Thread: My second Lipshaw Microtome strop refurbished

Darl,
Rookie question: there are 3 leather components, why 3 and what is the sequence of use?

Originally Posted by WW243

Darl,
Rookie question: there are 3 leather components, why 3 and what is the sequence of use?

" He's going to tell, He's going to tell!"

OK, coarse medium fine......but that is a rookie guess which says practically nothing....something I'm pretty good at....

Originally Posted by sharptonn

" He's going to tell, He's going to tell!"

Actually the two white panels are one of Neil's latest creations. Its a veg tanned leather with a milled finish its got the likeness to that Dovo Russian but even better draw and results. I'm a hoarder by nature so I want a back up panel in case lightning should strike it. Yes I have rug covers to cover the rug covers to cover the rugs in my cars. Har!!! The third panel is a latigo panel I want to experiment with. All those leathers have there own draw characteristics and results so I wanted to play around with them . There is a member here who does Lipshaw progressively strops. I don't want to point fingers "SHARPTONN" Har!!!!

Bill I re-read your question and I think I misunderstood some of it. The Lipshaw is a two part unit. The first side is a rubber diamond strop that has a pattern on the rubber this is a prestrop. Usually I will give my razor about 45 laps on that surface. Then you flip the lever on the unit to rotate the strop to the leather side and finish stropping on it. Usually 70-90 laps on it.

Same here. The things were made to strop microtome blades for laboratory sectioning back when microtomes were literally a straight razor with one flat side, or a similar blade which went into a sliding, or rotary machine which had a handle to attach in order to strop the blade. These make great razor strops, esp with new leather panels, provided by Neil Miller. I have two in my shop with the black, rubberized original material(great substitute for fabric) and 3 types of leather with draws from heavy to light. Some thinner blades require the lighter draws, like the type Tarkus described, and some heavier grinds like the heavy draw of oiled bridle to European tallow tanned, on down in progression. Nice system when adapted to straight razor use!

Photo of the rubberized side.

So it is more like you are tailoring the surface to the type of blade rather than a progression as in stones? Pretty esoteric and pretty damn cool......thanks for the Lipshaw Show!

Originally Posted by WW243

So it is more like you are tailoring the surface to the type of blade rather than a progression as in stones? Pretty esoteric and pretty damn cool......thanks for the Lipshaw Show!

Pretty much tailoring the blade to the strop it likes best (there IS such a thing!). Taking it lighter from that point makes for a fine shave! Progressive stropping.

Your quotation marks suggest that some cruel members, without imagination or sensitivity may have questioned this concept at one time or other. Me, I think of wine tasting where someone is able to pull about 7 different notes from a taste of wine. As little as I drink of it my tastes are like or not like, I never find the berry, hazelnut, shoe leather, etc. It looks like whomever patented this device was some kind of mad genius. Thanks to you and Tarkus for keeping the legacy of the mad genius alive!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Pretty much tailoring the blade to the strop it likes best (there IS such a thing!). Taking it lighter from that point makes for a fine shave! Progressive stropping.