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So I have been watching the classifieds for ages, here and at B&B, and they never pop up. I just missed one over at B&B, on the two days I didn't look.:gaah: Does anyone know any really good places to find them? Are the ones on e-prey restorable? Because surely if you sand something like shell it will kill the finish?
Leather is much more fragile than steel. Most vintage strops are dry-rotted to some degree, many are creased, and an awful lot are nicked and sliced.
I know! You're telling me! Gah I'm so frustrated!!!!
The linen side of vintage strops is quite often ok, which is handy since vintage linen tends to be better than the modern stuff. So you can pair it up with a piece of modern leather and you're GTG.
Your comments don't leave much hope finding a shumate strop.:(
I've gotten quite a few off of ebay and only one that wasn't real nice. 2 C-Mons, a Wester Bros, FWE, Koken, Beau Brummel and a couple of dubl ducks, a Red Imp.... like any normal person. :w
If you keep your eyes peeled you'll find them. Just ask questions and make sure the photos are good.
I haven't bought any vintage strops in probably the last 3 years but then, I was able to get all kinds of strops in great condition and many nos still in their original wrappers on Eboy and they weren't that expensive either.
I think that Tony Millers strops are excellent. I have never used a vintage strop personally, but I cant imagine that the leather is all that much better... I mean, Cows havent evolved have they? (Just gotten madder, maybe :))
Lol first off cow hide is a reasonably new thing to strops- most were horse hide if I'm not horribly mistaken.
Second, I'm getting a new strop from kenrup, I just like the idea of vintage you know?
They're out there, just keep looking. I have two nice vintage strops. One Dubl Duck in mint condition, the other needed some work, but it's going to turn out ok. Nothing some sanding, buffing, saddle soap, and neetsfoot oil wouldn't cure. No dry rot, nothing like that. It's actually a work in progress. Here's pics of the Dubl Duck and the medal of award razor strop 814. It just got another coat of neetsfoot oil and needs some buffing. There cool to have, but I really don't use them. I use Tony's Red Latigo mainly, then kenrup's paladin to finish. I have a few others.
That Dubl Duck is fueling my SAD. How is the Medal of Award? Whats the quality like?
I don't know if it would be considered ventage but check this one on ebay
excellent straight razor strop great condition!! - eBay (item 380158001074 end time Sep-19-09 05:32:48 PDT)
Yes, The DD was a nice find. The other one came with a junky W&B which I can restore. I got both for 30 bucks, not bad. I enjoy working on them.Quote:
Originally Posted by khaos
The quality is great on the medal of award strop. It has the linen strop too, which is hanging up in the garage drying as we speak. The lnen came out pretty good. I figure I'll paste it.
Hmmmm... I think I saw one in s shop somewhere. I'll check it out then. And on the Illinois- that is a good strop, and I already have one. I actually considered bidding on that one but I figure much more than $30 to duplicate something isn't such a great idea to me.
I have scored two nice vintage strops off of the Bay.
A vintage Illinois horsehide, and my Sunasack just arrived today.
I'm starting to rethink my aversion to horsehide!
I know. My Illinois at first was unexciting but it's broken in over the past few weeks (I tried to break it in but clearly not enough) and its working like a charge. Except shes ugly, has a nick from me and a wierd pressed in mark thing from the previous owner... anyway. I just need a new strop.
My new strop conditioning is to use a tallow based soap, and work the lather into the strop, as per the old barber's manuals.
Worked great with the Illinois horsehide, and I lathered up the Sunasack, and that worked nice too.
The Sunasack with lather has a bit of draw to it that my Kintaka horsehide never showed. The leather looks very similar, shell horsehide. I never liked the Kintaka that had about zero draw, and never seemed to have any effect on edge quality.
I just stropped up a razor with the Sunasack, and the edge came around nicely.
The linen was indeed junk on it.
so are you rubbing the lather in by hand, then wiping off excess? letting it dry?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
You are Horribly mistaken. While horse hide was used, so was cow, and seal, and whale, just about anything that makes stiff leather. Most common was cow though just like today.Quote:
Originally Posted by khaos
I don't know about tallow based soaps. Speick is, So is Tabac shave soap. "Sodioum Talloate, or something like that. Old Barber's used soap on everything, even hones. I think they were cheap. If your charging 10 cents for a haircut, well, you see what I mean. What's wrong with Saddle Soap? It was made for leather....
Granted they used just about everythign to make strops but almost everyone I have seen is made from horse (cordovan, shell, etc) or pig leather.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zib
Nothing wrong with saddle soap, except that fact that I don't own horses, nor saddles, nor saddle soap. And if I'm going to go out and spend money on more soap, it's darn well gonna be shave soap!:)
I do have plenty of tallow based shave soap, and thus I use that.
Perhaps saddle soap would make a good shave soap? Extra moisturizers and conditioners in there?:hmmm:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Point taken, bad name, good stuff. Maybe 3 bucks? I really never think about cost. Many uses. I have Leather boots, Jackets, Motorcycles, (leather seats) Belts, Lot's and lot's of leather. I've been using it for years and years for cleaning all types of leather, along with neetsfoot oil for conditioning.