Ive made myself a couple of strops, like this



That one still needs finishing off and I think its a bit long, Ive used veg tanned shoulder from a cow, I'll wet it and burnish the stropping surface flat with a glass cylinder then oil it with neats foot, I further flattened the other one I made with wet and dry but, really, I dont know what to aim for. Ive made my first two out of fairly thin leather, 2-3mm when finished and theyre quite soft once oiled.

They seem to work ok but Im not sure how much draw to aim for, what kind of surface finish is best, should they be stiff or soft and I wonder what the UK equivalent of Latigo is? I have seen nice quality harness leather that is heavily oiled but it usually has a glossy surface finish. So, what qualities should we aim for in a good strop?