Thread: Linen Strop Yes or No?

I am a firm believer using my Mastro Livi loom strop with a linen side coated with Chromium Oxide. I've seen Mastro livi take the edge off a razor and restore it just using the linen. I use it every 5-10 shaves depending on the razor. 5 laps and your all set. For daily shaving, I use the skin side of the strop. Nothing beats his loom strop.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The 1961 barber manual points out that some barbers like linen, and some do not. The same manual instructs using leather only immediately after honing, and linen/leather before and after the shave.

So I asked Lynn Abrams, who has probably honed more razors than any man alive ....... or dead ..... and he hits the linen after the hone to clean the edge, then the leather. Me personally, I'm a linen/leather guy. Like Bob said above ....... the real stuff ....... natural linen made from flax.

That was a good idea to ask Lynn. I'm learning a ton just by watching his World of Straight Razors DVD.

I have both genuine linen and a thick cotton as my secondary and although I love my linen I do use my cotton mostly. It's slightly more aggressive and I get a better feedback. Basically for me personally the cotton outperforms my linen.

Yes to a fabric strop. Most desirable and effective tool for edge maintenance.
You can take my words as the truth.

If not, history has certainly proven it out. With or without me.

Gentlemen,

I prefer genuine linen over other materials as the strop's second component. Nothing beats the feel of genuine linen. Still, the only time I use use the cotton or linen component is after honing and before going to lather — I learned this from Lynn. For the daily shave, I use only leather.

These days, though, I use the Mastro Livi loom strop and finish on the palm of my hand. I dare say, the Mastro Livi is an incredible strop and I have not experienced anything like it. About 20 strokes on the skin side does it before my daily shave, plus palm stropping. When I feel the razor needs it, I do about 10 strokes on the CrO coated side before going to the skin side for 20 strokes.

I hear you guys raving about your flax strops, I have to ask (Yes, I'm a linen stropper too) where are some good lines on them. I would like a nice long flax linen for a very special shell that I have decided to bring out of storage...Neil wouldn't want it to just set.