Thread: Heirloom Razor Strip Co. Old No. 2

Go easy with the fabric side until you get the hang of it. For starters, keep it at hip level, just rotate on the spine (rolling like a pencil if you can), and push the razor back and forth with no downward pressure.

If you're moving from a strop with a heavier draw, you might be using too much pressure on the edge until you find your feel. Very unlikely you've done enough damage you need to go and rehone, more likely you just need to lighten up and you can recover the edge. Try that for 50 strokes or so, then move to leather, and see how it feels.

Thanks for the helpful comments. I think I have worked through using the leather which Is fabulous to use. I haven't touched the cotton much yet. I need.to bone up on my reading about it but those suggestions definitely pointed me in the right direction. I have intended to paste one side but haven't done it yet because I know that is not a place you can really turn back from once it's done.

That's up to you of course... I've never pasted. I play around with hones enough to maintain my own edges, and shoot me a PM if you want some of my lame opinions on cheap finishing stones. You're not far away from The Superior Shave in Jacksonville, and while Jared has just recently shut down his brick and mortar storefront he's a wealth of knowledge (and 30% crazy), his online operation is going strong, and he'll almost certainly meet you in person to assist.

I have two Tony Miller strops and love them both for very different reasons. One is a 3" cotton/red latigo (I'm not sure Tony makes those anymore as he seems to like the roughout better, but he may comment). The other is a 2 1/2" linen/horsehide. Personally I would never paste either for fear of contamination, and would go with a reasonably priced paddle strop if that's where you want to go. Folks seem to use a lot of the honing films as well, which would probably work as a cheap touch-up (and way cleaner than pastes)... someone else may chime in but it's also getting off topic.

In any case, glad you're getting the hang of that strop. It will service you for decades with proper care (which is really... keep it clean and oil very very infrequently). Try the light-to-no pressure on the cloth side, and gradually increase slight pressure on the spine until you're getting great results.

Fresh cotton can be a bit harsh. So go lightly on it at first until you find how to get the best from it.
I just got Tony's Steerdovan. Talk about fast! Its like it has no draw at all. I know with time it will slow down some. Its a nice piece of leather. The real linen type secondary strops are wonderful to use. I only have a couple of them. Try to pick up one of them and you wont want to use anything else. Tony sells them but they cost more than the cotton.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Fresh cotton can be a bit harsh. So go lightly on it at first until you find how to get the best from it.
I just got Tony's Steerdovan. Talk about fast! Its like it has no draw at all. I know with time it will slow down some. Its a nice piece of leather. The real linen type secondary strops are wonderful to use. I only have a couple of them. Try to pick up one of them and you wont want to use anything else. Tony sells them but they cost more than the cotton.

Marty is sending me a linen fire hose strop that he made. Can't wait to try that out. I have read about using linen and am eager to add that to my arsenal of tools. Sounds like it prolongs use between trips to the stones for quite a while.

Okay. I took the advice you guys gave me on the cotton strop with a project I just finished and honed. After the bevel set and 4k/8k pyramid I ran 50 , 30, 50 on the cotton, suede side and smooth side and it shaved as.good as any razor I've got and better than most even after being honed, finished and stropped. Maybe it wasn't as complicated as I was making it out to be. Thanks guys.

Ive still been working through learning the cloth strops. I think I had a eureka moment the other day though. What seems to be the key, for me at least, is to keep Bob Ross in mind when he uses his one inch brush to smooth and soften paint he just applied and his catch phrase, "2 hairs and some air." It seems like they work best when you do it almost like you're pretending to strop: just barely touching it with virtually no pressure at all. Funny how you can learn something in a few minutes and spend a lifetime trying to master it.

I love Tony's work. His is the only hanging strop still in my shave den.

I have two of his strops and love them. I keep waiting for someone to do a comparison between one of his and a Kanayama. The Kanayama's attract a lot of money. i wonder how they compare.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I have two of his strops and love them. I keep waiting for someone to do a comparison between one of his and a Kanayama. The Kanayama's attract a lot of money. i wonder how they compare.

Great idea! Send me a Kanayama and I'll compare them.