Thread: Cleaning my linen strop

The only time I cleaned one of my natural linen strops Niel Miller had me use some of the canned spray on carpet cleaner sparingly. I worked it in both sides of the strop with my hands and when dried he also recommended a shop vac for removing the dried residue. Worked like a charm. No shrinkage whatsoever and clean as new natural linen strop. It was one of his linen strops.

Wasn't posing that question to you Roger, I was just questioning this other stuff the guy wants to use instead of CRoX.and why he needs anything on his linen if he's got a 50,000k hone, I haven't used anything on a strop in a long time other than fresh linen and leather,

Most of my blades are fine after 12k and that 20k is really as far as I need to go. Tc

tcrideshd: Everyone has their own mind that explores their own likes and dislikes. From my perspective I will not use anything that gums up my linin. I have extra slabs of leather to explore possibilities. My Col Cronk strop is (estimated) 40 years old. I have used only stropping powders, and went to the food grade diatomaceous earth because it is a breeze to clean up. I have, on this site, read some problems with the green mud staying on the linin and if it stays on it only has the tendency to alter the complete nature of the linin. It is just me who refuses to gum up my linin. For me I might explore putting some onto a piece of leather and using it. I asked customer service of SRP to make a comparison between diatormceous earth and their product of CroX. They had no idea, ergo, I have no idea either--that's why I asked. Anyway it has been working for me for about 30 years. If you are going to pay $85 to $100 for a strop, having something to go wrong with it for you because you use a product that can't be removed from the linin just doesn't make since. some posters have implied the linin shrinks if you wash it. It seems like to me that washing a strop is tedious and unnecessary, that's all

Most all who Doctor linens use that linen for that purpose, your daily linen and strop is clean, you paste a strop if that's what you use for touch ups or on your honing proccess, but whatever you put on a strop or linen, is adding stuff to it, that if you want to remove is more than likely to still have some residual leftovers. Wether you have used it for 30 years or not doesn't really matter, do what you want to your strops, CRoX is a very respectable razor medium. But I question your need for anything on your linen as after your 50,000 grit hone your just degrading what you done, and that isn't making sense to me, and just to let you know, I've wet shaving for more than 30 years and I wouldn't have an answer to a comparison of CRoX to your earth particles, because why should they, they sell CRoX so either buy it or not. Tc

Over in another forum, Emmanuel in Greece (wonderful guy that has vids here on Coti honing) soaked his linen in a lye solution. His lye was from scratch - water w/ wood ash. I would think that would leave all kinds of gray residue, but I have great respect for his thoughts.

Originally Posted by rhensley

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.

I too used to believe that, but I found that a nice CrOx treated strop can transform the smooth edge after the 12k Naniwa and 20k Suehiro stones into a velvety one.

So the CrOx treated strop is back in use....


B.

I have a Mastro Livi loom strop and asked him what to use on the linen coated with Chromium oxide. To my surprise, lighter fluid. It works great for removing the black metal and leaves the chromium oxide nice and smooth. It also dries very quickly. Just put the lighter fluid on a clean lint free towel and run it down the length of the linen.

This came up on another thread recently. I use only Chromium Oxide powder obtained from a pottery supplies business. I bought 100gms for 8 bucks. They use it as a glaze and pigment and is as pure as you can get. No chunky bits of greasy crayon. When it goes dark drop it in a bucket with a bit laundry soap, rinse it, hang it out and start again. I have made a dozen or so strops, for me and a few mates, and I have enough to make another 100...
Added:Must be some tongue in cheek re the bloke who put a shell cordovan in the washing machine, equally lunatic, that you'd put crox onto a shell strop. then again a member thought that a strop marked #80000 was a grit rating...

I have used diatomacious earth on my linen. Just have to brush it and vacuum it of and re-apply. Pottery supplies. Hm-m-m.

Here how i did mine: http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ditioning.html