Tony's horsehide strops

Today I received my Heirloom #2 horsehide strop with Tony's new built-in handle design. It's my fifth Tony Miller strop; I hang them on a loop of rope on my bedroom door handle, and it's starting to look like the winning stringer from the Bass Master Classic...

Anyway, I decided to shave the back of my neck this evening, and so I tried out the horsehide strop.

I think it has just vaulted ahead of my latigo and honey brown strops and claimed first place in my collection. This thing is AMAZING. I think it's going to take my stropping to a whole new level.

The blade exhibits virtually no draw on this leather, which I didn't think I would like. To this point my favorite strop was the latigo, which has tons of draw. The honey brown has a lot less, and I like it but I'm always wondering if the edge is making good contact.

The horsehide is slick, and the razor feels like it's zipping over the surface. For some reason I feel a lot more confident that I'm making good strokes.

I was stropping a full-hollow 6/8; I'm thinking tomorrow I'll try it out on one of my Wapienicas to see how a heavier blade works with it.

Beautiful strop, Tony. I know you can't hear me 'cause the waves are drowning me out, but you da MAN! :bow

Josh

I have one also and think they are great but you realize the shaving manuals advise not using horsehide for the longterm because they become very slick and polished and are not good for the blade. I got that from the manual someone here recently posted.

I read that too: It was in the barber manual that Scott (honedright) posted. Actually, IIRC, the manual said that horsehide wasn't suitable for use by barbers, but it also said it was fine for "personal use." I read that to mean that constant, heavy use (hundreds of laps per day) was a problem, but more normal use for the shaving needs of one guy wouldn't be an issue. :shrug:

Josh

I got my 3 inch honey brown in horsehide today. I don't know if I should open it up or use the practice strop first. The honey brown looks quite nice. I am in the middle of remodeling my bathroom so I guess I will wait to open up the nice one until I have a good place to hang it. Am I alone in thinking that a string tied to a doorknob does not keep the strop as taught and firm as a proper hook??

Depends on the "string" and the doorknob. I have used a practice strop with a carbiner attached to the towl bar and the leather lanyard. i have also used the lanyard slipped over the doorknob. You are just trying to keep it taught not trying to pull the knob off.

Overall the hook, properly secued is the best, but good luck finding a strop hook in a hotel bathroom.

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Originally Posted by syslight

"but good luck finding a strop hook in a hotel bathroom."

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Nothing a Black & Decker, bugle heads and one of these wouldn't fix

http://www.labsafety.com/store/asset...L/LB34584Z.JPG

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Originally Posted by bth88

Nothing a Black & Decker, bugle heads and one of these wouldn't fix

http://www.labsafety.com/store/asset...L/LB34584Z.JPG

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Nice, but will you cover the damage charges from the hotel... i might find other uses though... involving parachute harnesses, an open staircase and some bungee chords.... but i digress:D

I use a chunk of parachute cord to attach the strop to the doorknob. It also makes bang-up bootlaces.

Tony's making me a 2.5" wide horsehide & honey brown paddle strop that should be the bees knees for daily stropping. I never really warmed up to linen, but I've been using a similar combination with the brown side of my HA and the horse side of my DD hangers and really like it. But this is a bit cumbersome, and my DD strop is prone to curling...

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Originally Posted by mparker762

I use a chunk of parachute cord to attach the strop to the doorknob. It also makes bang-up bootlaces

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My daughter's boyfriend is Airborne. I watched him strip cord, singe the ends and lace up about a half-dozen pairs of jump boots one afternoon.

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I have one also and think they are great but you realize the shaving manuals advise not using horsehide for the longterm because they become very slick and polished and are not good for the blade. I got that from the manual someone here recently posted.

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The Practice and Science of Standard Barbering by S.C. Thorpe states that an ordinary medium grade horsehide strop is not recommended for barber use as it won't impart the proper edge but is suitable for private use but a high quality horsehide strop taken from the rump area of the horse is amongst the best possible strops will remain smooth and requires very little, if any, breaking in.

Horse sides tend to be much thinner leather than I would use for a strop, usually 3 to 4 oz. unless you can get the tannery do do a special run. Much of it goes to the garment industry.

I use 100% Horse Butts (rumps/hips), not sides, and not "horse fronts" as they are commonly called. Cordovan, also used for strops years ago, usually comes directly from the horses butt cheeks and yields two medium sized, 12" x 17" ovals per beast at a huge price. Butts and Rumps are adjacent to these high dollar horse real estate areas <g>.

Tony

So basically, you're telling me that my strop is a horse's .... :)

Josh

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Originally Posted by JoshEarl

So basically, you're telling me that my strop is a horse's .... :)

Josh

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Awesome I never knew that..
now I know... and knowing's half the battle. G.I JOE! :tu

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Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Cordovan, also used for strops years ago, usually comes directly from the horses butt cheeks and yields two medium sized, 12" x 17" ovals per beast at a huge price.

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I have Allen Edmonds shoes with cordovan uppers. It's amazing leather that is incredibly resistant to scratches and wrinkles. I'm on the second soles, but the uppers still look like new!

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Originally Posted by JoshEarl

So basically, you're telling me that my strop is a horse's .... :)

Josh

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Better he say that about the strop and not the stropper :roflmao lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JoshEarl

So basically, you're telling me that my strop is a horse's .... :)

Josh

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That's how you get your razor sharp enough for a PBS shave (pony's butt smooth)! :y

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Originally Posted by Doc4

That's how you get your razor sharp enough for a PBS shave (pony's butt smooth)! :y

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very nice.

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Originally Posted by syslight

Overall the hook, properly secued is the best, but good luck finding a strop hook in a hotel bathroom.

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Cheap strop hooks for hotels can be found here. Just attach to the door knob...and then remember to remove the strop before leaving!

RT