Thread: why hang a strop?

does hanging a strop offer any benifit?
I ordered one of tonys strops last week and am looking forward to getting it, up till now i have been using just a piece of leather that I lay flat on a table.
How come we hang the strops rather than just lay them on a flat surface?

Umm, just because, that's why! <g>


The leather needs to be taught to work properly. It can be glues dowm like on a paddle or a Hand American bench hone or hung up and pulled tight. laying on a table can work but it would depend on how well the leather lays flat without bunching up.


Tony

Trap,

There are a lot of ways to "hang" your strop, from using zip ties on a door knob to using a radiator clamp (which is what I do) on a door knob.

RT

Oh come on guys....admit it! We do it because its cooler. You can lay it flat if you want, probably better if your starting out anyway.

The real benefit that I see in hanging strops is that there is no hard surface on the other side of the leather to bang the razor's edge against. A hanging strop, pulled taught, still provides a 'flat' surface, but has a little give to prevent damage to the edge.

I have a paddle strop and it works fine, but I do need to be more careful when I use it.

X

Probably convenience and lack of space started it. Think of your barber shop not too much counter room to lay a piece of leather out.

Originally Posted by RichZ

Probably convenience and lack of space started it. Think of your barber shop not too much counter room to lay a piece of leather out.

The other thing with the counter top leather is that it can ripple up behind the blade and could ruin the edge.

X

Actually the reason to hang a strop is the same as why we do many things that we all do. Its the way it has always been done or its the way we were taught.

Barbers did it because, well its right convenient to where they are working and it looks cool doing it like going to a japanese restaurant and getting the cook prepare the meal at your table.

The freedom of whatever angle you are comfortable at stropping makes a hanging strop work at it's best.

Glen

I got Tony's strop today and it is a beauty! but I must say their is a learning curve to it. I found the flat piece of leather much easier to deal with, it was like honing only spine first.
But by golie, it does look a lot cooler to strop with a nice hanging strop so I am going to master it, or break blades trying!