I also use blackboard chalk, after a very light spraying of the canvas w/ spray starch used for ironing clothes. The more coarse canvas seems to smooth out a bit.

Bart, to you mix your Seven Sisters rock with anything in order to apply it? If I'm not mistake, I think Dovo uses mink oil (or at least something similar in consistency) as a matrix.

I've tried all kinds of methods.

What works well to really plaster the pores is this:
1. Whip up a good amount of lather (I've always used soap based lather, not cream based).
2. Paint the lather onto the fabric.
3. Vigorously rub the chalk into the surface. A paste forms, that needs to be worked into the strap by working with the fingers. The idea is to really fill the pores.
4. Put the strap on a flat surface and leave to dry.

This gives a good result, but the surface will give off a bit of dust on the razor while stropping. This can be stopped by sparingly working in some mineral oil after the strop has dried.

Another method I've tried is to mixture laundry softener (which already contains oil in suspension) with chalk until it became a paste that looked just like Dovo's white paste.

Best regards,
Bart.

Hey guys, I put in my opinion about the whole saga on my blog, here http://jendeindustries.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/re-murray-carters-razor-sharpening-video-and-the-surrounding-debate/.

It's more of an experiment than a conclusion.

I only saw the thread on B&B and only today did the thread here get pointed out to me

Bart:

I've tried all kinds of methods.

What works well to really plaster the pores is this:

This gives a good result, but the surface will give off a bit of dust on the razor while stropping.

Bart.

Tried that method two days ago and it looks brand new, thanks

Tom,

You just killed me with all that research. Now you make me want to try such ultra smooth edge of yours!

(oh, and there's a typo in the last word of the article )

cheers,
Matt

Bart:

I've tried all kinds of methods.

What works well to really plaster the pores is this: ...

Bart, thanks for the steps. I just used regular chalk whipped with a tiny piece of soap in a blender. It works very well. Chalk powder shedding is not a problem yet, may be because it is not bone-dry yet. If the shedding starts, I will touch up with mineral oil as you suggest. The 'feel' is much better already. Thanks again.

jendeindustries:

Hey guys, I put in my opinion about the whole saga on my blog, here ...

Tom, thanks for linking here. Read with great interest. Really appreciated the detailed reporting of evidence.

I would have, personally, liked to hear a bit more about your own take - pros and cons - on the 'physics' of edge trailing/leading as well as newspaper stropping.

That said, amazing and detailed work. You are obsessed. That is good for us. Thank you.

I saw Tom's blog a few days back on another forum. I loved the orientation towards validation, replication. He's done a real service to the curious.

Update on paper stropping on stone:

tried paper on stone as the only stropping: shavable, but not particularly smooth or comfortable.

Tried stropping w/ linen and leather components backed by hard surfaces - okay, but no improvement from normal stropping w/ a hanging strop.

Longevity of the paper stropped Wacker edge: 5 shaves with regular stropping in between. No evidence of frailty or the edge being short lived.

So far, paper, then regular stropping has given best results.

Still to try: regular stropping, then paper - as Bart suggests.

pinklather:

I saw Tom's blog a few days back on another forum. I loved the orientation towards validation, replication. He's done a real service to the curious.

Update on paper stropping on stone:

tried paper on stone as the only stropping: shavable, but not particularly smooth or comfortable.

Tried stropping w/ linen and leather components backed by hard surfaces - okay, but no improvement from normal stropping w/ a hanging strop.

Longevity of the paper stropped Wacker edge: 5 shaves with regular stropping in between. No evidence of frailty or the edge being short lived.

So far, paper, then regular stropping has given best results.

Still to try: regular stropping, then paper - as Bart suggests.

Well my friend,but gives the paper more than a good go on the linen?
Wishes
Emmanuel

Baseline stropping has been 100 strokes, close to no pressure on flax-based linen, 100 strokes high-draw cowhide (Illinois 361), 100 on either SRD Prem1 or vintage shell. All results are compared to this baseline.

Stropping on paper only, mentioned above was done instead of the above baseline.

Stropping with linen & leather, backed by stone surface was the same as the baseline.

So far, the stone backed paper stropping being done just before baseline has beem most promising. Another 1/2 grind done this morning that way. This was the same blade that yesterday, received only the paper and no further stropping. With paper, then linen and leather, results are quite noticable.

Observations, critiques all welcome.

One tidbit from Tom's blog was that although very small, stropping on linen/leather does impart some convexity to the edge. I have no idea, then, why paper stropping before linen/leather should have its affect. Will try baseline linen/leather - then paper - as Bart suggests.

Well .I have to give a go on paper keeping you informed what about my friend.
No doubt at all on your findings.
Best regards
Emmanuel

It is possible that the benefit might apply only to those w/ humble honing skills, but I sure wouldn't deliberately mislead. If it helps even those like myself that are still learning like myself, I'm happy to add one more arrow to the quiver. If it gives even a small benefit to your advanced skills, it would make me quite happy.

Only a couple of razors tried where the paper stropping was done after linen and leather. If there's a benefit, I'm unable to detect it. Best results so far are paper after the stones, then linen/leather.

Thanks for following up your experiment.

Kind regards,
Bart.