Search:

Very cool! I too have a number of vintage shell strops and use them from time to time, rotating with modern Tony Miller and Kanayama versions. I love the feel of the things; they feel somehow alive...

Ah, cordovan. The word actually refers to a complex, time consuming tanning process developed many years ago in north Africa. The "shell" refers to two small oval patches of thin, flat muscle...

As Birnando said, stropping doesn't sharpen, exactly; we are burnishing the edge. Metal is removed because as the tiny little "teeth" - more like tabs really - that are bent by the act of shaving...