Smallest usable strop

[Jakebullet]

I travel some with my job and find it hard to fit my stuff into a small dopp bag so I bought an old leather roll up on eBay.
It was only £10 so I threw it in the washing machine on a cool delicate cycle and it cleaned up great.

Inside I can easily fit a brush, a couple of razors, a shave stick, a bottle of aftershave and my 1 x 5 inch coticule for touch ups. Everything I need except a strop.
I was thinking of making a 1x6 inch leather paddle strop to complete my kit.
Would a strop of this size be useful Dyou think?
Has any of you ever used one so small?
I have no trouble honing on stones of this size.
Just hoping to pick any brains before I make one.

 

[Christian1212]

Palm stropping! I just use a DE if I am ever traveling though

 

[Jakebullet]

How does a palm compare to leather dyou think, is it like for like? I suppose it’s all skin.
The usable area of my palm is probably 1x3 inches and I have to go slow compared to a leather strop. Wondering how long a palm strop to give the edge what it needs to shave.
I don’t like my DE anymore.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

What you need* is a kangaroo strop that can be rolled neatly without causing problems.

*this is B&B, of course you need one

 

[Jakebullet]

What you need* is a kangaroo strop that can be rolled neatly without causing problems.

*this is B&B, of course you need one

Kangaroo strop sounds good, what is it?

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Kangaroo strop sounds good, what is it?

A strop made from roo tail leather. Thin, flexible, more or less indestructible. No, I don't own one.

 

[Kyle89]

Can always make a strop out of a newspaper.

 

[Alum of Potash]

To your original point, I have successfully used a small, narrow strop in France. Don't have access to it right now, so I can't measure it, but it was something in the area of 1" wide by 6" long. The way it works is that it is stretched across a piece of wood that has been hollowed rendering a fairly deep concave form beneath the leather. Like a fixed-tension loom strop. Other ones like that I've seen were a bit larger, say 1-1/2" x 8"-10". Here's a picture of a much larger two-sided one currently being sold by Rasoir-Sabre in France, to give you an idea of how the wood is shaped. Mine is one-sided, with only one concave face, the other being flat.

Personally, I'm not a fan of flat paddles for straight razors as the spine-edge relationship remains fixed, as does the leather surface used in this way. Better for knives IMO. But if you have access to some scrap leather lying around, why not give it a shot? You have nothing to lose.

 

[FarmerTan]

When I saw the pictures, I thought you were going to use the leather, outer side of your dopp bag!

 

[rbscebu]

If your travel SR(s) is normally maintained on 0.1μm diamond pasted balsa, you don't really need a leather strop. For travel, I use a mini balsa strop, about 175mm x 65mm x 18mm (plus balsa thickness). The balsa is 0.1μm pasted as normal and is kept in a sailcloth "sock" I made for it. Fits nicely into my dopp bag. Works well for me, even if I'm away for a couple of months.

Of course, if your SR's are normally maintained on a pasted hanging strop or similar that tends to round the edge, the mini pasted balsa will not work as well. You would be better off with a more flexible stropping medium.

 

[Tomo]

A strop made from roo tail leather. Thin, flexible, more or less indestructible. No, I don't own one.

I have exactly that in my travel kit. A two inch kangaroo hanging strop works great and rolls up very small. I hangs easily and securely on a door knob. I also use it at home for smaller razors like my Heljestrand MK31. Shown below next to a full size strop and rolled up next to the small Simpson travel tube.

Unfortunately I don’t know anyone that still makes them. @Tony Miller makes a similar 2” travel strop that rolls up into a small can. I tried to get one last year but the postal service was in a mess at that stage. I will try again in future. It’s a handy strop to have around and the tin would fit beautifully in your new roll up.

 

[Alum of Potash]

When I saw the pictures, I thought you were going to use the leather, outer side of your dopp bag!

That is exactly what I thought as well. I forgot to mention it. Leather side of a roll-up kit that is...

 

[rbscebu]

The smallest usable strop that I could use would have a stropping length of about 250mm and be about 60mm wide.

 

[Christian1212]

I think looking at paddled strops would be the best if you are traveling a lot. Just find one that can fit in your luggage bag.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

I have a small antique 6-inch travel paddle strop in a cardboard sleave, one side pasted with red rouge, that works just fine. But my travel strop is a Dovo travel strop, about 13 x 1 3/4 inches, leather and linen bonded together. It rolls up to about 2 inches and fits easily in a shoe. About $30-40.

Add 18 inches of paracord loop or shoelace and hang from a doorknob.

 

[C FrankC]

Since I can't seem to find a good source for Roo leather domestically, I would just take and use high quality genuine flax linen strop. Works like a dam some Hering bone weaves can be rolled up to a compact package.

 

[Steve56]

 

[Steve56]

Palm or arm stropping works, takes up no extra space and heals itself if you nick it! Anymore, I just use a regular strop.

If I’m traveling by plane I almost always have a hard-sided luggage in checked baggage, and a low-number Kanoyama lays against the outer wall - both components are less than 1/4” thick and a little over 2.5” wide. The leather is protected by a plastic sleeve or the Kanoyama stop case - in which case (<- see what I did there?) it’s about 1/2” thick.

If traveling by car, the strop just lays down in its case/sleeve on the back seat or in the trunk (boot).

No need to compromise, you’ll never need the space that either of these options use.

 

[Straight up]

I have a small antique 6-inch travel paddle strop in a cardboard sleave, one side pasted with red rouge, that works just fine. But my travel strop is a Dovo travel strop, about 13 x 1 3/4 inches, leather and linen bonded together. It rolls up to about 2 inches and fits easily in a shoe. About $30-40.

Add 18 inches of paracord loop or shoelace and hang from a doorknob.

View attachment 1407202

me too!

 

[Tony Miller]

I do still make these from a very flexible, brushed finish leather and they fit in a supplied 3" metal can. Will have them again next week when I am back in my workshop

Unfortunately I don’t know anyone that still makes them. @Tony Miller makes a similar 2” travel strop that rolls up into a small can. I tried to get one last year but the postal service was in a mess at that stage. I will try again in future. It’s a handy strop to have around and the tin would fit beautifully in your new roll up.