Thread: I got a linen really clean. Now it has no wax. What do I do?

You do not need to condition either the linen or leather on new items. The leather has already been conditioned and so has the linen if it needs it. Just get started and don't sweat the small stuff.

Originally Posted by icecow

Man, this is my first strop. You guys are confusing me.

I suspect putting the beeswax or parfin on the linen keeps bathroom moisture and splashes from easily soaking in. I donno though! The only strops I'm familiar with are the 2 I own.

Do the newer strops come with any wax on the linen?

Should I be putting beeswax on the strop?

I have no clue!

whish Lynn would chime in or any of the other 'old as dirt' guys (whom I can't keep track of their names)

I have a norton4k/8k, a dumb ebay razor, a honed reference razor sent to me courtisy of mparker (What's up brotha, werd!), A 12" X 12" marble tile, 2 dif grits of wet/dry sandpaper, a 30X jewers magnifiying glass, and two genuine Illinois horsehide strops from Crowley! My only hangup from starting honing and stropping practice is I don't know how to condition the linen and leather of the strop. I been stuck for 5 days.

btw, look for my needy 'how do I condition and break in an old strop (leather side)' heh.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

You do not need to condition either the linen or leather on new items. The leather has already been conditioned and so has the linen if it needs it. Just get started and don't sweat the small stuff.

It's not new! It's an old horse hide strop.

I just realized another ignorance.

I have no idea what the purpose is of going back and forth between linen and leather when stropping.

Anyone know? why linen, then leather, then linen...etc

Originally Posted by icecow

I just realized another ignorance...

First, you should read all material in the help files related to your concerns. It will help you understand the processes involved with maintaining the straight razor and the equipment involved with it. The quality of shaving, stropping and honing will come with practice and time, as there are no shortcuts there.

As for the strop question. You should look these links, to the classiscshaving web pages, they offer great info on strops, their construction and usage:

http://www.classicshaving.com/articl...90351/4052.htm
http://www.classicshaving.com/articl...90351/4057.htm

In a nutshell: a quality strop is made from leather, preferably horsehide. The best strops were treated with the so called Russian method, gaining the term "Russia leather"

Russia leather - trade name originally applied to a shaved cowhide, and later calfskin, horse hide, goat skin, or sheepskin, vegetable-tanned with tannins obtained from willow and other barks, curried on the flesh side with a mixture containing birch-bark extract to give it its characteristic odor, and dyed black and in colors other than the original red or reddish brown. Russia leather (or imitation Russia calf) was produced as early as the 17th century.

I keep mine Juchten (German term for Russian leather) strop in good condition bu rubbing the palm of my hand on the strop surface for about 10 laps before each stropping section. The strop surface is mirror smooth, and creates great amount of drag.



Linen, or canvas part of the strop is traditionally made of Hemp or Flax fiber. These materials have similar properties which help prepare the razor's edge for it's final stropping on the leather side of the strop.

Flax fiber properties:
When adequately prepared, linen has the ability to absorb and lose water rapidly. It can gain up to 20% moisture without feeling damp. When freed from impurities it is highly absorbent and will quickly remove perspiration from the skin.

It does not stretch and is resistant to damage from abrasion.

Linen is relatively easy to take care of since it resists dirt and stains, has no lint or pilling tendencies and can be dry cleaned, machine washed or steamed.

It can withstand high temperatures and only has some moderate initial shrinkage.

Due to its strength, in the Middle Ages linen was used for shields and gambeson.

Irish linen is the best wrap of pool/billiard cues, due to its absorption of sweat from hands.

Paper made of linen can be very strong and crisp, which is why the United States and many other countries print their currency on paper that is made from 25% Linen and 75% Cotton.

Hemp fiber properties:

70% of the Cannabis plant's total weight is made up of the 'hurd' or woody inner core.

The silica leached from soil by the plant combined with unslaked lime (calcium oxide) forms a chemical bond similar to cement which is both fire and waterproof.

It was used to make the first pieces of fabric ever found and was therefore also used as the first material for paper. It was used to make canvas, and the word itself is derived from cannabis.

Hemp rope is notorious for breaking due to rot. Hemp rope rots from the inside out, and thus the rope looks good until it breaks. Hemp rope used in the age of sail was protected by tarring.



This info might help understanding usage of these traditional and long time used fibers in the strop production.

