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Do I just get a thick leather with a fine (vs. course) side, cut it to size, and strop away? I read a couple things, and that seemed like it, but that seems too simple. Also, if I cut it just a little wider than my razor, do I not need to do an x pattern when I strop? Thanks in advance.
Jeremy
yes, it's not that simple. afik not all leathers are very good for the purpose.
some new guys have made their strops, it always seemed better to me to buy one that's made right.
some reading of old threads should be helpful.
Yes, I think it's that simple. Buy good leather--smooth, flat, no scars or anything, and...I think that's about it, right? It should be kind of supple for a hanging strop. I made a paddle strop like that--cost all of $9 for the raw materials, and it's pretty ok. Not fantastic, but I feel good using it (I use it when I hone) because I made it.
I mean, if you want the full hardware, sewing, treatment, linen etc. then it's better to buy a quality strop like SRD's, Tony Miller's, A kanayama or what have you. But if you're on a budget, looking for something simple and like DIY, go for it.
I don't know what you've read but if you haven't seen this....
Making a (very) home-made strop - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Looking at Tony Miller's page, who makes very nice strops, he uses red latigo and horsehide.
The Well Shaved Gentleman
I know ChrisL makes strops, he might be able to advise you on what to get.
There's some good advice in this thread.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...own-strop.html
Good luck with your project and have fun with it!
Jeremy,
It may be just that simple. What you want is leather which is smooth and free of defects. You'll need some means of attachement to a relatively immovable object. A simple hole in the end for a thong to wrap around a door knob will do, but over the long haul with that type of holding arrangement, you'll find that the strop will tend to cup. Another deal is the edge(s) of the strop which should be radiused or chamfered not unlike the edges of a hone. If you have a leatherworker's gizmo for that, it's a piece of cake or if you have a sharp block plane, that should work too.
Strops are generally treated with some type of leather dressing, such as neatsfoot oil or Lexol, but you want to tread very lightly here. Too much gunk will make the draw on your new strop almost impossible to deal with - not unlike "I wonder how I glued the razor to the strop?" If you choose to dress the leather use very little of the stuff; it'll help to thin it out. You can always add more, but removing an overly enthusiastic application from the leather is a real chore and one at which you may not be successful.
good luck, good shaving
I made my strop with leather I happened to have. I enjoy using it because its something I made. It is a satisfying part of my shave ritual.
The catch with DIY is that you don't know how it compares with the 'real' kind. I was a bit nervous the first time I used it - would I ruin my blade??But then the bottom line I guess is - does it function? Does the razor seem to maintain its edge?
Another thought - how precious do we need to be about the strop? If newspaper is what you can afford - you can use that.
What's your motivation - to DIY or to save money? If its DIY then go for it. Budget - you might be just as well to get a practice strop? Maybe you get what you pay for - but I don't know, since I haven't compared strops.
Just a few thoughts...
All the best,
Michael.
I made a couple of 18", 2-sided paddle strops w/3" straps from Tandy and 1x4 red oak, one side plain and one pasted w/CrOx. Inexpensive and works great, I'm still using it for every shave a year and a half later. I'd love to have a nice TM strop, but that's going to have to wait a bit.