Cleaning strop - how to? Help!

Hi all,
I'm keen to get going with the straight razor, and have acquired an older blade, and a new stainless steel Dovo (although it's an old model). I have also purchased a Dovo paddle strop (from the New Zealand equivalent of eBay, TradeMe).

The strop is apparently also new (according to the vendor). It has leather on both sides, and is not padded. It appears to be smeared with some sort of green compound on both sides. It occured to me that it could be sharpening paste, but if so, it hasn't been applied consistently - it's more of a smear than an application ;) - does anyone have a suggestion on how to do this?

Oh, and the Dovo razor is not "shave ready" - do you "honemeisters" suggest that Norton stone, or something else - I also have my eye on this item http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/a...sp?id=38153219
(which looks to be a bargain) - would this do the trick, do you think?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can offer!
Cheers

The problem is do you know the grit size of that hone, is it a finishing hone or a coarser hone. Do yourself a favor and get the Norton 4K/8K its easy and works great and is all you really need.

As far as the strop goes without seeing it its hard to tell what the deal is with it. If its a sharpening paste that strop must be dedicated as a sharpening strop it can't be cleaned off. You might try some leather cleaner like Lexol or Bick. If its just dirt or grease it should come off but the green color doesn't sound good sounds like sharpening paste or chrome oxide. In that case you'll need a new plain strop for your every day stropping.

Dovo razors are rarely shave ready out of the box though there are exceptions. I have a Dovo Stainless I bought which was shave ready out of the box but that is an exception. If you have to hone it be prepared for an extended honing session with the stainless. Start with the usual pryamid and adjust from there. I would start off with more pressure on the hone though. Then check the razor every few passes with the usual tests. Good Luck

Keith at HandAmerican recommends using Goop (an auto parts hand cleaner) for cleaning leather. He shows how to apply paste, clean leather, etc. at his website. http://www.handamerican.com

The mineral pigment used for the color green is chrome oxide. That is whats probably on the strop. Thats not a bad thing! You now have an abrasive pasted paddle strop to use to keep your razor keen between honings. Put a little mineral oil or GOOP or leather conditioner or etc on your fingers and smear the green stuff around on the strop until it is evenly coated. To obtain some more of the stuff go to www.handamerican.com and order some.

Or you can use the GOOP to clean off the abrasive but it may take several applications. Just apply GOOP, rub it around and wipe off. Repeat until the green color is gone.

Personally I would use it as is and buy a regular plain leather hanging strop.

I cannot comment on that hone with holes. I have never used one. I do second the motion for the Norton 4000/8000 3 inch wide hone. Its great!

If you decide to use the paddle strop as is then try to hone your razors on that while you decide on a seperate hone. It just might work!

Thanks for your advice, I have ordered the Norton 4k/8K, hopefully it will be with me in mid-November. I also had a shave with the Dovo last night, which was a pretty positive experience all-in-all (a few nicks along the way, but nothing too serious). Perhaps it isn't really as sharp as it could be, but now I've started!

I have to say that I was a little reluctant to tackle the "throat" area, as all I could picture were scenes of Sweeny Todd - but hopefully that will come with experience. One question which is not really sharpening related - what is the usual practice with the the lather/whiskers that are removed in the shaving process? Does one flick them into a baisin (risky!)? Rinse the blade in water? Wipe the blade on something? I tried all three last night, but didn't feel entirely happy with any of them (especially not the first!!!).

Thanks again,

Not sure what the experts will say but I fill my sink with hot water while I soak my beard, placing the empty mug into the sink to heat up. Then I pull the mug out, dip my brush into a little cream and make my lather. I rinse my razor in the sink water, sometimes it needs a little shake. Your correct in assuming you must be very careful with the blade: your face, fingers, and the edge of the blade are all at risk during a shave.

Just wipe your blade on a tissue or cloth.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aoterra

what is the usual practice with the the lather/whiskers that are removed in the shaving process? Does one flick them into a baisin (risky!)? Rinse the blade in water? Wipe the blade on something? I tried all three last night, but didn't feel entirely happy with any of them (especially not the first!!!).

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There are those who say the ONLY thing to do is wipe the shavings on the towel. This is what the barbers do of course since they are never over the sink, always the customer. I and others do not feel there is a problem with rinsing under the tap which was astonishing to me initially because it seemed like the wrong thing to do with the razor, dangerous for the edge and I vowed I would never do it, but once I had the razor in my hand and was shaving I just did it naturally. Doubly strange since that's not really what I did with the Track II. :shrug: You'll find what works best for you.

X

From what I've read here, I expect it will be an evolving experience - here's to more of it!