Thread: Homemade stropping compounds??

Hey there! im new to straight shaving but i have heard of people making homemade stropping compounds. if anyone has any advice about this that would awsome

Welcome to SRP from a fellow Albertan!

It depends on what you want to accomplish. There are some simple homemade "compounds" (usually used on the material strop, not leather) you can use such as chalk dust or wood ash. Those are a couple old tricks that will give your edge a little umph, albeit not very aggressive for cutting power.

I have spent a lot of time working with compounds both homemade and commercially available and while I rarely use stropping compounds now I would have to say that I am unimpressed with all homemade compounds when compared to the results of the commercial compounds. If I still used them I would just have the Chromium Oxide and Cerium Oxide.
In the past I have tried using hone slurry, wood ash, chalk dust, printing toner...

I just don't see the need for fooling around with the homemade compounds. The store bought ones are fairly inexpensive and last a long time if not a lifetime.

Jim

A whole bunch of guys have tried many off the wall "abrasives" and some have combined them with melted Parrafin wax or a melted "grease stick" to create a "bar".

Go ahead and try to make some. It is fun. Just be sure to not apply it to your daily use plain leather hanging strop. The abrasive pastes are only to be used after honing on a separate paddle strop or as a "touch up" for your razor.

I would have purchased a compound had I known that I needed one. The vender I just purchased form didn't mention that it was necessary for the material side of the strop. So, I didn't get it... Now I'm faced with a purchase and extra shipping. Perhaps I'll find a store on my way through Seattle. (sour grapes) Best to think ahead.

Originally Posted by okiwen

I would have purchased a compound had I known that I needed one. The vender I just purchased form didn't mention that it was necessary for the material side of the strop. So, I didn't get it... Now I'm faced with a purchase and extra shipping. Perhaps I'll find a store on my way through Seattle. (sour grapes) Best to think ahead.

You don't need compound for stropping and definitely don't apply it to your daily strop. It is used as a touch-up only and applied to a separate strop, quite often bench.

Edit: Next time you come through and if you happen past Yakima/Ellensburg just let me know and I'll give you some stropping compounds.

yea keep the compounds off your daily strop but a handfull of wood ash on a old linen strop or in my case a jean strop i made is a perfect way to touch up a razor once a month or so

Yup, I agree with the above 2 posters. I tried to make that clear.

You can maintain/touch up a razors edge by either using an abrasive pasted paddle strop or a traditional hard fine hone. The frequency of use will depend on a number of factors but the guiding rule is to use them sparingly when the razor is starting to "pull" just a bit. Generally , It seems like that will happen about once every 1-4 months.

Sparingly......
Paddle strop ........10-20 roundtrip laps
hone....................5-10 roundtrip laps
Repeat as necessary

Hope this helps,

Whoa!!!! Good info.!!! Thanks deighaingeal, PM on the way.

Thanks guys. I have another generation to bring into the str8 razor world (two sons). So much to learn so little time. Ok, so off daily strop and the plain materiel is enough to use before leather.