Thread: is linen necessary?

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.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Some use it and swear by it and some have no use for it so as I said you gotta believe.

It's not a question of belief but of money ... I paid for it and I'm gonna use it!

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.