Thread: How important is draw?

Originally Posted by kipper

I picked up a vintage horse hide strop in great condition, when I first started using it I found it had a nice draw to it. After a month or so using it, the strop has a shine on it and there is little to no draw. Should I get some fine grit sandpaper or a pumice stone to take off the shine and hopefuly bring back some of that nice draw it once had?

I had this problem and saddle soap solved it beautifully. IMO sandpaper and/or pumice would be overkill in this situation.

This is an interesting thread. I would be interested to hear if you guys feel a different draw on any of your strops during the process. Does the draw increase at 20 strokes or 30 or 50? Is it different when you first come off a hone? Are you getting sufficient feedback to feel the differences? Do you feel differences with different width blades or different grinds?

Thanks,

Lynn

OK Lynn.

Lets see.

IF I do the hand rub like you do stropping tends to start out with a good draw. If I start with a cold strop it takes 20 or so laps before I begin to feel the draw. This is assuming there is enough moisture in the strop to get decent draw at all, my house is dry as hell this time of year and sucks the moisture out of everything.

I don't feel any significant difference when I come off a hone, though it does seem that if the razor is quite dull I don't really get any draw with it, though that might be my imagination, but as long it is in good shaving condition it strops like the day it was honed.

I don't really have a variety of grinds but the wider the blade the greater the draw it seems, though my smiling 6/8 does not draw as heavy as my straight 6/8's. Some blades seem to draw heavier than others in the same width and grind but I have no way to really account for why. It doesn't seem to be polish level, or country of origin related.

This is all on a Tony Miller NO.2 Latigo that is a few yeas old and has a couple of cosmetic (I assume) nicks. My antique 1.5 inch loom strop with vege tanned, neetsfoot finished leather doesn't really produce any draw at all to speak of.

Originally Posted by kipper

I picked up a vintage horse hide strop in great condition, when I first started using it I found it had a nice draw to it. After a month or so using it, the strop has a shine on it and there is little to no draw. Should I get some fine grit sandpaper or a pumice stone to take off the shine and hopefuly bring back some of that nice draw it once had?

Kipper, I would also add that I would not suggest using strop conditioning paste on vintage horse-shell strops. Don't know if you did that I'm just saying. Shell is almost impermeable and in my experience the conditioning paste just sort of sits on top and creates a surface slick (or worse, a grubby gunk) rather than absorbing into the leather. Besides, shell is very supple and durable and the palm-rubbing Lynn recommends is more than enough to maintain it.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

IF I do the hand rub like you do stropping tends to start out with a good draw. If I start with a cold strop it takes 20 or so laps before I begin to feel the draw. This is assuming there is enough moisture in the strop to get decent draw at all, my house is dry as hell this time of year and sucks the moisture out of everything.

Lynn, this is pretty much my experience as well, except that I usually have to do about 40 fast passes to work up a draw. Again, I use one of those very smooth vintage shell strops. I always think of the draw perking up as my cue that the razor is "done," but again, this may well be simply a function of the leather heating up. I'll have to try warming it up with my palm before stropping to see if that's the case.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

I don't feel any significant difference when I come off a hone, though it does seem that if the razor is quite dull I don't really get any draw with it, though that might be my imagination, but as long it is in good shaving condition it strops like the day it was honed.

My experience exactly. No particular effect from a fresh honing, but a dull razor will not draw.

Originally Posted by dylandog

Kipper, I would also add that I would not suggest using strop conditioning paste on vintage horse-shell strops. Don't know if you did that I'm just saying. Shell is almost impermeable and in my experience the conditioning paste just sort of sits on top and creates a surface slick (or worse, a grubby gunk) rather than absorbing into the leather. Besides, shell is very supple and durable and the palm-rubbing Lynn recommends is more than enough to maintain it.

No I have no paste at all on the strop.

Originally Posted by Lynn

This is an interesting thread. I would be interested to hear if you guys feel a different draw on any of your strops during the process. Does the draw increase at 20 strokes or 30 or 50? Is it different when you first come off a hone? Are you getting sufficient feedback to feel the differences? Do you feel differences with different width blades or different grinds?

Thanks,

Lynn

I find that I can feel the draw after about 10 strokes with a full hollow and I find it a little harder to get the same kind of draw with more of a wedge.

Palm rubbing on horse strops to me is a must. It warms the leather and conditions in one with the bonus of getting a mild draw while stropping.

Latigo and other heavy oiled leathers for me require palming for the reverse reason, to polish the surface and relieve the draw you can get on some high wax/oil leathers.

A well broken in russian or latigo strop for me has a faster work rate on an edge that a smooth horse hide etc. Sometimes just 5 round trips on Latigo can do the muscle work, leaving a final finish on a horse hide strop too add the finesse....along with making you feel the right amount of work was put into this shave

I have the habit of selecting the heavy draw strops for the heavy grinds I think mainly for the control you have with a 1/4 hollow say, on latigo with its heavy draw.
I keep the full hollows to the horse hides and less heavy draw strops for the same reason. This is not to say that they never see Latigo etc, just not for so long.
This preference is ease of use for me not because one type of draw works best for a certain grind of razor, though a argument could be made of this I suspect.

I hope my thoughts help

PuFF