What's new

Strop Acquisition Thread

It looks like there is a new and unlikely strop maker on the scene. Sebum Gold is now offering Cordovan strops. While the styling and strop width is not to my taste, the material certainly is. Prices are not as outrageous as you would expect from these guys.
 
Just arrived! TM 3” oiled bridle with linen. I tried it out on a fairly hollow Japanese blade and it was really smooth.
Workmanship is great!

167F1086-B53E-4779-BA1E-E283D156490C.jpeg
 
I picked up this 'Keen-Edge' today; not a straight user (yet) but saw it going cheaply. I've seen a Keen-Edge made by Eddy Manufacturing Co, Worcester, Mass so I guess that's where it came from (I'm in Australia) or it could be a local version. It's got some small chunks missing from the edge here and there (see photo) and TT 105 printed on the handle. I hope it will be OK to learn stropping on when my straight arrives.
20210923_164158.jpg
20210923_163553.jpg
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
@bernie01 that's not a bad looking vintage strop. If you got it for a good price (a few tens of dollars) it should be great for you to start on.

While you are waiting to find your first SR, rub some dubbin into the leather strop both sides. Let it soak into the leather overnight. In the morning use a clean polishing cloth to polish the stropping side. Keep on polishing until you can get off no more dubbin residue. Then do the same on the non-stropping side but you don't have to be as thorough.

There are other oils that you can use and I am sure that others will suggest them. I mentioned dubbin because it is easy to source, relatively inexpensive and works for me on my old strops.
 
Thanks rbscebu, I have already applied some Oakwood Leather Conditioner. I think I may have some dubbin so will try that also. I paid $20 for it.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
If you have already applied leather conditioner, don't apply any dubbin. You might end up slowing the draw down if you put too much oil into the leather. How do I know? I did it once and learnt.

I assume that's AUD 20. That's about right for a good learning strop. You have done well.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I started using these 60mm calf-hide strops in my early SR days. They were relatively cheap at well under USD 20 including shipping, worked well and I was not to upset as I cut them up while learning. I kept one in good condition (not cut up too much) as my travel strop.

Early this month I ordered another from Titan and expected the same. I was very disappointed. The calf-hide leather for these strops was previously about 1.5mm thick. The leather is still the same calf-hide but the thickness has been reduced to about 0.8mm.

IMG_20211229_131053.jpg
The thickness of 0.8mm is still usable for me but only just. I would not recommend them, particularly to a n00bie and I definitely will not be buying any again.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Having now used this strop for a week, I am more confident to post further comments.

The strop is of two parts; a denim strop and a (thin) leather strop. I found that the best way to use the leather strop is to tension both the leather and denim together, with the leather on top of course. Used this way gives the leather a slightly more solid feel when stopping.

It is even more important to tension the strop when in use and only strop with the weight of the blade. If not done, with the leather being so thin, the strop can easily flex while being used and tend to convex the very edge of the blade.

This strop gets the job done. The draw of this strop is rather fast compared to most of my other strops. The strop is also very flexible and light so it can easily be carried when traveling.

Although relatively cheap, I still would not recommend this thinner strop to a n00bie in SR stropping.
 
The only strop I ever bothered acquiring "recently" was a sterling silver retractable model from the early 1900s, which I bought during lockdown. It was a fun little restoration project to keep me from dying from boredom.

Here it is after I replaced the 98-year-old leather strop inside it, with a new one which I made myself.

The hallmarks on the silver casing date the strop to 1924.

strop01.jpg
 
My four new strips. The Horsehide strop came in this morning. The canvas strop will be used for pastes to touch up my razors. The two look strips are for when I hone. One is left plain the other is pasted with CrOx and FeOx.
4E21BD50-EA04-4722-92C1-0EAB54D928ED.jpeg

96D41446-EFD4-4D98-90C3-DF29515E933D.jpeg



I do have a question though, are textured spots like these typical of horsehide and are they safe to strop on?

