Made a New Strop and it's a BEAST! (IMHO)

[Slash McCoy]

It's been a long time since I last made any strops, and I had a bunch of leather laying around in the shop. D rings came from a saddle shop and cost too much to just take up space in a drawer. Leather is buffalo, and I bought a 3" wide strip of it. Cutting it into thirds would have made a strop a little shorter than I like. Cutting it in half made a strop a little longer than I like... Oh, who am I kidding. I like BIG STROPS. No fabric. First of all, I never use it. Second, if I added it just so the nattering nabobs of negativity would have one less fault to pick, then the strop would not be either-end-up. I like a D ring on each end so I can swap ends for even wear or in case I manage to hack up one edge... swap ends and it is on the other side. Three Chicago screws instead of two, for better anti-cupping control. I think I am gonna like this one.

The black one was storebought. A Mountain Mike's, I think. It's okay. The chestnut one peeking out from behind the new one, I made, using D rings from an old safety harness. Cheap Tandy remnant leather but it has always pleased me with the draw. I soaked it for several days and rubbed it down hard with a beer bottle, and as the water dried, I replaced it with neatsfoot and beeswax and a few other things, and handrubbed it for hours before trimming and attaching the hardware. I did NOT need a new strop cause nothing wrong with the chestnut I made. But I WANTED one and I am too cheap to buy what I want.

All of my strops have relied on the Big Daddy strop from the defunct Star Shaving Company, for inspiration. Life is too short for 2" wide strops. I usually go 2-3/4" wide but this strip was nice and straight, and had nice edges, so I left it at 3". Plus I wanted to use up a couple of the 3" D rings I got.

Usable length is 23" and length overall including D rings is 32" or a bit less. This is not a little girly strop. I still need to give it a final treatment but I can't find my beeswax or neatsfoot. I think I will give it a test drive, anyhow.

 

[ScottChapin]

Nice work. I like 3” strops. Never thought about D rings letting you hang from either end. It makes sense.


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[Slash McCoy]

I just stropped a razor I had in my kit in the bathroom, on the new strop, after a good half hour of hand rubbing with a bit of saddle soap rubbed into my hand, and the new strop does a great job, but the draw is still like a dry whisper. I like just a hint of grab, a velvety, viscuous kind of slickness and not a silicone microsphere dry lube slickness. Got more beeswax and neatsfoot coming Monday.

 

[Legion]

 

[Slash McCoy]

Or just standing ready to be festooned with strops.

 

[Namkcakram]

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FABRIC?!?!




Do you think the fabric is useless with your specific honing method, or even if you used stones would you shun the fabric?

I like a draw similar to what you described, can you make a judgement on how the buffalo stacks up with other leathers or is it too soon?

 

[RayClem]

Nice job Slash.

I love 3" strops, although many prefer narrow ones. I have one long strop, a 3" Shell Cordovan strop made for me by Griffith Shaving. It has a 22" strop length rather than the common 18". I love using that strop, so I suspect your will love your extra long buffalo strop. I know you like your edges super sharp and supper smooth, just as I do. Happy shaving (and stropping).

 

[sanch]

Love the simplicity of it!!

 

[Slash McCoy]

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FABRIC?!?!




Do you think the fabric is useless with your specific honing method, or even if you used stones would you shun the fabric?

I like a draw similar to what you described, can you make a judgement on how the buffalo stacks up with other leathers or is it too soon?

I have never really found a fabric component to do anything that leather alone cannot do. Tried every sort of linen, canvas, felt, seat belt, none seemed like a necessary addition to my stropping regimen. I did make up a couple of firehose strops once, for guys who asked. We were always discarding old worn firehose, and I would sometimes take some home with me to make various sheaths, scabbards, etc, as well as chafing gear for my boats' mooring lines. I even have a new one, unused, don't remember what size, in the shop somewhere. If I ever start making strops for sale, I may make some firehose strops too, to satisfy demand, though I will always point out that all you need is leather and you are buying something from me that you don't need but thanks for the money.

When I first started out, I stropped on linen because the conventional wisdom said do it, all the parrots said do it, and everybody did it, mostly. But I started thinking, hmmmmm... rough canvas, smooth leather... why the canvas? And so, I tried not using it. Seemed to help a little, or at least not hurt anything, to just do more laps on the leather and forget about the canvas. When I discovered high quality synthetic stones, (started honing on cheap carbos and a giant hard Arkie) I tried with and without canvas stropping, and again, canvas didn't seem to do anything that leather couldn't do. Moved up to film, same. Canvas not needed. Started finishing on balsa, canvas seemed to actually degrade sharpness in a way that leather doesn't. Some guys like it. That's okay. It helps to keep canvas makers employed, I guess. I think a lot of the hoohah about cloth components is placebo based, myself. If you do 20 on linen and 20 on leather, I think just doing 40 or 50 on leather alone will do just as good a job. Maybe better with some razors, to conjecturize.

