount of time..... I do love my hones but patience patience..... think the linen prolongs blade life if it means less time on the hones? Leading to less metal reduction overall even if the linen is taking a tiny bit?