Years ago, before I ever dreamed I'd be shaving with straight razors, I picked up some strops, because they were affordable, looked interesting and I thought I'd someday replace the old crusty one I was using for final polishing on my woodworking tools. Well, I'm glad I could never bear to subject these to the abuse of my chisels and plane irons. None have ever felt a shop tool and now I am using them for shaving!
One has been particularly effective and is also the most curious. It is an all black, single piece (no linen). The black appears to be its manufactured color as it is uniformly black all over, including under the hanging hardware. Typical size, it is marked "Sea Mammal" on both sides in faded gold lettering. One side has a very slight pebbling and is marked "Grain" and "Sharpenning" while the other smoother side is marked "Shell" and "Finishing". There is also an image of some kind of aquatic creature on one side. The hanging end has no hardware or special shape, it's just the squared off end of the strop. There are some stamps that are hard to read at the bottom...probably the marks of the manufacturer and/or distributor.
It has a great draw and has been very effective for me, being the first strop I could manage to get an edge with. I've returned to it lately with my heavier razors and it's still working great.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any ideas what the material is? Is the Sea Mammal just a clever name or was this something other than four-footed leather? The material itself is not naturally black as the few nicks on it show brown underneath.
- Dale
