Thread: Linen?!

So I pulled the trigger on a SRD Modular Paddle Strop... I really like the idea of how you can change the plates on it. Could I use the felt as a replacement for the linen on a hanging strop or should I use the scrub leather? Or even go wild and go plain felt, scrub leather then premium leather? I guess I will have to experiment... Although I did purchase a big daddy from Star shaving a while back and the backing of their strops reminds me an awful lot of felt...

You'll have to play with them a little bit, but they won't give you as good of results as a decent vintage genuine linen that's clean (NOS is nice, too).


scrub leather and felt are more cleaners, but they don't do the same level of alignment that a good vintage felt does. I think they might wear or round the edge instead, the keenness isn't the same nor is the ability to avoid the hones without losing sharpness.

I've got the modular and use a felt with Chrom-ox occasionally and a clean scrub leather. All of my hangers, except the HandAmericans have linen, and I too am a firm believer in linen. The HA strops don't have linen because Keith DeGrau didn't feel he could access linen of the quality he felt appropriate. At least that is what he told me. Linen from SRD, Neil Miller, Kanayama, and Tony Miller is good enough for me, though I also value the old vintage linens on my old strops. I wouldn't be without it.

In response to a couple of requests for info on the Scupleworks / Torolf Linen.

Picture from Torolf:



I used longer Chicago Rivets at the swivel end, the handle end screws worked fine.
Change out takes a few minutes as long as you don't loose track of those rivet parts...

Smooth Shaving...