Thread: Using Dovo White

I have used it several times, and depending on how much chalk you want on you strop, you probably will have to reapply every 4th or 5th time. That works out to about 15 seconds every 5th touch-up (not regular stropping) of the blade.

I actually did this when I started messing around with straights. You may not need to reapply the chalk that frequently. I'd noticed back then that my edges were much sharper after they'd been used and stropped for a while then they were after honing (this was when I was beginning honing and used a 8k DMT as a final hone), and I thought it was the denim strop I was using having that effect. I'd applied chalk when I made the strop b/c I was reading the Aubrey/Martin series, and Preserved Killicks obsession with polishing with chalk gave me the idea. I never reapplied the chalk b/c I never saw anyone mention doing it on the forums, and I figured that the chalk was probably too soft to affect steel, but the strop continued to work well. That actually clears up a mystery for me, I never did really figure out why I was getting those results.

If you want to chalk your strop without getting the white paste, just get a can of spray starch, spray the strop and then rub the chalk in over the top. The chalk dust will stick to the starch.

Make sure you put the starch on first though! You want the chalk on top of the starch.

PS: Thanks to Glen (gssixgun) for this little tip. I read it in one of his posts..!

Originally Posted by Pete_S

I never did really figure out why I was getting those results.

Denim will do that by itself, actually, even without the chalk. It won't put the same kind of edge as newspaper will, but works quite well on a paddle strop as the "linen" side.

Originally Posted by mparker762

Denim will do that by itself, actually, even without the chalk. It won't put the same kind of edge as newspaper will, but works quite well on a paddle strop as the "linen" side.

Yeah, I liked that strop. Unfortunately it was damned ugly. I was actually glad that I didn't follow through on my plan hunt down some acid-washed jeans to make the strops out of-- I figured if you're gonna go tacky, you might as well go all out. That would have been really awful...