Thread: confused

After a 40 year hiatus, I have returned to real shaving. My new SRD strop has a felt backing on the leather in addition to a two sided webbing strop. This is quite different from the leather and linen strop from yesteryear. My question is, which material is preferable for pre leather stropping and which is better for pastes and sprays. Does the untreated webbing do a better job of pre leather blade prep or would the unpasted felt do a better job? Thanks so much for your time and efforts

It's really a matter of personal preference. I like the untreated webbed fabric prior to everyday stropping on leather.

The wool felt excels as a medium for sprays, like .50 diamond, or Chromium oxide spray.

Pastes, I prefer to use on leather, especially paddles.

Thanks for the clarification. I guess things were simpler in the good old days.

SOMEhow I got it in my head that it was leather THEN linen.

I've been doing it the other way around for a week and am getting a MUCH smoother shave.

At this point in the game, you might just get a linen/fabric and leather strop set. That seems to have worked well for at least the past two hundred years for most people.

Welcome back.

jlands3, as Zib pointed out the SRD felt is superb for CrOx or diamond sprays and then used for touch ups when you think your blade may need a touch up. If your stropping skills are adequate, your everyday use would be the webbed fabric followed by finishing on your leather. That was a long hiatus from straight shaving so Welcome Back and Enjoy!

I think its personal preference really.

I like to use linen or webbing before the leather, and then leather before the actual shave.

For pastes I like to use leather for CrOx and fabrics for diamond sprays. The diamond sprays are a little harsher than CrOx and seem to be a bit more forgiving on fabric!

Good luck and keep us posted!