This balsa strop has a chunk missing on the back side. It is visible in the second picture.
This balsa strop pad has a magnetic back and can easily be used with the Richmond hone base. The idea behind balsa wood as a strop medium is that a balsa surface is soft but rigid. When you apply compound you are creating a custom honing surface. The compound particles embed and stay in place while you are working, and it’s easy to sand the surface clean and flat when the compound is spent. This provides a cheap and easy way to experiment with a variety of different honing compounds that you can mix and match with low cost and good results.
This balsa strop pad has a magnetic back and can easily be used with the Richmond hone base. The idea behind balsa wood as a strop medium is that a balsa surface is soft but rigid. When you apply compound you are creating a custom honing surface. The compound particles embed and stay in place while you are working, and it’s easy to sand the surface clean and flat when the compound is spent. This provides a cheap and easy way to experiment with a variety of different honing compounds that you can mix and match with low cost and good results.

