Thread: Embossed horsehead on Ill. strop

As a teacher, I know that there is such a thing as a stupid question.

Nonetheless:

You know that embossed horse's head on the leather side of the Illinois strops? Can I just strop right over the thing, or should I avoid it, stropping only on the unembossed portion of the leather?

Taking nothing for granted,
Deepweeds

It should be near the end of the stropping surface. I'd avoid it.

Jeff

I would avoid it also. Can't be a good thing going over it.

I regard the logos at each end of a strop as indicators of where to stop and roll your razor. Go a little bit too far and the edge then roll and the razors edge is into the metal hardware.

I use a Horsehead logo and a number stamp at each end of mine for the same reason.

BTW, the horse on mine and the Illinois (and most others is a carry over from the past when all strops were horsehide). Today the only relationship between the animal in the logo and that from which the strop was made is having 4 legs.

Tony

Don't cut the little horsey!

Thanks, everyone. Yeah, besides the embossing (which is quite small but then so is my razor's edge), stropping that far does get me pretty close to the metal hardware.

I also notice that, when I do extend my stropping all the way into the embossed horsehead, my reach is too far for comfort: I'd be prone to make a mistake trying to roll the razor at the end of such a long reach.

Tony, maybe I'll stencil over it with a cow's head just for my own amusement...

Deepweeds

I've got the same strop. I had a few nicks in mine at the ends, which I cleaned up with a pumice stone. I was also a little worried about the horsehead since it's very hard. I took the pumice stone and rubbed the whole horsehead until it was almost gone. You can still see it, but all the gold coloring is removed. Then I take an old sock and really rub the leather to clean off the pumice leftovers and make sure it is really smooth. Then I add a little of the strop dressing (no grit), and work it in the leather with my fingers and let it set for a few minutes, then go over it all again with the sock. Rubbing the strop good with the sock makes the leather nice and smooth for me, and I actually do this every time before I strop. I was careful with the pumice stone not to gouge the leather.

E