Thread: Cleaning my linen strop

Originally Posted by honedright

Don't know about current production linen strops. Back in the day it was recommended to avoid water, as much as possible, on a linen strop because it was well known that linen absorbs a tremendous amount of water which swells the fibers and distorts the stropping surface of the linen. Manufactured linen strops were finished to be as flat and smooth as possible. Cleaning was accomplished by applying some lather then scraping off with the blade of a shears or, another method used alcohol and a cloth. But I never read, outside of this forum, a method that included soaking linen in water. I'd be concerned with ruining the stropping surface, and in 37, or so, years of using a straight, I've never soaked a linen strop, and I never will. I can imagine this getting the linen clean, but does it preserve the stropping quality of the strop?

So far the the linen strops ok it's just that it is about 1/2 to 5/8 shorter than it was and don't match up with the leather. A little awkward stropping. if i let the linen go when stropping the leather the linen swings back and forth and when holding both i have to use separate fingers.

Originally Posted by rhensley

So far the the linen strops ok it's just that it is about 1/2 to 5/8 shorter than it was and don't match up with the leather. A little awkward stropping. if i let the linen go when stropping the leather the linen swings back and forth and when holding both i have to use separate fingers.

I learned to hold both together as I found that the swinging strop you describe makes stropping difficult. Just grab both strops together, a little higher up the strop, if you have to. As far as the cleaning, if the strop still does what it's supposed to after cleaning, it's all good.

For the reasons discussed here, I make and used separate strops. (linen and leather) I just prefer using a single strop at a time.

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

I'm glad this particular strop post has appeared. I have an old bull brand strop in excellent condition with leather and linen. I'm thinking about gluing them to a paddle. Right now it is a hanging strop. I currently have a very nice paddle strop and really like how it performs.
I really listen to people on this forum and have learned a great deal from all of you. Once again I would ask if you think that's a good idea or a bad idea. Be brutal and honest. I love look real feedback not some sugar coated bullshit.
Thanks!

We have to be happy with our decisions in wet shaving, as this is a journey of pleasure.
The idea of modifying your hanging strop to a paddle strop is a good one, because it has peaked your interest & the construction of it by your own hands would would bring pleasure & satisfaction.
The only exception that I can think of, to my advice, is if the hanging strop is an heirloom.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

We have to be happy with our decisions in wet shaving, as this is a journey of pleasure.
The idea of modifying your hanging strop to a paddle strop is a good one, because it has peaked your interest & the construction of it by your own hands would would bring pleasure & satisfaction.
The only exception that I can think of, to my advice, is if the hanging strop is an heirloom.

I appreciate the feedback Hirlau. I do value your opinion and experience. I look for the most comfortable shave. If that means that the heirloom goes by the wayside, so shall it be. I deleted this post and put it on another thread that seemed more appropriate, but again I value your feedback!!!

I empathize. The only strop a really have is a Col Conk. On the linin side I only put food grad diatomaceous earth. Stuff is super fine. Between the fingers you cannot feel grit, but your teeth can. I received a paste that was suppose to go on the linin side but nervously refused too use it on the linin. I have a great strip of leather that came from an antique hay bailer. I cut it into lengths. Cleaned them up sanded them down and for the leather I now have enough to experiment with various compounds. I am making a wild guess, but if you use diatomaceous earth on the linin side with green it will eventually take the green out. I cannot advise on general diatomaceous earth. I think it is more course than the food grade and the garden type is not cleaned for comsumption. The food grade scrapes and cleans the intestine walls, why not a linin strop?

Wish I had read this thread earlier today!

I took my Walkin' Horse linen strop out to wash it (as looked like it had some CrOx on it, despite thinking I had cleaned my razor adequately from using a CrOx-pasted wool SRD strop). Threw it into the washing machine as suggested on the Walkin' Horse website and air dried. Shrunk at least an inch, so now I have the same issue as rhensley, of not being able to hold the rings on both strops at the same time.

Also was kind of a bear to reassemble in terms of trying to get the holes in the linen to stay open when threading the screws through the leather, the linen, and the leather.

No apparent change to the surface of the linen.

In any event, my advice would be in agreement with others on this thread - would not recommend disassembling a linen strop nor washing it as I did -- would stick with a surface cleaning as others have recommended.

I am curious. I have been straight razor shaving since about 1976. I have a Col Conk strop I paid $40 then. My linin would become blackened and this bothered me. I bought a small container of linin strop powder somewhere. I sprinkled some on and over time the black went away. Paying high dollar for less than an ounce in volume I noted that diatomaceous earth was the same consistency (that is food grade diatomaceous earth not garden grade). Every now and then I will band the back of the linin and vacuum it and sometimes use a tooth brush to loosen more material out. I object to washing my linin strop and I refuse to load it with a compound that may gum up the linin. Does the diatomaceous earth work. Damned if I know, but I am sure it does just as good a job as the high cost, low quantity of powder I bought.
I would like to encourage some response to what I have said. Just some information about diatomaceous earth to let you make a decision if you want to go in this direction. First--Food grade diatomaceous earth, the kind I use, has a purpose of cleansing the intestinal tract because of its scratchiness. Garden grade diatomaceous are ground up diatoms taken from the sea and pulverized into a fine powder which is sprinkled on plants and around the ground. This material will cut up an insect and they avoid the area, thus protecting your plants. I am making a guess that garden grade is a bit more course than food grade, yet it still feels like silk. Garden grade is not sterilized and cleaned like food grade. I asked Shaving Place customer service if they could make a comparison between food grade diatomaceous earth and their .5 micron Chromium Oxide spray. They were unable to answer the question, but said it would leave green on the linin.
Enough nonsense from me. Wish you luck with your linins

What's wrong with using CRoX ? If from a source that is pure and not have crap that you don't know about, it's cheap and it last a lifetime. So why not just use what works and as far as the black on your liven, that's the metal from your blade, even linen is an abrasive and I'd your putting a bunch of crap on it maybe it'll be more abrasive. Tc

Why are you putting anything on your strops with that 50,000 grit stone of yours.?

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

What's wrong with using CRoX ? If from a source that is pure and not have crap that you don't know about, it's cheap and it last a lifetime. So why not just use what works and as far as the black on your liven, that's the metal from your blade, even linen is an abrasive and I'd your putting a bunch of crap on it maybe it'll be more abrasive. Tc

Why are you putting anything on your strops with that 50,000 grit stone of yours.?

There's nothing wrong with Crox. I used it once maybe twice. When i went to the 12K naniwa and then added the 20K Suehiro i found i didn't need it. Now you have to remember I'm obsessive compulsive. I wanted a nice clean both sides linen strop. That's what brought us to this thread. Didn't mean to muddy the water.