Thread: Using back of leather strop?

Anyone ever use the rougher back part of their leather strop before finishing on the smooth side?


JF

That'd be crazy for anyone to do that......


The horsehide would be especially nice, as it has a very velvety finish, as opposed to the rough nature of the back of latigo.

I do 20 on my rough side and forty on the smooth side before every shave. Like it better than the canvas. YMMV.

Works for me.

An Illinois 827 is actually the back side of a strop. On this model the leather is reversed and one is using the flesh side, not the skin side, hence it always being so rough.

The roughness of the back is dependant on how the hide was removed and procesed. I have had horse butts with smooth back and with rough, the same with latigo. Many I feel would make fine strops used in reverse, others would be far too rough. Typically the front of a hide, nearer the neck tends to have more "grain" or fibers within the leather and seems to be rougher.

If the back feels okay and it works for you, by all means use it.

Tony

Mine is an old vintage Craftsman horseside strop. The back part looks very smooth. I don't have a linen component so I'm thinking about using the back as a rougher strop before I hit the smooth side.

JF

Do it!

Take off the Chromox strop, and set it aside for when you need touch-ups.

Use the rough side then smooth of the single horsehide component, and you'll be stylin'

Heh good advice

I've found that the rough back of my strops works as well as fabric strops. The last two strops I made were made without canvas or linen.

Is there any disadvantage that anyone knows about regarding the use of the backside of a leather strop? Is there any reason NOT to use the reverse side of a leather strop?