Star Shaving Strops

Someone on this forum turned me on to Star Shaving for cheap strops.I wanted to give people in my classes the strop option. I bought 5 strops at 10.00 each as opposed to 15.00 for one.Came in today cowhide on nicely sanded wood & 4 rubber like plastic feet.

Also picked up a bottle of Chromium Oxide semi paste & another of Diamond slurry.I have used Adams metal polish on my strops for yrs.I use goop to clean it up after much use.I have a big bottle that will probably last longer than I will.

MY question is this, I know alot of you have experience wt. Crom Oxide paste & Diamond Slurry. How much do you put on & do you rub it on wt. your fingers? Also how often do you load it & how often do you clean your strops?

Thanks Keith

I have Chromium Oxide paste on mine, I just put 4-5 drops about the size of a pea on the strop and kind of painted it on with a piece of cardboard until it was a uniform green color. I like the results, but if I over strop the edge gets too polished and looses bite. I have heard that diamond makes sharper cuts into the steel and therefore leaves a little more bite. I would like to try that, but I have so much CrO2 left and it works fine if I'm light with it. I only have to re-apply a couple drops every 2-3 months. I'm not sure how much diamond slurry to use or how to tell, as it is basically clear, right? All you diamond users out there please chime in.

My favorite way to load a strop is to start with a few drops of the CrO2 paste and work it in with my fingertips. Then I put a few sprinkles of CrO2 powder on the strop and work that in with my fingertips. I think using your fingertips is the fastest and most efficient way to work both the paste and the powder into the strop. A little soap and your hands are clean.

I clean my strops with saddle soap a couple times a year when the shine starts to get spotty and then reload them.

I use 1 micron diamond in solution sprayed on felt until it looks evenly coated. The diamond Solution I have is black. When the felt loses it's color I re-apply. Seems to work well.

Thanks I will start wt the Chro Oxide paste on the leather.The Diamond slurry I have is black,I have a felt pad I'll try diamond on that.

i ve never cleaned my strops. after a while i just sell it on ebay and build myself a new one. how do you clean yours?

I learned this trick from Dave Martell-Blue Goop(do not get orange) waterless hand cleaner-good for cleaning leather strops it has glycerine & lanolin that not only clean the strop also condition the leather.Just rub it on & wipe it off couple times if leather has alot of buildup.Sometimes I go along while without cleaning,but it works wt. my Adams #2 polish.

I use chromium oxide on leather and balsa and a few diamond compounds on felt and nano cloth. Spread it evenly and it will last months. Until it fades really. Ps I recomend felt strops not just to finish but in between different stones. They really work great.