Thread: Very inexpensive travel option

Hi all,
Very new to straight razor shaving (about 6weeks) and I'm heading to Italy for two weeks. Wanting a military wet pack some day but for now I decided to go with the $12 Walmart leatherette dopp. Taking one of my razors (I can afford to loose, don't worry also going in checked baggage) but was worried about it getting damaged or wet etc. Then I remembered I have access to tons of drill bit and end mill cases! Got one for my razor and another for my brush, the brush one I drilled 1/4" holes in the brush end to allow for further drying after packing. My other items are all being packing into Nalgene oil sample bottles (with hazel, aftershave, preshave oil etc, they have flip tops and seal excellent)

Here's some pics of the cases




Now I have enough room for my deodorant and toothbrush, floss etc. wish me luck shaving abroad or shaving a broad whichever comes first

I think that's a great idea you had! I'll have to make something like that for myself. Thanks for sharing the idea!

Great ideas. Recycle or die!

Careful with your shaving escapades... some of those Italian ladies kick really hard!

Update! Went to the local leather supplier and picked up some 2" wide red latigo strap. A 10pk bag of 1/4" rivets and a couple Dee rings I got out of the garbage and polished up at work. Bing bang boom travel strop. I was going to use my Illinois 2" strop (which I learned on.... So you can imagine the shape that's in:/)
Sanded it down a bit (quality paper so it wouldn't shed grit) and worked my way up to 1500grit... Worked some of the residual tanning oil of the surface with light heat from a heat gun and lots of rubbing. So much draw on this strop.. It's crazy. Hopefully it works good. If any strop makers out there can think of any reason not to use it speak now or forever hold your peace

Cheers,
Patrick

Good work dude!!! You're a machine with all these travel ideas. I'm going to have to steal them!

MacGyver would be proud of you!

Great work! You can pull more of that oil out with a rag and some rubbing alcohol. I've ben doing that to one of mine.

Hey Padraig, can you detail out the sanding progression you used on that strop. And roughkype, you just put some alcohol on a rag and rub it down? Good work on that strop, I'd like to make my own sometime!!

Yep, read the idea in another thread a week or so ago. I don't like so much draw, and less oil reduces it. Rub it down with alcohol on a rag. It'll probably take a day or so to guage your result, as more oil will migrate out to the surface. Repeat if necessary.

I just used a piece of 350 grit (all sand paper/cloth should be quality 3M etc to reduce the risk of it shedding grit) then I went 800grit then I went 1500. I wasn't going to sand it initially but I ended up rolling the leather finished side in and it made some wrinkles (slightly raised) on the end of the strap that started the roll. It initially made some small flaps or hairs on the surface of the strop which worried me, but they all came out in short time with lots of bare hand swipes. The whole sanding process wasn't very fussy by any stretch of the imagination, just winged it in an attempt to lower any raised portions. The draw on the strop is INSANE, it wants to close my razor as I'm stropping so I have to be careful and go slow. The extra draw is also evidenced by the fact that my hand was on fire in a quarter of the time than on my commercial strop (red latigo also).

Anyway I'll be stropping with this strop and one razor only for the next two weeks while on tour in Italy. I'll let you all know how it worked when I get back.
It is currently wrapped around a jar of proraso pre-shave and kept that way by way of a cotton ribbon which will be used to attach it to whatever is available.... door knob, bed post, parked vespa, mule, ancient column.... you know... the standard stuff.

Cheers,
Pàdraig