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You probably should not have sanded the #827 as it tends to cause more problems then it solves... The beer bottle trick Damon mentions might help but the #827 is an animal unto itself, and doesn't always react like other strops..
It sounds to me like you probably wanted the #127 (Slick finsh) instead but it has the same linen that you don't like :( I can tell you from quite a bit of experience with them, that the Linen works and works very well, but you have to use it to learn that...
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I like the 827 especially for Kamisori stropping, the non-slick finish works really well on them for me.
The linen component while really slick and obnoxious sounding, works great. It does soften up with time and use.
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Can you use neat's foot oil on the 827? :thinking:
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There is no need to sand or smooth an 827. It will break in with normal use, and broken in is still rough. It's supposed to be that way.
It's a strop in which the bottom grain is the stropping surface. If you want something to act like a strop that uses the top grain, get a strop that uses the top grain.
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I don't use my 827 as a daily, or 'finishing' strop, for what that's worth. If there's such a thing as a course strop, that's how I treat it.