Printable View
I understand that once you put paste on a strop there is no way to get ALL of it off again but can you get most of it off?
I had a moment of stupid when I started and put dovo red and black on either side of a black beauty strop.
ok so after asking and not really asking, how do I get it off or am I stuffed?
oh, and does anyone know what grits the red and black are?
There is a comment on this short thread that seems reasonable although I have no experience with this topic myself.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...green-red.html
Kalgoorlieboi,
I have had reasonable results using lighter fluid (Ronson) on a microfibre cloth to remove these types of paste.
After the leather has dried, rub a couple of drops of neatsfoot oil into the leather to re-condition.
Good luck !
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
Red paste is 3 micron and the Black paste is 1 micron if memory serves. You can wash the paste off with liquid dish detergent and water, then saddle soap it and wipe clean with a wet sponge or rag. Lay it flat to dry thoroughly and apply neatsfoot oil. Should come back like new.
Be sure to get all the detergent and saddle soap off the surface before it dries.
You'll never get it all off because the abrasive becomes embedded into the strop. You can get most off and it might look clean but I'll bet with some serious magnification you can still see the abrasive. Does the stuff you can't get off matter? I don't know.
thats the big question isn't it, I was pretty confident I could use something to break down the paste but getting rid of sufficient amount of the grit is where it's really at.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I'll have a go with te saddle soap and see how I go.
Thank you for the help Gentlemen
How about wiping off the excess and then not worrying about it. Please do not use a detergent on leather, a mild soap is better. Detergent and soap are not the same thing.
+2 on what he said. You will never clean that strop. Best bet is to wipe off as much excess as you can with a cotton rag and let that be your 1st Red/Black. It's usually your 1st pasted setup anyway. The red is 8k, and really works well off the rough side of a stop. The Black is 12k and works best on smooth leather from my applications. YMMV. I still use my 1st R/B from a loooong time gone by. Illinois 127.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
So while you're not "stuffed", you are definitely committed.
quite poetically put that lol :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladerunner
Seriously, why does anyone paste anything? that is the one thing I read about that just doesn't make sense to me. If you hone or have it done it seems to me all you need is a dry piece of leather to strop with. What am I missing?............JR
Pasting happens naturally. Once you have worn out a few strops you will understand. Your first "pasted strop will be one coated with ferrous oxide. Thats the residue your razor leaves behind on a virgin strop. You will notice that over time your stop darkens. That is the residue from your razor. Time will age this into ferrous oxide. In days gone by to protect the blade from rust graphite was or lampblack was added to the strop for protection and to extend the life of its suppleness.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramroddc
In another 5 years you will wear out another strop and another genius idea will hit you, and ....you get it.
Just hang in there. Give it about 10 year or so. :)
Also some people use paste instead of hones for most of there sharpening needs.
For the original question DOVO Black is 1-2 microns and Red is 3-4 and bladerunners 12K and 8K equivalent are pretty much right on. As far as getting the paste off I would say you never going to be able to get it all off but while I have not tried it myself I know some guys use graphite in very trace amounts on there everyday strop. Dovo black is graphite so if a little is left over I am not sure it would be completely detrimental to your blade. For a product that hasn't been mention that seems to do the trick of getting rid the paste would Goo-Gone. You could also try removing the excess as best you can and then sanding the leather down untouched leather but even this might not get rid of everything.
After cleaning off the paste you might try stropping on it extensively with some hardened steel, maybe use a junker razor. Paste does wear with use, and that would help break down what remained.
Here is a suggestion I have read of in the past.
Make up some lather and put that on your strop as a lubricant/holder after which you would lightly scrub/clean the offending side of the strop with a pumice stone.
Do be aware that if you are starting with a strop which is completely smooth the above routine will slightly roughen the surface.
Attention! Do not be tempted to substitute sandpaper in place of the pumice stone. :nono: The pumice stone is used to slightly abrade/clean the leather surface and might (inevitably) leave some particles of itself behind. The point here is, however, that pumice is softer than steel. Many sandpapers (especially the Silicon Carbide variety) contain particles which are harder than steel and if used for this cleaning operation will leave those particles behind in the leather and could potentially scratch your precious straight razor much worse than the stropping paste you are trying to remove.