For maintaining the linen part of the strop, DOVO recommends the white paste, which I believe was already applied on my DOVO strop when I bought it, brand new. With use, the linen part of my strop also developed mirror shine, and I infrequently (every 4-5 months) apply small amounts of the DOVO white paste.


hope this helps,
Nenad

<<<< In a nutshell: a quality strop is made from leather, preferably horsehide. >>>>

In the old days this was very true. Today horsehide is nearly non-existant for strops. It's real advantage was lack of stretch.


<<<< I keep mine Juchten (German term for Russian leather) strop in good condition bu rubbing the palm of my hand on the strop surface for about 10 laps before each stropping section. The strop surface is mirror smooth, and creates great amount of drag. >>>>

This is the best advice I have read for a long time. No soap, no goop, no extras. Everyone has a different preference for how strops should feel. Do try yours plain first before applying any dressings. I sampled a few Jemico strops and they had a great feel right from the maker. After dresing I didn't care for the feel quite as much. Other will benifit from dressing right from the start.

Like my Mom always said, "taste your food before you salt it !! " So, "try your strops before you ruin, umm I mean dress them" <g>.

Tony

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

<<<< In a nutshell: a quality strop is made from leather, preferably horsehide. >>>>

In the old days this was very true. Today horsehide is nearly non-existant for strops. It's real advantage was lack of stretch.

Yes, I forgot to mention, other leather types, as long as they are properly treated, will make excellent strop. My Hairloom No.1 is, I believe from cow hide, my DOVO is cow or deer hide, and I have heard of strops made of pig's skin...

Nenad

p.s. I have a piece of a car's safety belt at home, I'm just too busy to fix it to something and try stropping on that. I wonder if it will work?

Nenad,
I have some pig skin I tried on paddles. Nice stuff but I cannot buy it thick enough. It is designed for linings in expensive womans purses.

The Dovos are usually cow or calf hide as we many if the Russian strops. I owned several and the cyrillic characters described calf many times and cow less frequently. Oddly I have yet to find a Russian marked "Russian" process strop that said horse but have found many vintage Illinois ones that did.

Tony

can you really use deer hide?

opening day is just around the corner and so many of the local butchers/ processors that clean deer must have tons of skin laying around that they just toss. does that work? hmmmm ill have to keep the antlers and see about scales this year also, i think. oh the possibilities.

~J

There is a guide on ebay where a gentleman explains his method of breaking in a strop:

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Use-a...00000000781326

Who concurs with this man's method?

If so, with so many improved modern products on the market I'd think this same method could be updated with finer conditioners.

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

<<<< I keep mine Juchten (German term for Russian leather) strop in good condition bu rubbing the palm of my hand on the strop surface for about 10 laps before each stropping section. The strop surface is mirror smooth, and creates great amount of drag. >>>>

This is the best advice I have read for a long time. No soap, no goop, no extras. Everyone has a different preference for how strops should feel. Do try yours plain first before applying any dressings. I sampled a few Jemico strops and they had a great feel right from the maker. After dresing I didn't care for the feel quite as much. Other will benifit from dressing right from the start.

Like my Mom always said, "taste your food before you salt it !! " So, "try your strops before you ruin, umm I mean dress them" <g>.

Tony

Why are you so bent on getting between me and my Uber strop???

Seriously,
I'm pretty sure if I put even a tiny amount of something on the hyde side it will have rudamentry protection that will make it healthier and have a much longer life.

On the other hand, even before you pointed it out (a wise thing to point out), i estimated that putting a heavy amount of conditioner on the hyde would make the hyde heavy and saturated. I'm not denying my noob roots here, this is just how I picture it.

I'm still bent on giving the backside of the hyde some kind of cleaning, maybe as simple as a serious moist-terrycloth rubdown followed by dry airiating(sp) it 3 feet above a stove burner (not too hot there just a really dry gust of air that steals moisture) before letting it dry out, then applying a tiny bit of some kind of conditioner (closer to a film than a slather). I just want to give this fine old strap a little internal elasticity and luberication.

don't wallop me Tony


Also,
Crowley said something about white paste on the linen, and the wiki on 'straight razors' said the linen side were often impregenated with a paste. In fact, without the paste on the linen side, I don't (yet) see the point of the linen side.

disclaimer: just because I'm getting really dense on some things doesn't mean I'm not reading a lot (quite the opposite). Albeit, there are a lot of good resources I spotted but haven't read because I can't even remember where I saw them! hate that.

lastly: I'm still considering putting on a thin film of beeswax. I can almost feel the indoor-air polluted air with it's constantly changing humidity level sogging and deteriating my 'laundry-clean' linen (maybe I should see a doctor).