canvas on strop

LHD

Joined
Feb 9, 2006
Messages
320
So what exactly is that for again? It says for "warming" the steel. WTF does that mean?
 
It's for use on a straight razor which does not have hard tempered steel at its edge. You warm up the edge and draw out a kind of extended wire edge by stropping on the smooth leather side. That is why straight razors are extremely sharp but don't hold an edge worth a tinker's dam. Some of the harder tempered razors would hold an edge longer - if you are able to put one on it.

Don't use the canvas side on tempered steel knives. I don't know if you could warm it up enough to draw out the temper - maybe you could if you really stropped furiously. :)
 
Also...

A lot of rubbing compounds and stropping pastes stick to cold metal, but don't stick to warm metal (anything around 100 F is normally good, but room temp can be sticky).

This way if you warm up the blade a little, it doesn't get as much stropping paste sticking to it, and it strops more easily.
 
Back
Top