0F096F22-4B23-44FB-9125-7F9D059FDC4B.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • 96D41446-EFD4-4D98-90C3-DF29515E933D.jpeg
    96D41446-EFD4-4D98-90C3-DF29515E933D.jpeg
    724 KB · Views: 8
  • 0F096F22-4B23-44FB-9125-7F9D059FDC4B.jpeg
    0F096F22-4B23-44FB-9125-7F9D059FDC4B.jpeg
    1.4 MB · Views: 8
Last edited:

timwcic

"Look what I found"
A pair of vintage leather rescues, a Koken horse and a unknown pigskin, does not have a name I can make out. Both leather and seconds are in exceptional condition for their ages. Color is slightly off, gave a few drops of neatsfoot oil on both sides. The vintage collection is expanding nicely

4315F6E2-7C1C-467D-81A1-257DA972C32F.jpeg
84DBAB75-7EBE-465F-95DC-3B848D175A8A.jpeg
9B8D453F-E870-4155-AEBE-C357E9A5318D.jpeg
4F1552F4-E0BD-4471-AE48-F98D47C5D0ED.jpeg
62E74D73-DFA1-4922-8017-91018E5C63A0.jpeg
70092E2C-C518-4CB3-9C2E-8D8A3C5FF7C7.jpeg
2B3F99D8-1107-4A4A-8CBA-9221FF6C1147.jpeg
BBE588DD-F8E0-4B46-8307-84EEDF394FDE.jpeg
D27D444F-EB51-4CE3-A277-0628E35EA54A.jpeg
 
I've always stepped on the flesh side of a chromium tanned bridle leather gun belt, followed by the smooth side of a Hermann Oak veg tanned gun belt and they've always worked amazingly. I just got this canvas(?) and Latigo strop and using a rough fabric is a game changer. I usually strop on my jeans and palm to test an edge and it seems the fabric and Latigo REALLY stepped up my coticule>20 laps on a charnwood edge way farther than normal. I know my gun belts do a great job on the leather side of things but I think the canvas really made the big changes. Then again I very well could be wrong, either way a worth while investment.

Screenshot_20220124-204719_eBay.jpg
 
A pair of vintage leather rescues, a Koken horse and a unknown pigskin, does not have a name I can make out. Both leather and seconds are in exceptional condition for their ages. Color is slightly off, gave a few drops of neatsfoot oil on both sides. The vintage collection is expanding nicely

View attachment 1394817View attachment 1394818View attachment 1394819View attachment 1394820View attachment 1394822View attachment 1394823View attachment 1394824View attachment 1394825View attachment 1394826
Tim I hope you were barber, because it's a shame that a non barber(in modern day) could show up any barber from the "Golden years of straight shaving". You very well could have a medium sized distributer beat! I'm always impressed by the work and restoration you do on your hones and wet shaving gear.a true gentleman, scholar, and historian.
 
Last edited:
I think this one will go nicely with my Koken Soctch Shell. Just got this certifyd diamond cut Russian backed 324 strop . The linen side needs a good clean but the leather looks great after conditioning.


image.jpg
image.jpg


Add here is my Koken

image.jpg


Can’t wait to try it out!

Larry
 
Last edited:

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Tim I hope you were barber, because it's a shame that a non barber(in modern day) could show up any barber from the "Golden years of straight shaving". You very well could have a medium sized distributer beat! I'm always impressed by the work and restoration you do on your hones and wet shaving gear.a true gentleman, scholar, and historian.

Thank you for the very kind words. Most everything I find is from the wild. While rescuing to save for future users, I am enjoying while in my den as the caretaker until passed on
 
My very first strop arrived today. Thank you to Tony Miller for making the recommendation on what it should be!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20220201_181721923-01.jpeg
    IMG_20220201_181721923-01.jpeg
    935.8 KB · Views: 19
  • IMG_20220201_181749315-01.jpeg
    IMG_20220201_181749315-01.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 19
Top Bottom