Which do you prefer and why?
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Which do you prefer and why?
I cannot stand a strop that is too zippy. I have a vintage linen strop and had a nylon strop that are way too zippy. I had a cotton that was very nice and have felt and hemp and suede that are also very nice. For me it is all about the feel and sound. They have all had the desired effect.
I have the Herold (Kohl & Laibach) leather and linen strop, I have the Portland Deluxe English Leather on order; if looks are to go by it is going to be very high quality, but I have no experience of poly webbing as a backing, Lynn seems to rate it as a material so I guess that must be something��.
Historically linen is the cat's meow.
Unlike leather where it all does the same thing that is not the case with fabric because you can have wide differences in the abrasiveness of the natural material. Poly-webbing or canvass or flax or fabric blends can vary quite a bit.
I've never done or seen an experiment with fabric strops so just from anecdotal evidence I like Linen with cotton canvas a second choice.
Linen. Real linen not cotton webbing called linen.
Haven't tried poly, and linen varies. The best linen I have tried is on a vintage Japanese strop.
Interesting that this comes up now. I had a poly webbing strop and it was very loud and seemed rough. For that reason, I stopped using it and eventually sold it. I have some real linen and also cotton "linen" and they both seem to have a similiar sharpening effect and I like them both as they are soft and quiet with very little draw.
Interesting to see there are no advocates so far for poly webbing, yet both SRP and PRC use it with their English Bridle strops, I'd be almost surprised to learn this was simply down to cost as they are no less expensive than my German made Kohl Laibach.
I also do not care for poly webbing, however I have an old piece of seatbelt that I use for a pasted strop. Linen is awesome cotton next.
I recently made a strop using craft burlap on the backside. I did sand it down on the belt sander to take the 'edge' off. I've been using it for the past month or so and really like it.
Gentlemen,
These days I use only leather. When I did use the second component on my strop, genuine linen was my first choice. I not only liked the feel and the sound of stropping on it, but also its toned abrasiveness. Oh, as for poly webbing, I don't like it, because, among other things, it just doesn't feel right.
Linen for me. I've used poly and felt, but just prefer the linen. If it was good enough for barbers for over 100 years it is good enough for me.
I won an SRD Roo strop at the North Texas Meet last February. It has a poly secondary. I was all set to hate it, as I was very happy with the hemp secondary that I was using. I decided to keep an open mind and give it a fair shot. Turns out I am very happy with the results from the poly strop and have been using it since February.Quote:
Originally Posted by TomP30
What they are like "New vs Broken in" are night and day
Much like a Boar Brush needs to be well used before the best performance comes out I find the same to be true of the secondary strop material..
I don't really have a "Best" I like them all once they are broken in an no longer are so "Zippy"
Which do you prefer and why?
It is a good question, it depends on what you are trying to achieve.
I believe that traditionally linen strops, real flax linen was use, because it is naturally abrasive and readily available. The linen was meant to clean the razor of soap, hair, skin and dirt. And to impart some keenness, from the mildly abrasive flax, before putting the razor on clean leather.
Take a good look at your razor before you strop it. Even if you repeatedly rinsed it and wipe with a towel or micro fiber or paper towel, you will find all sorts of dried soap, hair, blood, skin and dirt on the bevel.
Shaving conditions were probably nothing like we have today. Modern Nylon and Polyester weaves work very well for cleaning the razor and for pasting, as they hold paste well.
Additionally, for the new stropper, nylon strops are difficult to cut and make great learning strops.
Vintage linen, once cleaned and stretched or pressed are a joy to use, some can be fairly aggressive. I do not see any advantage to a stiff linen strop and wonder how that process, came to be. Most all will benefit from a good soaking and cleaning.
In today's industry who makes your favourite strops?
Tom, re the Linen v polyweb, I honestly believe that when advertised, true 'Linen', they are in fact cotton. So I have a Classic Shaving strop that says it's backing is cotton. It has a lovely feel, and that zing spoken of earlier in the thread is muffled compared to others. Now the second question, is related to the 1st. My favourite strop these days is the Kanayama #70000, 3 piece strop. There is plenty of reading available on this forum about Kanayama's. They are the best I've used, and are the staple, for most experienced honers out there. The are a shell cordovan horse leather, and are completely unique to any other strops I've used. They have 2 secondary pieces, one is just leather with one side sanded down to make it a very velvety suede piece. It is 68mm wide, the same width as the Cordovan stropping surface, and in itself, when stropping the cordovan, you can use the stiffer more robust suede piece to hold along with the Cordovan, makes it easier. Third piece is a 65mm canvas piece. Canvas is cotton, and if this strop has a flaw it is the stiffness and lack of malleability, sees it required to be put in the washing machine for a couple of cycles, and maybe more, so stiff is it. Once you have softened this canvas piece it is an excellent canvas piece, and the blade glides nicely over it. Be aware though, that Cordovan/shell, horse butt leathers are over double the price of a steerhide strop.(Cheapest #70000 at the moment is $235USD) Worth it to me. But if inexperienced, use a steerhide 3 inch strop, around $60 and once you have gotten the full hang of stropping, maybe then get the cordovan. (It would cause some horror if on it's 1st outing you chop a big piece out of it!) As I said, check out the 'Strops' forum and there is plenty on high end strops.
Bob
I am a newbie to this forum thing but I have made a living keeping cutting tools sharp for the past 45 years and have used a strop or two, including on my straight razors. I have also been married long enough to know I am usually wrong about anything I think I know... That being said my opinion is as follows:
For a sharp blade I prefer a cotton strop with a gentle pull before touching it up on my leather strop;
For a blade that has just gone through a thorough refresh I use a cotton strop with a good deal of compound worked in it then go to an aggressive linen then a long session on the leather:
For a blade that is starting to pull some but I am too lazy to sit down and refresh it I will hit it a right good lick (or 20) on the linen then the leather.
works for my carving tools as well as my razors but I'd like to learn more about all this....
