Thread: How To Make a (Very) Home-made Strop: A life in pictures.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

They are watching your Jimbo...

They already got him.




The strops brother. Seeking revenge.

Too funny !!!

I also just recently made a couple of autostrops.



James.

As opposed to manual strops ???

Like this one Jimbo. reminds me of my little horsehide travel strop.

Still roo ? What are the dimensions ?

Vary funny !!!!

Originally Posted by Jimbo

I also just recently made a couple of autostrops.



James.

Nice!

I know you aren't the only guy playing around with kangaroo strops, and that it's hard to come up with more than a couple of different designs. Here's another one though you might check out and compare with your own to see where you might be able to improve on your design:

Nice one Jimbo.

If I may, can I add one comment based on experience as an old leatherworker. For them that don't have much experience with leather, when making a strop it is important to cut down the length of the hide not across. Why you ask? 'Cos the stretch of the leather is less down the hide than across. Easy to test. Grab your leather and test pull the leather in both directions and you will feel the difference. So the best bits are from where the backbone would be and will become more stretchy as you move toward the belly of the hide (ie, the edge of the hide). When you're stroppinf you put the leather under tension and if it has been cut across the hide (across the grain) it will be more stretchy and tend to cup because of the unequal tension in the leather. A bit like our face really. It has more stretch one way than the other. If you get a bit of leather that you're unsure about use the stretch test to see if it's okay to use.

Very good and informative thread.

Where is a good place to purchase leather?
Can you purchase the leather in smaller pieces, say enough to make 2 or 3?

Thank you in advance,

Phil

Phil,

I am not sure where you can purchase Kangaroo leather in the US besides perhaps online. The problem with online purchases is the quality (kangaroos are not farmed, they are killed in the wild and so will have scars etc from barbed wire, fights, and the like) and the fact that I believe you can only get whole hides.

If you are referring to leather in general, there are many places you can get it, and I am sure that it can be cut to any size you might want. People mention Tandy a lot on this site for leather purchases (which is confusing for us Aussies because Tandy over here is an electronics chain store).

Good luck!

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

People mention Tandy a lot on this site for leather purchases (which is confusing for us Aussies because Tandy over here is an electronics chain store).

It is in the US as well. It is the parent company of Radio Shack, which unfortunately, is predicted to go under (and I don't mean to Australia) within the next year.