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Question about a couple of old Stropes

I picked these up at a flea market with intentions to restore them. Both are C-MON, one Blacky and the other a De-Luxe, but you can see that in the pictures.

My question is, why are the backs textured? I have about 10 vintage stropes, horse shell, horse butt, and cow, none of the others have this on the back.

Just curious, thanks.
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Also, is there away to tell from the pictures if these are horse or cow?
 
Many vintage Russian strops had a textured back. I believe some were textured to be used as a linen of sorts. Slightly rougher then a smooth front.
The second photo with just horizontal lines is most likely for suppleness.
I have a Deepcut by Certifyd that makes the leather feel softer/more flexible. It is cut in a diamond pattern quite deep on the backside.

They are most likely Shell as well.
 
Many vintage Russian strops had a textured back. I believe some were textured to be used as a linen of sorts. Slightly rougher then a smooth front.
The second photo with just horizontal lines is most likely for suppleness.
I have a Deepcut by Certifyd that makes the leather feel softer/more flexible. It is cut in a diamond pattern quite deep on the backside.

They are most likely Shell as well.

Thanks. I was guessing shell, they're pretty thin and feel a lot like my Torrey Scotch shell.
 
Thanks. I was guessing shell, they're pretty thin and feel a lot like my Torrey Scotch shell.


I would have thought they would be a decent thickness!
The black one seems in better shape.
Its not hard to tell the difference between cow and horse. With a loupe you can see that cow has pores - definitive circles where the follicle was.
Horse has none of that. I describe it as the pieces from a kaleidoscope tightly packed together. Shell looks exactly the same on both sides no pores because its actual muscle not hide.
Some Shell has what looks like woven strands.
If you have a cow and shell one now, look at the difference with some magnification and it will be obvious for you from now on.
 

Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
My understanding of the rounded texture is that it actually helps stiffen the strop and harden the leather. The impressions are made by rolling them under a knurled or ridged wheel, or by pressing textured plates against them. If you press something under a smooth roller of surface the force is spread over the entire surface allowing on a small amount of compression for a given load. By creating ridges that same force is concentrated at each contact point greatly increasing the force per square inch, allowing the press/wheel to sink deeper and compressing further down into the leather. The Illinois 827 Russian Strop has (had?) this same series of deep ridges on the back which stiffened the leather and made it more dense.

Same theory of a sheepsfoot roller in excavating work. A smooth roller spread the load (weight) and makes a firm surface but the material below stay relatively soft. The "sheeps feet" on that style of roller concentrate the load and sink in deeper, compacting the sub layers more than a smooth roller would.
 

Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
I have seen some with more shallow crosshatch patterns and even very fine cuts. These almost seem to be milled or cut into the surface and would indeed make them more flexible. I also wonder if the more shallow markings help hold the fine abrasives used on the "sharpen" strops. I had a German made one, fairly recent production with a pebble finish on one side and it said sharpen on the textured side. Now I know the pebble finish was pressed or rolled in but have had old one that were cut in.

I imagine the cross hatch and pebble finish felt fine to strop on but that one with the horizontal ridges must feel quite bumpy to use.....sort of like a washboard, if the back was intended to be the sharpen side.

Does anyone have a good pic of the back of an Illinois Russian strop like the 827. I cannot remember the exact pattern but seem to recall a deep corrugated type surface on the back.

Another factor is age......old leather can either get rock hard and stiff, or if too dry starts to break down and dry rot and get really soft. I would love to know what some of those wonderful old strops felt like when new.
 
I imagine the cross hatch and pebble finish felt fine to strop on but that one with the horizontal ridges must feel quite bumpy to use.....sort of like a washboard, if the back was intended to be the sharpen side.

This is why I believe this particular one is to make the leather feel more supple - not to strop on.

Russian strop on left (not a 827), Deepcut strop right,

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Front of each strop. Russian.

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Deepcut, Notice the "makes it extra soft"

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Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
@stone and strop

Those are beautiful ! That is exatly like the cut pattern I have seen before and that would certainly make it more supple. I think "stiffen" was a poor choice of words in my first reply. A deep pressed in pattern such as was done on the Illinois strop would make the leather more dense and have a firmer temper but probably not stiffen it lengthwise. I should have worded that better.

The one with the horizontal milled pattern posted earlier would also likely make it more flexible by creating thinner folding of flexing ridges in the back while still compressing the leather and making a more dense texture.

I have also seen strops with a light pressed or milled in pattern on the working side. That would be the pebble finish one I described. It had "Sharpen" stamped into the pebbled side rather than the smooth side.

Looks like an endless array of ideas (improvements?) were tried to make better strops or at least catch the buyers eye over the years.

Nice strop finds BTW

Tony
 
@stone and strop

Those are beautiful ! That is exatly like the cut pattern I have seen before and that would certainly make it more supple. I think "stiffen" was a poor choice of words in my first reply. A deep pressed in pattern such as was done on the Illinois strop would make the leather more dense and have a firmer temper but probably not stiffen it lengthwise. I should have worded that better.

The one with the horizontal milled pattern posted earlier would also likely make it more flexible by creating thinner folding of flexing ridges in the back while still compressing the leather and making a more dense texture.

I have also seen strops with a light pressed or milled in pattern on the working side. That would be the pebble finish one I described. It had "Sharpen" stamped into the pebbled side rather than the smooth side.

Looks like an endless array of ideas (improvements?) were tried to make better strops or at least catch the buyers eye over the years.

Nice strop finds BTW

Tony


Thanks, the Deepcut strops are not too common, they came with 323 and 324 stamped from Certifyd. Not sure what the difference was as I cant find anyone with a 323.
When viewed with a loupe they have a severely fibrous look to them.
I've always wondered if the "Deepcut" was the reference to the cut of the Shell or the back of the strop.
Indeed it is VERY supple.
 
More likely that it was to make the strop feel more soft in use.
As far as keeping it from cupping? I don't know.
I would think the first picture I posted on the right would serve that purpose the best (these are deep cuts in the backside), it relieves stress in every direction.
 
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