Straight Razor Honing - Part 5: Pasted Strop

Using a pasted strop with a straight razor.

Pasted strops are used to polish the bevel of a razor and don't actually remove steel like hones do. They can certainly and easily help make a razor super sharp, but will never remove nicks or blunting.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Straight
• Razor
• Honing
• Hone
• waterstone
• sharpening
• strop
• stropping
• pasted

[Two2Curious]

Thanks for the videos, they are great! I do have one question (ok, two questions), Tony's webpage only list the hanging leather stropes, but you use the paddle. Who else makes a good 4 sided paddle similar to the one you are using in the video? or do you recommend the free hanging style?

[ToxIkWaste]

@Two2Curious Unfortunately Tony no longer makes the 4-sided and I have no idea where to get another. LeeValley sells a 2 sided leather strop that is similar and I hear works quite well. If you google it I'm sure you'll find it.

I've always heard to never use abrasive pastes on a hanging strop; it's just to easy to screw up the edge. You need the leather bonded to a flat surface.

[Two2Curious]

@ToxIkWaste The closest one I can find is the Thiers-Issard one, its definitily on the expensive side , looks overpriced. Have you heard anything about it? vintagebladesllc sells it

[ToxIkWaste]

@Two2Curious I have not heard of it. It is pretty expensive, too. I sent you a link to the one from LeeValley in PM. It doesn't cost nearly as much.

[KingGeorge24]

What are those pasted strops made out of?

[ToxIkWaste]

@KingGeorge24 wood base, leather surface, diamond abrasive paste.

[ToxIkWaste]

used to be a fairly invested hobby. sold some razors and did honing for other. but that was back when I had lots of time, so I haven't in a while.

[karlbuttler]

Do you do this as a Buisness?? or Hobby?? you seem to know what you are doing..

[ToxIkWaste]

@PizzaCakeSteak I got the strop from Tony Miller over at thewellshavedgentleman. He unfortunately no longer sells them though.

[PizzaCakeSteak]

@ToxIkWaste after a while of working with it, It turns out that the CrO pasted strop works great coming off a 12k chinese hone and the pasted strop also serves great as a touchup when the blade just starts pulling on whiskers.

by the way where did you get that awesome 4 sided pasted strop? can you make one for me?