Thread: Question on Jemico Strop

I just bought a two-sided paddle strop, made by Jemico, and it was supposed to have russian leather on one side, and cowhide coated with green strop paste on the other.When I got it, it had very nice quality russian leather on one side, but the other side was a very fine grit honing stone. My question is, do you lubricate this stone with water or lather, like other hone stones, and if you do, how do you keep from getting the fine leather on the other side, from soaking up the lubricant, along with its contaminates. It seems to me that it would ruin the leather. Any thoughts or opinions on this?

Come on anybody, I thought for sure someone on this forum would know. HELP

Pictures would be helpful. I don't know anything about jemico paddle strops and if they come with hones on them or not. What color is the hone? Is it a brand new strop? If you bought it used, somebody could have taken off the leather and put a hone on it. If it's really old, it might still be leather and the leather might have dried out and gotten hard and could have become discolored. I can't say how it is supposed to be used. Maybe dry? I can't say I would use it any other way without risking getting the other side wet.

It just occured to me that it might not be a hone, either. Maybe it's a flat rock meant for attaching sandpaper on. Or newspaper? Have you honed anything with it yet?

CrazyCliff,
This is a brand new paddle strop. I've been looking, and Boker also makes one just like it. It is probably made by the same manufacturer, since they both come from Germany. Jemico also puts this stone on their Four-sided paddle, and in their instructions, they say to start honing on the stone, and progress to each leather side that has finer pastes, and then finish on the plain leather strop. The stone is colored Black. They describe it as being finer than Black Arkansas stone. I went ahead and tried some soapy water on it, and I don't know if the water caused it, but the stone developed a crack. Just my luck. I just couldn't see honing on a dry stone though. I called the company, and they are going to replace it. I didn't share the fact that I put water on it.The thing is, when I get my new one, I want to know how to properly use it. I wasn't even sure if I should draw the razor spine first, like when you are on leather, or edge first like when you are on stone. I sure could use some advice. Thanks for replying

Black arkansas is supposed to be pretty high in grit. So, you might have some kind of barber's hone attached to it. I would use it as a regular hone, edge first. Why not use it dry? Some hones are non porous and water does not do much on them unless you are honing under a steady stream of water. Well, I have a few swatys and a gem tonsorial that are like that, anyway. If cracking ensues after you get the next one wet, it really might be made for dry use only. I doubt it was the water that cracked it, though. Try honing with it and see what happens.

As I know, usually the paddle strop by Jemico is made from hard arkansas on one side and russian leather on the other. Water is enough for the stone side and a conditioner on the leather one but usually some strokes with the palm of the hand are enough.

Seems odd to me to have a stone and leather together. Water on the leather is not good. So maybe just made to be used dry and just a few strokes to bring back the edge. Then the leather.

Please, this is a serious forum: LEATHER=NEVER WITH ANY WATER. I wonder about those 2505 posts of you!. I can understand that "water" may be used as in the sense of just wet the stone… Do you?.

The pictures I posted are wrong or false?.

I have had a few of those through my hands. Indeed, to be used dry.
The stone is slate. Intended as a touch-up.

The Jemico Paddles are made under quite a few names in Germany including Dovo. I have one myself but it has leather with CrO rather than a stone on the back side.

In general water and leather don't mix in the long-term. There are some "Waterproof" leathers and some designed to take high moisture conditions like the Alcan leathers and wiping with a damp cloth is OK but with fine leather serious water will damage leather over the long haul and that includes liberal use of saddle-soap which many think is great for all leather.