Thread: My new Tony Miller real linen strop

Last week I recieved my new strop from Tony Miller.

I had been wanting a real 3" real linen strop since reading here ( http://straightrazorpalace.com/showt...is+razor+strop ) that strop makers of the olden days preferred real linen for strops.

3" linen webbing is not easy to get nowadays. After a lengthy serach on the web I found a supplier who sent me a 3" sample that I liked.

Then I asked Tony to make me a linen strop with the 3" linen. Last year he promised to make me one with a matching 3" red latigo strop free of charge! (I'll have to make that up to him!) As Tony noticed the linen shrinks and expands with the humidity of the environment a 2 in 1 strop is not an option.

They arrived about 5 days ago but I haven't had time to test 'em until last Friday.

Opening the box left me speechless for a while. Beautiful quality leather and hardware. I have read about his strops on SRP a lot but apparently words are inadequate to describe the quality Tony makes. Even the pics on his own website don't do his strops justice.

Last Friday I used the strops 1st on my 5/8 Friodur which isn't my sharpest razor. I did about 20 laps on the linen followed by about 50 on the leather. It gave me a great shave! Yesterday ditto with my 7/8 ERN 45 razor!

SO, A THANK YOU AGAIN TO TONY FOR THE GREAT STROPS!

Kees,

Can you show us a picture of it? I'm curious.

groeten,

Bo

The linen Kees found for me is an interesting material. It is a bit fuzzier than the usual cotton webbing material used for "linen" now days, not quite as neat and tidy looking, a natural brownish oatmeal color with some stray hairs. It is also very sunject to moisture. I made a sample on my usualy design and found the linen stretched and shrunk day by day often by nearly 3/4". Soaking and drying did little to help as once dry it again started it's growth/shrinkage cycle. This tendancy is going to limit the material to either separate linen only strops or a leather/linen with a single point of attachment at the top and separate at the bottom more like the tradional 2 part strops like the Illinois models or my # 2 and #3 strops except with a handle on the bottom to keep the soft linen under control <g>

It is however rather abrasive it seems. While not showing any excesive draw the razors does feel a bit sharper after it's use. Not a day and night diference but obviously it worked for Kees. I'd like to see his results on using it with other razors too. It is a pricier material and more testing will be done before I make it an option.

While linen was always mentioned as "the" material for strops I think you will find many different fibers were used. I have a few NOS "linens" here that are in flact other fabrics such as silk. They mention as I think Illinois strops might "linen weave" implying something other than linen but with a similar weave to work in much the same way. Of course we are still fighting over just what the linen realy does <g>.

Tony

Here's a tip on linen for stropping:

If I remember correctly, I read during some of my research on linen strop manufacture that the linen is boiled first to permanently shrink the fibers and tighten up the weave.

Maybe someone could verify this. Based on what has been said in this thread about shrinking and humidity, this makes a bit of sense.

Scott

Here are some links to patents for strop manufacture. Maybe some of this info will be of use. There are many more patents, but these are a good start. All of the following make some reference to the prep of the linen, or canvas, strop:

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=US...canvas#PPP1,M1

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=US...&jtp=1#PPP2,M1

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=US...r+strop+canvas

Originally Posted by bohannon

Kees,

Can you show us a picture of it? I'm curious.

groeten,

Bo

I am a lousy photographer without a tripod but with good lighting I do sometimes get good pictures. If you bear with me I'll give it a go.

The linen is exactly as Tony describes it above but it works very well.

In the bathroom the linen seems to "harden". The linen works very well, it looks almost like it was made using the same raw material hemp rope is made of but softer.

Aww crap..... now I want one!

Kees can you list the information on who you got it from or is it " Top Secret" ?

I like to make my own stuff, not just because i'm cheap but because I like to make my own stuff.

Grate,
I'd be glad to send you a piece at cost if you like. I'm not sure if I am going to make these right now and have a small quantity here though I could spare.

Tony

Here is a photo f the type of linen I used on Kee's strop. His is a single linen only piece to go with an all leather strop. Becase of the severe shrinking and expansion of the linen it can't really be tied together at both ends.

Neat stuff but a little "wooley" on the edges. This will be a regular option on my 3" Best strops beginning next week.






Tony

Hello Tony,

I have a question for you....are those screws ?