Newbie question..

Pmaynard19 · Jan 22, 2020

If this is an absurd idea please advise. Is this piece of leather useable for a practice/beginner strop? I don’t have a strop and I’m looking to use it to strop an already honed razor. Is this too textured? Thanks.

Phil

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Seveneighth · Jan 22, 2020

Are you making a paddle strop?

I wouldn't use chip/particle board in case it is warped. Do check it with a straight edge. I have used small, handled chopping boards in the past and sanded them absolutely flat.

Regarding the leather, I have used worse. It depends how it stretches out and more importantly how it has been treated. Once glued down you can prime it with a 2-3K grit wet n dry. If the leather is pretty raw you might not need to.

I made one years ago, the leather was thin so I mounted a layer of rubber craft mat between the leather and wood. It is much easier to use a thicker leather.

I have used these for hanging strops:

This in 2 and 2.5 inch (when it's in stock)

3-3.5mm Natural Vegetable Tanned Leather Belt Blank Strap various length width | eBay

NATURAL VEGETABLE TANNED TOOLING LEATHER 3-3.5 mm THICK. FULL GRAIN.

www.ebay.co.uk

Fabric for sale | eBay

Buy Fabric and get the best deals at the lowest prices on eBay! Great Savings & Free Delivery / Collection on many items

www.ebay.co.uk

Pmaynard19 · Jan 22, 2020

Seveneighth said:
Are you making a paddle strop?

I wouldn't use chip/particle board in case it is warped. Do check it with a straight edge. I have used small, handled chopping boards in the past and sanded them absolutely flat.

Regarding the leather, I have used worse. It depends how it stretches out and more importantly how it has been treated. Once glued down you can prime it with a 2-3K grit wet n dry. If the leather is pretty raw you might not need to.

I made one years ago, the leather was thin so I mounted a layer of rubber craft mat between the leather and wood. It is much easier to use a thicker leather.

I have used these for hanging strops:

This in 2 and 2.5 inch (when it's in stock)

3-3.5mm Natural Vegetable Tanned Leather Belt Blank Strap various length width | eBay

NATURAL VEGETABLE TANNED TOOLING LEATHER 3-3.5 mm THICK. FULL GRAIN.

www.ebay.co.uk

Fabric for sale | eBay

Buy Fabric and get the best deals at the lowest prices on eBay! Great Savings & Free Delivery / Collection on many items

www.ebay.co.uk

Thank you so much for the response.

Yes, a type of paddle strop was what I had in mind. The particle board does appear to be straight. I don’t believe the leather has been treated. One side is smooth with some texturing and the other side is rough. I do have other, thinner leather pieces that are dyed black I believe. They are thinner but smoother.

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Tony Miller · Jan 22, 2020

While not ideal it should still do the job. Be aware that if it is really soft your edge may sink into it a bit and possibly round off somewhat.

For paddle or bench strops I like either really hard leathers or lacking that very thin leathers where there is not enough thickness to have any give and the hardness of the base transfers through.

Pmaynard19 · Jan 22, 2020

Tony Miller said:
While not ideal it should still do the job. Be aware that if it is really soft your edge may sink into it a bit and possibly round off somewhat.

For paddle or bench strops I like either really hard leathers or lacking that very thin leathers where there is not enough thickness to have any give and the hardness of the base transfers through.

Thank you for the info! I appreciate it. I have a few different leather scraps that may be options. The piece pictured above does have a bit of give when pressed but it isn’t spongey. I have some harder, stiff pieces like 8 or 9 oz I believe, as well as some thin like 2 oz pieces.
Do you think I would do better with the thin leather on this board at this point? I also took a pic of the board, it’s laminated with a fake wood grain type of smooth topping, should that be ok? I hope to be able to buy a proper strop soon but I need at least something to get me started on the cheap. Lol.