How does the buffalo stack up? Honestly, the best strop I have ever used, in terms of draw and efficacy, is one of several that I made from a big remnant from a half hide, that I got from Tandy. The leather was not flat and it took a lot of work to make any strops from it. But the one I kept for myself, the brown one in the pic behind the new one, has a perfect draw and it is just ordinary cowhide. The buffalo I doubt it will turn out to be QUITE as nice, but I won't really know until I have given it a few treatments and some more rubbing and use. The texture of the leather is a little different from cowhide. I think it will be a faster strop. Overall, I doubt it will be much better than a decent piece of cow leather but hey, BUFFALO. Kinda cool. This one is kinda thick and I don't think it would tolerate being rolled up tight for travel. I like very thin oil tanned leather for travel strops. They stand up the best, to being rolled. Mostly I don't travel with strops any more, and just take shavettes.

I think the tanning and treatment of the leather are perhaps more important than the species of animal it originated from, TBH, excepting of course animals with hides too small or thin. That cowhide I am talking about was heavily and laboriously treated. The soaking and hard rubbing/compacting with a bottle did much to homogenize and true the surface. You couldn't do that on a commercial basis... too time intensive. Perhaps a roller system could be used in a production setting, I don't know. I suspect many strop makers just use the leather as found, cut and assemble, maybe give a quick rub with neats foot oil. I think if you want a truly noble strop, you should make it yourself. YMMV

 

[Ice-Man]

Slash That strop looks fantastic mate I love the longer ones for sure, those d rings really set it off just wish we could get them over here.

Beautiful work mate....

 

[Slash McCoy]

It takes some doing to source them at a reasonable price even here in the US. These fancy ones were I think about $9 each. I have plain welded ones that are way cheaper but anything over 2" inside width can be tough to find. Small ones are everywhere. Like the girl said, you gotta kiss a lot of frogs before you finally find that prince. You can specify 3" all you like, but the search engines will push 50 pages of 3/4" rings on you and not show you a one that is big enough. Takes a lot of looking.

Try a saddle shop for D rings. Other sources include arborist or climbing harness parts, new or salvage. Truck 50 pagesbed lashing points. Roof or building climbing equipment. Then there is always fleabay and amazon.

You can also make some out of steel or brass plate, and even chrome plate them. Bronze or brass can be cast, also, using lost wax casting. Aluminum, too. Save those soda and beer cans. Ecxept Fosters, which are still steel. "Fosters... 'Stralian for BEER..." LOL! I was so relieved to find out that you don't drink that stuff over there but a bit upset at you guys for sending it to the US and marketing it with funny commercials. It really is horrible stuff even compared to our mass produced big brand lagers. Anyway there are probably sources. Or you can do it without a D ring. Sandwich the end between two pieces of steel plate, stainless if possible, and drill right through the stack for bolts or pop rivets or chicago screws. Drill a big hole on the centerline, for swivel or suspension cord or chain or whatever. Doesn't have to be an actual D ring, as long as when you pull on it, it pulls evenly across the strop and not just from one or two points.

Ali Baba might be a good source. You got to really specify the inside width and that the inside of the bar must not have any curve in it. If you were willing to take on a big order, you could probably get somebody to make you a couple hundred for a good price, then resell what you will never use. Or make strops for sale.

Hey I was just wondering, how long of a strip of leather 3" wide could you get out of a large kangaroo hide? I hear 'roo leather makes a fine strop, and that they can be shot wholesale as varmints.

 

[Ice-Man]

Hahaha would that be fosters by any chance, yes it is brewed over here and the vats are called mars pluto and venus, that's a bit of trivia for you.

Yeah the D-rings over here I struggle to get any over 50mm where I need 75-76mm ID.

As for the Rooos we dont have them in the UK but I do know Westhome strops used them his was like yours without the pattern so you must be able to get them over here...

 

[Slash McCoy]

Oh, you in the UK. I was thinking you were down there in OZ, sorry. Anyway, same sourcing or crafting ideas should apply. For best workmanship I would look to saddle and tack shops first, though prices will be high.

 

[MO1]

In what way do you feel like beeswax helps? Mostly for increasing draw? Or decreasing?

 

[Slash McCoy]

In what way do you feel like beeswax helps? Mostly for increasing draw? Or decreasing?

Generally increases. It only needs a little bit rubbed into the hand and then handrubbed into the leather. It is easy to overdo it. The neatsfoot gives the leather more suppleness and helps it to last longer, mostly, though it.too, can affect the draw and should be used sparingly. You can always put more in, but you can't take it back out.

 

[ajkel64]

Nice work, I might have to start hanging out in the Straight Forums a bit more. Missing all this.

 

[Suhrim21]

Looks nice. Clean work.

 

[Joshua223]

Nice work. What tools do you use for cutting straight/square edges and making the holes??


My DIY bridle strop was the only one I used until recently.
I like the nicer hardware. Hardware certainly isn't cheap. You mentioned trouble finding 3" rings. Finding swivel snaps in the size/size I want has been a pain.
Got some unused firehose I'm planning to use, but I haven't had time to do it.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Speed square, framing square, for laying out straight lines and right angles. Knife or heavy scissors for cutting. Leather punches for holes, sometimes the drill press. Various leatherworking tools for chamfering edges and other tasks. I usually don't sew my strops though I did sew a few to sell at the flea market once. I decided that the chicago screws were cheaper than my time spent sewing so I don't sew anymore.

I like my ends to be identical so it doesn't matter which end is up, so I don't use swivels or snaps or other doodads at all. Sometimes I make use of an S hook for hanging, if there is no wall hook available. Or just a loop of paracord.

 

[Namkcakram]

I definitely would prefer having a linen, but I’m on board with the simple reversible design.