Thread: kangaroo

Well Chaps, thanks to the excellent advice I got here I have developed, after several iterations (or what I like to call "preparations"), a working prototype Use-a-Roo strop. Preparations "A" through "G" were not good, but this last one, Preparation "H", feels good, on the whole! (With many, many thanks to Dr Evil).

It (my work) is rough, very rough. But good enough for me atm. What I really need is a straight edge. I had to basically freehand the bits using some wood I had laying around. Tomorrow I will go out and buy a metal meter ruler.

But anyway, here it is. It is two pieces simply riveted together and a couple of welded D rings. The plan is to use this for a couple of weeks, and see how it holds up. I did 5 razors on it about 30 minutes ago and it went very well indeed. No stretch (I used the bit of the hide recommended in the web site posted above). And very tough, for a thin strop. It showed absolutely no signs of wanting to break or tear during the previous stropping tests. Plus it feels like it did a tremendous job stropping the edge.

Anyway, here are some pictures. I bought some kangaroo lace to use to tie it to things, and that's what you see dangling off the top D ring. First pic is the front. Second is the back (they are identical really, because I used two bits of leather).




James.

Looks fine.

Kangaroo leather is supposed to be the best material to make motorbike leathers from. Probably the best combination of strength/suppleness/tear-resistance for a given weight. Should perform well as a strop I'd think.

Preparation H sounds like a winner.

How would you describe the draw. ? Closer to Horsehide or Latigo etc... ?

Oy, soon we'll all want a roo strop to add to our strop addiction.
First you got us hooked on the Jap Nats, now the roo-strop.
Can't wait to see your next shaving brush made out of dingo hair.

Looks neat J!

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Preparation H sounds like a winner.

How would you describe the draw. ? Closer to Horsehide or Latigo etc... ?

Oz,

It is hard to say, as I have only used latigo once and horsehide never. There is draw there but it is not overwhelming. More like progressive power steering on a car. Nice and light when you start off, but gets a bit heavier as the edge builds up speed.

The big problem I can see with it is that one slip of the razor and you literally can cut the thing in half - it is very thin. And only time will tell if it remains flat or starts to curl up at the edges. i really do not think that it will tear - it feels at least as strong as my thicker cowhide strops.

James.

Pretty cool and looks great! We'll be interested to know if it curls.

You can pretty much bank on the fact that it won't tear. That kind of leather is incredibly strong.

I had to do a little experiment to see what kind of draw kangaroo has.

It does have some draw to it without any treatment other than the tanning. It was less than well travelled Illinois strops but more than my new TM latigo strop. After a little strop conditioner being worked in, it had quite a bit of draw.

Originally Posted by Rajagra

Kangaroo leather is supposed to be the best material to make motorbike leathers from. .

A recent issue of Motorcycle News (UK) carried a photo of motorcycle leathers made from Kangaroo hide which had worn right down to the rider's skin after a short slide on tarmac. The rider was upset because: a)it hurt b)they were expensive and c) his cow hide suit had only showed signs of scuffing after similar excursions along the track surface. Possibly the manufacturer had used the wrong part of the kangaroo.

I think part of the garment issue is it must be pieced much more than garments made from cowhide because of the size. If I recall my suppliers info a typical Kangaroo hide is maybe 5 to 7 square feet. A typical latigo side (1/2 a hide) is 22 to 26 square feet and a horse butt is maybe 2 to 3 square feet at best. Remove the belly and neck and any raised scars and any fat wrinkles and any folds in the hide, and the bumps, etc..... you have maybe 1/2 left of really nice stuff. On cowhide a complete jacket front of back or a complete sleeve can easily be made, on Roo hide one is likely piecing these in a lower cost jacket, or paying a premium to use many hides each yielding a single front, or a single back, or the two sleeves at the most. Lost oif waste leather to make a single first quality jacket equals lots of cost.

Tony

Good stuff, Jimbo. Next stop, Wiki. Strop making category. See you in the Chat.

I'm salivating here James! Good job!!