...for me, anyway.
This weekend I put away the woodworking tools and made something that has been in the back of my mind for a little while.
The strop pictured is not quite finished (I just want to burnish the edges a little bit for cosmetic reasons) but I gave it a try and I am really excited by how well it worked.
What I've done is take some beautiful, rich, oily Australian red hide and paired it with some grade A veg tanned kangaroo hide. The red hide is not intended to be stropped on (although you could) but it is there for two reasons. First it provides a nice thick platform for the thin kangaroo leather to sit on (this is one of the reasons I've been concentrating on paddle strops up until now). Secondly, each time you use the strop, the oils and waxes in the red hide slightly transfer to the flesh side of the kangaroo, conditioning it and keeping it supple. The waxes also provides a nice firm grip on the barbers end.
The strop itself is 2.5" wide, and the leather part is about 20". It has Chicago screws and a nickel snap swivel.
I just used it and it put a fantastic edge on my razor. I'm really happy with it and I think it is going to become my favourite. I just wanted to show you all to get some feedback about what you think. I have ordered some D rings for the end but, having now used it, I think it might be better without them.
This weekend I put away the woodworking tools and made something that has been in the back of my mind for a little while.
The strop pictured is not quite finished (I just want to burnish the edges a little bit for cosmetic reasons) but I gave it a try and I am really excited by how well it worked.
What I've done is take some beautiful, rich, oily Australian red hide and paired it with some grade A veg tanned kangaroo hide. The red hide is not intended to be stropped on (although you could) but it is there for two reasons. First it provides a nice thick platform for the thin kangaroo leather to sit on (this is one of the reasons I've been concentrating on paddle strops up until now). Secondly, each time you use the strop, the oils and waxes in the red hide slightly transfer to the flesh side of the kangaroo, conditioning it and keeping it supple. The waxes also provides a nice firm grip on the barbers end.
The strop itself is 2.5" wide, and the leather part is about 20". It has Chicago screws and a nickel snap swivel.
I just used it and it put a fantastic edge on my razor. I'm really happy with it and I think it is going to become my favourite. I just wanted to show you all to get some feedback about what you think. I have ordered some D rings for the end but, having now used it, I think it might be better without them.
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