I forgot to mention I threw the plastic thing on the back of the last strop I bought into the trash, was I supposed to use that?
As a former textile engineer, you need to qualify the weave of the fabric. The quality of the linen also will effect the results. I have seen Irish and English linen that was smooth as silk. When I was in Ireland, I saw a barber stropping his razor on his linen shirt. Couple the weave of the linen with adding say Chromium Oxide paste and you can get amazing results. I use the Mastro Livi loom strop with linen treated with chromium oxide and it gives an amazing edge. You might also like to look into denim.
“I forgot to mention I threw the plastic thing on the back of the last strop I bought into the trash, was I supposed to use that?”
Depends on what it was and who made your strop.
Some linen are coated and need to be washed and stretched prior to use.
Sounds like you have a working system, though. What are you using for Compound?
Canvas makes a better strop than denim, that unravels easily, though it does produce a nice finish, as will most cloth.
Always used linen, until I got a SRD Latigo strop just before Christmas, and I do like the poly side, a nice strop alround, my other strops are a 827, and a vintage horse shell, with a thick canvas.
Being the person who introduced the Poly Webbing strops into the wet shaving community, I can tell you that I tested it against every second strop material I could find for a year before putting it on strops. I tested against vintage linens, cottons, hemp, fire hose, denim, rough leather and canvas materials to see if I could really determine if there was an actual better result using any of these. At the end of the day from a result perspective, the poly webbing performed as well as any of the other materials. To me it really boils down to personal preference. Every second strop material has it's own feeling whether it be smooth, grainy or zippy. I don't think there is a wrong choice.
Have fun.
Lynn, I received an SRD bridle leather strop with poly for Christmas. Being a traditional kind of guy, I had my doubts. I have to say I am loving this stop. Who new that my favorite strop would end up including poly. My favorite brush is also synthetic. What happened to me?[emoji12]
(At least my favorite guns are all blue and walnut)
The poly is too zippy for me. What cN i do to soften.or break ir in more so its not so hard, stiff, zippy? I did was it in the washer once. Maybe a few more cycles thru washer? Run a belt sander over it lightly?
Maybe you can Gas it...........
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasman
I don't think the tactile feel of the strop matters. The results do.
I had to quit using hemp, I was developing a wicked cough and an overwhelming urge to listen to Skynerd.
Now that's just funny right there
I did not like the poly when I got it and just continued to use the linen component on the Illinois that I had. Because I had the poly I used it for the after-the-shave cleanup stropping. After two years now of using it this way the poly has soften out and the zippiness is muted; has much more feedback. I've actually grown to like it and use it a lot more now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasman
Paul
My first strop was a Parker red latigo with a black polyweb backing. I did not like the poly at first...too zippy. However, I have found that the more I use the poly, the more I like it. As the surface starts to wear from contact with the razor, the surface becomes smoother and softer. You might be able to speed up the wear by lightly sanding the surface. I would suggest, however, that you wash the material afterward to make sure no grit from the sandpaper is left behind; that would ruin your razor... and your day.
I prefer the premium linen on SRD's strops simply because of tradition and the lovely sound it makes while stropping. I have no factual basis for concluding it's any better or worse than the poly component on my other 2 SRD Premium strops. :shrug:
What is their linen called? "Premium Fabric" or is it the wool felt?Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedster
I can't bring myself to enjoy stropping on seat belt material. Too soft, it just doesn't feel 'right.' I'm not saying one is better than the other, but I enjoy linen more than poly webbing.
It's called "SRD premium fabric." The "100% hard pressed wool felt" is the third and most expensive option. I have the hard pressed wool felt pads for my SRD paddle strop, but like you I truly enjoy stropping on linen more than any other fabric. I'm recently curious about flax linen fire hose as a strop material.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marshal
I tried the SRD poly when I first started SR shaving a couple years ago. I did not like the feel or sound of the poly. I went to SRD linen and I like that feel and sound. I put the poly on another rig and have tried it a time or two as I have gotten better at stropping but have not been able to get that comfortable feeling with it. The sound of it gives me the creeps. I can just see my edge micro chipping into glitter on every stroke. It came down to sound first and feel second. Since I do not shave every day, once or twice a week, I do not think I have a year of real experience yet so I am far from expert.
A lot a great insight here. Thanks.
I currently use poly because I am lazy but,I get the same creepy feeling .Quote:
Originally Posted by jmercer
Actually I remember that creepy feeling when I first started stropping on linen. Just sounded so dang abrasive. But once I got it programmed into the brain pan that this is what stropping feels and sounds like at this phase, I couldn't reprogram it.
The poly webbing on the other hand, feels too soft. Like it's not doing anything. And I suppose in the grand scheme of things it isn't supposed to be doing anything but straightening the edge. Either or is probably doing a good job of that.
Might contact SRD and see if they can sell me some hardware along with one of the linen pieces. I'd hate to take the poly off and just set it aside to collect dust, but if I can get a handle and some hanging hardware I might dedicate it to pastes or something.
I contacted SRD and they will do pieces. I went with inexpensive handled strop knowing I would nick it up. Later I got their D rings, bridle leather and linen backing no problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marshal
On another redundant note the weave will have an effect on how it sounds.
I'm happy with linen, poly or cotton once they are broken in. I like the variety but can't tell if there is any difference in the final product.