Thread: Linen stropping effect on honing intervals

I've heard that some folks can go months between needing hones just by using the linen (and leather) to maintain the edge. I have also heard that using the linen too much unnecessarily wears the edge beyond what is optimal and deviates too far away from the original bevel. I tend to like the shave resulting from incorporating a few passes on untreated linen in my stropping routine. If I use it daily should I expect to need more or fewer touch-ups on the hone?

Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

I've heard that some folks can go months between needing hones just by using the linen (and leather) to maintain the edge. I have also heard that using the linen too much unnecessarily wears the edge beyond what is optimal and deviates too far away from the original bevel. I tend to like the shave resulting from incorporating a few passes on untreated linen in my stropping routine. If I use it daily should I expect to need more or fewer touch-ups on the hone?

Don't think you'll find linen or leather can damage or degrade the edge, unless you roll or damage the edge due to improper stropping technique.

One piece of material that frequently get's overlooked is suede...the Kanayama strops come with a suede component, and after somewhat ignoring it for the first few months, I know find it a vital intermediary step between the linen and leather, I find it's really mellows the edge, especially after a refresh.

Mind you, I'm one of the crazies here that believes in "progressive stropping" and using different types of strops for different type of grinds on blades, which of course is probably nonsense, but I have fun and no one loses an eye or has their internal organs harvested unnecessarily....

You can go indefinitely with proper caution and stropping, depending upon the razor and conditions.
They did it a lot back when. I have some which are better and better with using and stropping.
Very few go back to the stones yet.

I daresay that stropping perfects an edge.

"Spare the strop, spoil the edge"

Agreed!
I have said it before. I use paste from The Art of Shaving on the linen. Strop linen first then leather. I only have to touch up my razors once or twice a year. Yes they do get better after each strop.

Thanks for your replies and feedback. Good, I want to be able to use the linen without worrying about increasing the need for honing. I've been suspecting that I hone too often and really wanted to do more with the strop and less with the hones. I hesitated because I didn't want to inadvertently make the edge worse with the linen.

Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

Thanks for your replies and feedback. Good, I want to be able to use the linen without worrying about increasing the need for honing. I've been suspecting that I hone too often and really wanted to do more with the strop and less with the hones. I hesitated because I didn't want to inadvertently make the edge worse with the linen.

TBH, the fabric strop is actually a 'minuscule hone, straightener, cleaner, and maintainer'.
Don't sell it short, nor ignore it.

Strops follow the bevel set with a bit more attention to the actual edge. If stropped properly, only good things will occur, FME.

My typical pre-shave regimen is 40 strokes on fabric, 100 on leather.
As I put them up, 20 and 40.
This is with no pastes. High and dry.
Seems to work swimmingly.

Better and smoother shaves as I go.

That helps, I've been going 5-10 fabric, 80 leather pre-shave. Then 30 leather after. High and dry. But I've been playing around with hones every few weeks too, wasting steel I suspect. I'll give 40/100 and 20/40 a try for a while and lay off the hones. Helping me a lot here, thanks guys.

I've gotten excellent intervals between honings by doing linen (40) / leather (60-80) pre-shave and leather (50) post shave.

Originally Posted by kelbro

I've gotten excellent intervals between honings by doing linen (40) / leather (60-80) pre-shave and leather (50) post shave.

It seems that fabric post-shave followed by a leather flogging is mucho importante.
Works for me!

In fact, as this goes on for a while, I can grab any razor for immediate use
(whilst rushed and in a bind) with no stropping whatsoever.

Will always shave a treat.

My stropping ritual before every shave is 20 laps on linen and then between 30 - 40 laps on leather with 20 laps on leather after the shave.

With this ritual I have gone over a year on some of my razors without actual having to be honed. Others I have just touched up on 12k Shapton.

I definitely believe that the linen stropping has helped maintain the edges.