Newspaper as a Strop???

Hi I am just getting into Straight razors now learning to strop the blade Someone told me you can use Newspaper wrapped tight round a heavy book will do the same to your razor blade as a leather strop would do in keeping it sharp untill you get good at it and ready to buy a good leather strop. is this true or is someone winding me up?

You can use newspaper as a strop, however I would rather recommend to buy a cheap learner strop.

Since you're in UK, Neil Miller got some reasonable strops for 15-20£, like this one: English Bridle Leather Hanging Razor Strop

I think it depends on what book is used.

Something manly like Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five would probably work OK. But I’d stay away from volumes like Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts or Touch Me: The Poems of Suzanne Somers.

I hope this helps. ;)

:tameshigiri: Nice One :rofl2: I was thinking more along the lines of Ulysses The fall Of Troy any sort of light reading to stop the boredom or The Centrefolds of playboy from 1960 -1979 that could help you to learn to strop faster :rock:

I learned on news paper. Folded a page 3" wide and wrapped it around a towel rack. Good learning tool but not much of a strop. My first strop was an inexpensive latigo where you could change the leather for less. Nicked it twice very light, repaired it and now my son uses it. Haven't had the need to change the leather yet. Double O

I stropped and shaved off a newspaper a couple days ago, and it shaved well.
Just rip a piece of it and put it on a smooth piece of hone.
I've tried wetting it lightly and without and couldn't really tell the difference.
I think I preferred it being on a hard surface rather than a softer one.
Cheers.

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Originally Posted by diyguy

I think it depends on what book is used.

Something manly like Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five would probably work OK. But I’d stay away from volumes like Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts or Touch Me: The Poems of Suzanne Somers.

I hope this helps. ;)

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Gentlemen, I think you have this wrong, it's not the book that counts but the newspaper. For example, in the UK, if your political leanings are Tory (let's say Republican) then only the Telegraph will give the necessary edge. However if you have Socialist (Democrat) leanings then the Guardian is the obvious answer.