HandAmerican Leather

I just got in enough HandAmerican leather to make 4 strops. I got the red conditioned leather and red diamond. I've made myself a strop out of each. I noticed, though, that neither had much draw, with a razor I knew to be sharp. Is there something I need to do to the leather first for it to make a suitable strop? Tony Miller uses, or used to use, HandAmerican leather, so I'm pretty sure it's good stuff, as his reputation is impeccable. I've always made my other strops out of latigo leather, and it's got (usually) great draw right off the hide, although I'll usually put a couple coats of Fromm's strop dressing on it before I use it the first time. Do I need to do this with the HA strops, or do I need to maybe flex it a few thousand times around a glass bottle?

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Thanks a bunch, Tony. I know sometimes it's gotta be hard to answer a question like that, since that's how you make your living. You don't have to worry about me, though. I make 'em for myself, only. :D I did offer a couple for sale once, just trying to get enough back to experiment with, but I can't see me going into the strop business. As it is, one of yours is still in my future. Hopefully, Friday, if a sale I'm working on goes through. :D Again, thanks, and all the best. I do have a question for you, though, since I've bent your ear a bit. I have about 5 strops now (2 latigo, one cheapie I just hang there and never use, although the hanging hardware on it's pretty good, and the two HA ones I already mentioned...all the ones I've made are 3" wide) Should I get a paddle strop instead of a hanging one? I guess the paddle would be better for traveling, and I could always get it pasted, for touch-up honing when I'm away from home. Any recommendations, considering what I already have? I gotta say, though, that I'm a big fan of hanging strops, and really want one with the linen, even if I never use it. They just look so cool. :D

Joe,

I have a few hanging strops including the 3” Dovo. I recently purchased a four-sided paddle strop from Tony—not to repeat what you wrote but incredible quality and service. He could easily sell the product for much more than he is asking. Regardless, I have it set with three leather and one Balsa, all of which are finished with the Amplex paste (3, 1, .5, and .25). Before getting this setup, I was happy with the shaves I was getting using, what seems to be standard, the Norton 4K and 8K and then finishing with the 3inch. Dovo strop. When I received the paddle from Tony, I went immediately to the #3 Amplex side. I did not bother taking out the Norton—I had about four shaves on the blade and was satisfied with the shaves I was getting. After going all the way down to the .25 Amplex, using about 20 strokes each, I shaved. The difference was so noticeable that I immediately sent Tony an email to thank him.


Overall, the paddle strop is so much easier to use correctly. I also like the fact that I can just toss it in my carry-on and not worry about hanging it while traveling. I know, not that big of a deal! In short, I believe as a novice to the straight razor, the paddle strop is essential and I would recommend it highly. If I did not push myself to try Tony’s setup, I would be talking aloud every day, asking myself what is the big deal with this straight razor b.s.. Now I shave and have to check to see if I actually touched my face with the razor. If you are familiar with the Feather, it is close to that kind of sharp. Oh! Speaking of which, I have not used my Feather since receiving the paddle strop from Tony, and I even think I told him that my Dovo is almost as sharp as that bad-boy.




Hope this helped!

GC

I am like Tony, I use 2-3 strops on my razor before each shave. I also have a couple that I use that provide a strong draw and then go to a slick finish strop with no noticeable draw. The third strop I only use occasionally and it is a "Mahogany" that feels almost glazed. It is the slickest strop I have seen yet.

Boys! enjoy your toys!:)

I just bit the bullet and ordered a pasted 4-sided paddle strop (1 micron, .5, .25, smooth) Tony's a helluva nice guy, and got me all fixed up. :D Can't wait to get it!

Joe, if you like to experiment (most of us do here) first try some olive oil or neatsfoot oil. Just a light coating that I work in with my hands. Let it soak in for a day before using. I also like to use a pumice stone on my strops. I just wet the stone and gently rub the leather. New strops always have a break-in period. The more they are used the better the draw.

Glen

p.s. The four sided strop from Tony is awesome.

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Originally Posted by gglockner

Joe, if you like to experiment (most of us do here) first try some olive oil or neatsfoot oil.

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I found the olive oil didn't work so well on my Illinois 361. Mink oil worked great.

X

I assume you're talking about the smooth side? I got tons of neatsfoot oil, along with some Fromm's strop dressing. My latigo strops draw like a rubber band on leg hairs with that stuff. Honestly, I'm really planning on using the smooth just to clean the edge before going to a hanging strop. I dunno...I'll see how it all works first, then modify it to suit me.

To all,



According to family back in the old country, olive oil will begin to oxidize once it is unsealed. What affect will the oxidized oil have on the leather strop? Finally, what is gained by increasing the leather’s “draw”? If you are not adding a grit paste to the stop, is there truly a benefit other than the ease in the stroke on the strop?



Regards,

GC



P.S. Forgive me if this is a question of ignorance. I am still a newbie and hence have not progressed much passed the basics. Does anyone think our granddads put this much thought in to a razor’s edge? I remember my granddad’s elation when the BIC was discovered. We hurried home from the drugstore so he could shave. He walked out of the bathroom proclaiming how nice. “Pretty close too”! He added.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gianni_Capp

To all,



According to family back in the old country, olive oil will begin to oxidize once it is unsealed. What affect will the oxidized oil have on the leather strop? Finally, what is gained by increasing the leather’s “draw”? If you are not adding a grit paste to the stop, is there truly a benefit other than the ease in the stroke on the strop?



Regards,

GC



P.S. Forgive me if this is a question of ignorance. I am still a newbie and hence have not progressed much passed the basics. Does anyone think our granddads put this much thought in to a razor’s edge? I remember my granddad’s elation when the BIC was discovered. We hurried home from the drugstore so he could shave. He walked out of the bathroom proclaiming how nice. “Pretty close too”! He added.

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I daresay they did put that much thought into a razor's edge. The difference is, it was a common thing then, so they probably didn't feel the need to talk about it quite so much. As far as the draw on a strop, as a general rule, the greater draw you have, it's an indication that the leather is catching and aligning the edge. Obviously, it's different for different types of leather (as outlined above), but it gives you a "feel" for what the leather, and the blade, are doing.