Thread: Bargain Buy Tips -Strops

So for all you lurkers and Newbie's who haven't bought a great strop yet, and have a budget smaller than a politician's brain, I was in your position and seem to be succeeding, read on-
More experienced members please chime in.
I just posted this somewhere but realised it may be more helpful to give it it's own post.
(DISCLAIMER: Buy the best thign your budget can afford. These are only suggestions I've read about/seen recommended/have done myself that will save you money at least at the outset. Eventually you will want better stuff. But you can limp by on this for a while (I'm going on 4 months...))

Strops/Stuff I use/Stuff I am going to use-
-Leather strop- get a decent one from kenrup, TM, or the classifieds. If this is out of your price range, find an old Illinois (what I did). Your local leather shop will also be helpful (I'm talking with a guy about getting a 24in, 2.5in wide made for $17! I will have to do all the fittings though, but the leather is so cheap I have to)
-Canvas strop- Various grades of denim jeans from brand new to worn every day for two years (this is what I use. Personally, works better than the Illinois leather)
-Touchups pt1 (light)- NEWSPAPER!- don't think it's as good as a touch up hone or paste, but it definately seems to help a little. Just put it on a flat surface (finally a use for the $200 text book) and strop away! (before canvas/leather) Note: The newer the paper the better it seems to work, based on testing with 1 or 2 day old paper, week old paper, month old paper. Hence, you unfortunately can't make a permanent strop.
-Touchups pt2 (heavier)- Currently working on gluing some balsa ($2.50) to some basswood ($1.50) and will CrOx it (couple of $). Boom. Pasted strop, <$10.

My current strop routine (materials cost ~$21, if you need a text book it'll run you $221):
Here's my strop routine (it'll change when I get a better strop I think but I'm sold on the levi's)-
(1) If it needs it or I have a few extra mins, I cover one of my text books with the morning paper and storp about 40 or 50 laps on this. I read somewhere that the paper particles have some grit to them and I'm not sure if its true but it seems to polish the edge and in my limited knowledge seems to touch it up some how. The shave feels better and thats what matters I guess.
(2) Go to my closet and strop 10 strokes on either my newer pair of Levi's (still kinda dark) or my Carhartt Khakis (kinda canvas-y).
(3) Strop ~20 strokes on the "linen" part of my Illinois
(4)Strop ~20 strokes on the leather part (which I think is ****ed but I use it cus I guess I'm supposed to and maybe it helps?)
(5) Strop 2 strokes on the "linen" (dunno why, seems to help)
(6) Put on my old favourite Levi's. So buttery smooth. They're so old and so favourite and so worn in that the back pocket has holes and an outline of my wallet, the crotch seem is ripped from the zipper to my @$$, and one of the leg seams is ruined. 30 laps on my thigh.
I swear, step (6) for me is CRUCIAL. I don't know why, maybe a TM strop or kenrup strop will achieve the same effect, but those Levi's outclass my strop any day. ANY DAY.

Biggest advice: Do/figure out things yourself. ie- Balsa CrOx strop, Levi's, newspaper. Ask at your local leather stores and cobblers if they'll sell you a suitable strip of leather (be very careful about the quality though...) My next strop will probably be me cutting out two strips of Levi- one of my new jeans, old off my POS ex-favourite jeans, and attaching them both and the leather I mentioned ($17) to D rings (couple of $) and pop riveting them (<$1, could be done at your local cobbler/leather store very cheap) and maybe putting a swivel on (couple of $). Granted nowhere near the elegance or outstanding quality of Tony Miller or Kenrup, but that's a 24"x2.5" strop with leather, two types of canvas for less than $30. Heck, you could cut another strip out of the Levi's and paste it and it'll only cost you the paste. Now you have four strops for under $30. I think I'll do this and probably use it for the next three months til I've saved up for something from Kenrup or TM.