Today I was in The Art of Shaving and was looking at their strop. It has leather on one side and a cotton cloth material (I think it was) on the other. What is the purpose of this other side? The attendant there said that it is for warming up the blade before stropping it. Why would you want to warm up the blade?
you start with the cloth side and do about 25 round trips, then switch to the leather side and do about 50 round trips.
Warm up the blade? Not sure about that, but honestly I don't know. I just do what I'm told - 25 on the linen, 50 on the leather.
Many (or most strops made nowadays) have a "prep" side (linen/canvas/cotton/wool/polypropylene/etc) which, according to an old barber's manual, "...is generally used before final stropping on the leather strop. It's purpose is to provide a very honing to the razor's edge, replacing most of the keenness which was lost in it's last use. While it has proven effective for this purpose, it will not sharpen a dull razor but will extend the period between honings." Some feel—as echoed by the sales rep at AoS— the linen component preps the razor's edge by warming it up to make to more 'pliable' for the leather component. Others claim the cloth component removes burrs and other residual metal left after honing and helps in alignment prior to leather. Bottom line: many feel it is a worthwhile process to include the cloth component in the stropping process.
I always figured can't hurt, might help. As a rookie, yes, I'll take the word of a pro blindly, then figure out the whys as I go. I guess my generation was more "do as you're told", whereas today's generation is more "challenge everything." Just different, nothing more.
Maybe this will help. With any sharp metal, if you warm the blade before you sharpen or strop, the molecules of the steal will hold an edge better as they cool. Also if it is too warm it will have the opposite effect. If it's a cheap or soft steal, you should not warm it as it will warp. I learned that years ago in an antique shop I helped out it that restored knives and swords. Never seen a razor come through but I'm guessing it would be the same.
I have played with using it and not using it, and find it does make the leather more effective. It also makes a really cool sound with full hollow razors.
From 1931 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/wond...spected-facts-about-razor-blades-and-shaving/ The Leather Burnishes (I like that word) the Linen, Silk, Cotton, Webbing aka Material helps to re-align the "Fin" before burnishing It also without a doubt cleans the edge of any microscopic particles before the leather, I know that for a fact, I can see it on my Linen so even if it did nothing else but what I know for a fact, I would still use it to keep all the "Crud" off/out of my leather... Warming,, Hmmmmmm even if it were true the edge is so thin that it would not hold that heat for more then a faction of a second, so I have my doubts about that one... Who knows maybe it is true
i use the ruff side of the leather first,then the smooth.the razor become remarkable sharper than wen i used the cotton/linnen side first.now i do a few laps at the cotton after shaving.this metode was told to me by an old barber.
I think my generation is the transitional period haha. I was definitely raised in the "do as you're told" mindset and learn with experience why . My little brothers on the other hand....
I don't have a lot of experience yet, but the warming doesn't seem right to me either. Holding the blade in very hot tap water would warm it at least as much. Just dry it well, and then strop. Hmm, maybe I will try just that and see if I can notice anything. It seems to me the webbing/linen/etc cleans the edge and gets the burrs, then the leather burnishes as you say, maybe a little bit of further aligning the fin and gets some finer burrs.
They just go hand in hand, linen compliments leather stropping, using both just seems logically the way to get the best edge as possible from your strop. I use both sides, before and after each and every shave, just the routine I accept.
I do not know why but it trying different stropping routines I find starting with linen or webbing improves the final product.
