Thread: Make your own paddle strop

I finally finished making my own paddle strops and think they came out pretty nice. I started with Red Oak boards 3" by 16" and plained them to about 1/2" thick. I tried using leather on them but decided that I liked the balsa better so took the leather off and replaced with balsa. Balsa has a smoother and flatter draw than leather.

You can use contact cement but I decided to use waterproof wood glue to attach the balsa to the paddles. You have to clamp with two other boards while the glue dries. I sanded with a 6" belt sander to get the surface smooth and as flat as possible. I put the numbers on with a permanent marker then I applied five coats of Satin Polyurethane for the finish. I lightly sanded again to get rid of a few drips of Poly on the balsa. I then applied the the liquid diamond abrasive I got from Tedpellas and let dry for one day. I have used these paddles on 6 razors and am really impressed with the results. The smaller paddle is 2" wide and I will use it as a travel touch up strop.

bj