Shave Den Musings: The Innocent Strop

[Obie]

Ladies and gentlemen:

For some men, the mere mention of the word “strop” draws an acerbic chuckle along with the signature rub on their rump. Oh, yes, they remember the “strap,” the same “strop,” that canvas and leather wonder revered by straight razor shavers.

I have come across scores of men who draw vivid images of their father or grandfather wielding the strop for a whacking on the tokhus, while others paint little smiles filled with sweet nuggets of nostalgia. The conclusion leads me to believe the strop conjures up two distinct sets of memories: one of sunlight and other of shadow.

One camp bears fond recollections of grandpa hailing his morning shave by standing at the sink and swiping his straight razor across the beat-up leather “strop.” The other camp draws visions of a 10-foot leather “strap” painting stinging red streaks across their behinds like skid marks.

I do not expect peace anytime soon in this conflict, if ever.

What started this musing from my shave den on the strop’s mixed reputation was my discussion yesterday at the local hardware store. I was shopping for a hook to anchor my strop lower than where it now is. Currently I use a hook that is part of the anchor holding a shelf in my shave den. The position of the hook is too high for my height. It comes up way above my navel. When I strop, I always get this image of a portly gentlemen with his trousers pulled up to his chin.

The hardware store was a museum of hooks. Little hooks, big hooks, giant hooks, all of which had multiple uses: for hanging clothes, dish rags, fishing gear.


“That’s really helpful,” I said to the first clerk, listening to his explanation. “Thank you. But the hook I need is to hold my strop as I sharpen my straight razor for shaving.”

He gave me a sheepish look as he tried to understand what I needed the hook for.

“As you can see,” I said, “I’m an old gentlemen and I use the old style straight razors that need to be swiped across the strop.” I hesitated to let it sink in. Nothing. “That leather thing,” I added.

He nodded with the same sheepish look.

“Perhaps another gentleman can help me,” I offered.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, and called out a name in his walkie-talkie.

When the second clerk arrived on the scene, he said to him, “Maybe you can help this guy.”

I delivered my lines again and, to my surprise, the second clerk nodded in confidence.

“You know what I’m talking about, right?” I said.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “My grandfather was a barber.”

“A noble profession,” I declared.

“Did it all his life, and he used to use that leather thing — the strap — all the time to sharpen his blades.”

“The strop.” I corrected him.

“Yeah, the strap,” he said.

I gave up. “Of course, that leather thing,” I said.

“Yeah, the strap. I know all about it. My father laid it across my behind a few times.” He nodded again and rubbed his rump. “Boy that thing hurt.”

“You know the strop is a revered instrument by gentlemen who shave with straight razors,” I explained. “I mean we wouldn’t be caught dead without it.”

“Tell that to my behind,” he said, and gave his rump another rub.

I paid for my little hook and brought it home. This afternoon I have to screw it into the lower part of the cabinet and hope it can handle the pull from the strop. I mean that leather thing.

Regards,

Obie

[ShavedZombie]

Not much to address your post, Mr. Obie, but I love your command of english... It's so professional and gentlemanly.. Slightly dated, but that adds character.

Excellent vernacular, and an interesting story...

My grandfather merely used his belt... They're cheaper and built for abuse (or, in the eyes of some modern day crusaders, abusing.)

A little tangential, but I personally believe beating a child is a good thing. And I do not mean beating like abuse. I mean a good paddling when they misbehave. If the punishment is proportional to the misdeed, more the better. Time out has a place and... well.. Time.. but it doesn't get the message across. When I was a wee little trouble maker, I had some destructive tendencies. As a kid, breaking things was fun. My parents could never peaceably get that message across... Then I broke one of my grandfather's pipes. He laid a few tracks across my hide with an old leather belt and I haven't broken anything -intentionally- since.

[TomBob]

Great story! I too enjoyed your command of the english language and story telling talent

[flylot]

Thank you Obie, this was quite nice prose. For some silly reason ( it must be that "old timer's" disease), I thought to myself, "I'll bet he knows Maynard G. Krebs.....

..... I'm just silly that way.............

[Stubear]

Hi Obie,

Another great post, as always!

Its funny how important the strop and stropping are. When I first started I thought it was all about the honing, but as I've learnt more I've found that stropping is definately King!

A good quality strop and good stropping technique are key to a great shave, and I like the thought of handing my strops down to my children, as and when I have them..!

Thanks very much for sharing!

All the best,

Stuart

[Slartibartfast]

So the question we are all thinking.

What type of hook is best for hanging a strop?

[hoglahoo]

This afternoon I have to screw it into the lower part of the cabinet and hope it can handle the pull from the strop. I mean that leather thing.

You mean that strap.

Neat story; I like how you tell it

[ursus]

So, does anybody have knowledge if "strap" has actually been alternative term/spelling for "strop".

Probably wouldn't have made any difference in the outcome, since it seems the clerk had been conditioned to the word "strap" in any case.

I hope he gave you a good thingamabob to hang your leather thingies.

[Slartibartfast]

http://straightrazorpalace.com/gener...ed-rescue.html

So, does anybody have knowledge if "strap" has actually been alternative term/spelling for "strop".

Probably wouldn't have made any difference in the outcome, since it seems the clerk had been conditioned to the word "strap" in any case.

I hope he gave you a good thingamabob to hang your leather thingies.

[Obie]

Hello, Slartibartfast:

By Jove, the hook works remarkably well. What a battle to screw it in, though, into a two-inch hardwood strip dividing a drawer and a cabinet in my shave den sink frame. It was as if I was trying to drill into a bank safe. Oy!

My new strop anchor is a Cup Hook, also translated on the tiny package as "Cronchos a tazza" and "Cronchets a tasse." What can I say, this is a classy operation. It is a 1 1/2" hook that is steel, zinc plated, with white vinyl coating. It has a 15-lbs. load limit.

Yes, the whole thing oozes class.

The package has the following warning: "Do not use for overhead lifting or support of human weight." Nah, I wouldn't think of it.

Anyway, the hook comes up to about 6 inches below my waist. I would have preferred it a couple inches higher, but the space did not allow for that. When stropping, I raise the strop handle to about my waist, which means stropping the razor on a taught downward slope.

Somehow that makes it easier for me during stropping to hold my wrist steadier and roll the razor at the shank between my thumb and forefinger. I tried both the 2" SRD Latigo and the 3" and they both work well. So does the 3" SRD Bridle strop. My Tony Miller travel strop with the leather hook works just as well.

Except for the Tony Miller, the other strops, when just left hanging, drag on the floor. The whole scene reminds of a loosened necktie hanging way below the belt after a long drunk. So when finished stropping, I must return the strop to a higher hook.

So, that's the latest news from my humble shave den. I am most pleased with the result.

Regards,

Obie