Thread: Linen strop edge polish and alternatives

Hello All,
I was wondering what are people using for edge polish on the linen strops other than the small tubes of "white stuff" which are available from online vendors.
I am always looking for handy household alternatives to fill various needs
TIA
FredC

For linen, I like to use something that is often found in my wallet: NOTHING. For leather I use mink oil. This combination gave me nicely aligned edges.

I'm with Ilija on that, but I have heard of chalk on the linen to act as an abrasive sharpener.

X

Usually, the linen does not need to be treated. In the past people would rub the linen with a bar of soap and then work it in with a bottle or their hand. Some used the white abrasive paste to help maintain the edge but we now have finer pastes available that are used on an abrasive pasted paddle strop.

I agree with the rest, nothing on the linen. Its only supposed to do some realigning and heating of the edge to improve the leather stropping.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I agree with the rest, nothing on the linen. Its only supposed to do some realigning and heating of the edge to improve the leather stropping.

That brings up a question I've had for a while: Are there any easy to find alternatives to the linen? The stuff Tilly sells looks an awful lot like towstrap material, and some of the linen I've seen looks a lot like the handwraps I use when boxing.

I use the "white stuff." The abrasive seems to work as I rarely need to hone.