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The 4-sided paddle strop is wonderful AND each side is labeled so I know what paste was used, something I had never thought of but I am sure glad he did that!
The 3" Latigo strop is so beautiful I can honestly say that I will feel bad using it. I think Im just going to look at it for a while. I cant even bear to to take it out of the plastic...perhaps I frame it and mount it and order a less pretty one to use on the straight??
THANKS TONY!! :D
JL, welcome. You are beginning to turn to the dark side...wait till you behold the razor.
The strops are wonderful, aren't they? I so much prefer my new hanging strop to the paddle strop I was using before.
Thank you guys, really. Somedays at my "real" job are pretty stressful but it always puts a smile on my face when someone posts that they enjoyed something I made for them. It means a lot to me.
Tony
JL: Whilst Tony's strops are almost too pretty to use, use it or else. Else being some very resentful razors. You don't want to shave with an angry razor, trust me, you really don't.
Wayne
I would highly recommend you leave the strop in the plastic. Once its out you'll find yourself fondling it and then your lost forever!
Haha...no I definitely dont want an angry razor...that sounds even worse than an angry fiance....Quote:
Originally Posted by bbqncigars
...And you definitely don't want them together in the same room! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by JLStorm
RT
JL,
I did the same thing when I got Tonys four sided paddle strop. I kind of just sat there and looked at it. It was a piece of art and what is really cool about it is that it is very versatile. You have a side that has diamond paste on it or you could have two sides of which I only have one with paste you have a side that resembles the linen and then there is the latigo for the finishing strop.
Tis so cool this amazing hobby ;) ;) ;)
I just received my order from Tony as well and purchased the same things, a 3 inch latigo strop and a 4 sided paddle. Tony is an awsome guy to order from. I had placed the order for the hanging and then a few days later ordered a 4 sided paddle strop. Tony caught this and e-mailed me to see if I wanted to have both shipped together and either have the difference used for 1.0 micron diamond past on one side or a refund of the difference!
I couldn't wait to try everything this morning, I touched up my next weeks rotation with the paddle strop, and used the hanging strop this morning to stop up my razor before my shave. These products are simply awsome. I plan on ordering another hanging strop from him shortly.
Now I know some of you may cringe and wonder if I am all there, but I took a pumice stone to my fairly new Heirloom hanging strop. I wet the stone and lightly rubbed the surface of the strop then wiped it off with a damp cloth. The strop now has even more drag than before making those razors sing with joy. I had used a pumice stone prior to this too restore an old strop. It really will bring the surface back to life on a older strop and it sure seems too have worked on my new one.
Glen
Glen,
Which version of my strop did you buy? The red latigo usually has enough draw for most people but I havd a few hides in the Fall that were a little smoother. The Amber colored and black vegtable tanned leathers I use could benifit from a pumice stone but work okay as is but are much smoother than my Latigo.
Tony
Tony, et all...can anyone discuss this a little more. When it works, how you do this, and what effect it has on the strop. I've never messed with any strops, let alone run them under a pumice stone. Poor little strops! Tell us more!
Tony, I am pretty sure it is a red latigo. It took about a week to break in, but was still a bit slippery. All I did was kind of knock the shine off of it.
Glen
Glen,
Some of the hides do come thru fairly slick, especially the thicker ones. The newest have had that nice matt finish of the ones I first started with last summer. I do like those best.
I think what Glen is describing is to take a pumice stone and slightly sand the surface. This raises a napp increasing friction when you strop. The latigo on my paddles is treated just like this wheil still on the hide as part of the tanning process. I wished I could get thicker hides done exactly the same way.
Tony
Fellas, I too have strops from Tony and they hang for everyone to see. Just something I stumbled upon: by rubbing the oils from my hands into the strop, I get an awesome draw. I rub the strop after each use. It seems to make a noticable difference.
Give it a try.
-Rob
Stroptubation <g>
Tony
faceturbation, stropturbation...god my hands are getting tired...Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Miller
Tony, maybe you should emboss a curvy woman on the strop instead of a horse head.
Just a thought.
-Rob
Yeah! could you?Quote:
Originally Posted by robertlampo
I just got back from traveling these past couple of months and I must say that Tony's paddle strop rocks! I really like that Latigo leather for finishing; on the sharpening side, I applied a little TI paste to refresh the edge if needed.
Hal
Hal, Welcome back!!!
Ok, I am going to jump in here waist deep...
I have always used a hanging strop...
I have 2 - one 2" with past and linen, and a 3" Dovo.
Which is better? - the paddle or hanging - or is it personal preference... JerseyLawyer seems to like the hanging strops like I do, but I admit that sometimes I take it off the wall and lay it on my desk and use it "like" a paddle strop.
Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
And lastly...
Tony: describe in detail your three leather choices on your site [for the hanging strops]. You touched a little on it so far. I am dieing to find out. Oh, when are you getting more Belgian stones in? I have a friend [here] going to want one - and I hate going outside the site here with business! ;)
Thanks in advance!
Jim,
I don't think you can really say one style of strop is better than another as in my opinon they are for different tasks. The hanging strop is a tool for daily stropping before and maybe after a shave. It aligns the edge, it really does not sharpen if you want to classify sharpening as metal removal.
The paddle strop on the other hand is, well on a 4 sided paddle anyway 75% a tool for sharpening by metal removal with abrasive pastes. The other 25% would be the plain side for regular stropping and it is added as a compromise so a single tool can do too jobs.
Both are designed for different tasks. I do have a few customers that only use a paddle though for daily use. Maybe they have little room for a hanging strop or maybe they like having more control.
As for the leathers on my site I actually offer 4 types for hanging strops. My Heirloom Latigo which is a matt finish, oil/wax treated vegtable tanned leather. It has the most draw of any of my leathers and of any strop I have owned or tried. Next would be the natural leather. This is a harder surfaced, plaing leather that really needs to be dressed to use it effectively. I like Neat's Foot Oil on these and soak them a few times now before selling them. Sadly they won't look as pretty because the leather does not take the color from the oils evenly and looks a little mottled. it can also satin around the hardware. They work well but to me are not as pretty.
I also offer Keith DeGrau's fine Hand American leathers. These are a slick, hard finish leather with a high silica content. They work more by polishing I think than through the draw they create. the slick finish does not give as easy to feel feedback but they get the job done well. These come in a smooth finish and a finish with fine crosshatching cut into them to create more draw. Keith has put a lot of research onto his leathers and I am sure he could add volumes to this if he is lurking here tonight <g>.
My newest daily strop is my Latigo on the front and Hand American diamond cut red on the back with the meatl loop ends. I use a separate lien strop with it when I want that surface.
BBoth the Dovo and Jemico strops are fine products too. I have seen but not owned strops from them and would like to try a few out to get more feedback for my own designs.
I hope to have Beligians by weeks end.
Tony
I prefer to use the hanging strop for my daily stroipping, but have a paddle for travel because it's easier than transporting a hanger, and pocket paddle for pastes too.
Would that be like the 361 strop or different?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Miller
X
X,
The Hand American leather is much smoother than the Illinois #361 and has a slick, shiney finish. It almost looks polished. As s mooth as it looks it does have some drag to it though which may be a result of the silica draging on the blade and polishing to some extent.
The #361 has a much different feel, maybe closer to my Latigo than ther Hand American but with much less draw than my leather.
Tony
Better change that first $361 to #361 in your post. Gave me a heart attack [cause thats my next purchase!) Tony! :)