Thread: 4" x 30" custom horse hide strop?

Hi,
Would this be a good size for a custom horse hide strop? Thanks.

Why 4" wide? And besides if it is custom to YOU, why ask US what size YOU want it?

An old standard for strops used to be 2.5" wide by 24" long. The new standard these days is probably 3" wide by 24" long. A 4" wide strop would certainly cover the length of any straight razor you could find, but at the price of being more prone to cupping and instability. Even the 3" strops with proper hardware can cup. I would recommend a 3" wide strop based on my experiences. Some razors may be a little longer than 3", but not many.

If you are looking for hardware, take a look at Tony Miller's website:

The Well Shaved Gentleman The Heirloom Razor Strop Company

He is now providing his very popular hardware that is used in many strops today to people interested in making their own strops.

Good Luck!

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

Why 4" wide? And besides if it is custom to YOU, why ask US what size YOU want it?

It covers the full blade. I just wanted feedback on the size and material. Btw I'm told that it would be hard to find leather of this size.

Originally Posted by altshaver

An old standard for strops used to be 2.5" wide by 24" long. The new standard these days is probably 3" wide by 24" long. A 4" wide strop would certainly cover the length of any straight razor you could find, but at the price of being more prone to cupping and instability. Even the 3" strops with proper hardware can cup. I would recommend a 3" wide strop based on my experiences. Some razors may be a little longer than 3", but not many.

If you are looking for hardware, take a look at Tony Miller's website:

The Well Shaved Gentleman The Heirloom Razor Strop Company

He is now providing his very popular hardware that is used in many strops today to people interested in making their own strops.

Good Luck!

Hi,
What's the meaning of cupping? Thanks for your help.

It's when the leather starts to fold up at the edges. If a piece of leather was very very cupped, you could run water through it, because it would look like a halfpipe. So imagine a less drastic version of a halfpipe.

Here's a picture of a halfpipe: http://wiki.fisski.com/images/thumb/...ty_WC_2009.jpg

Originally Posted by heirkb

It's when the leather starts to fold up at the edges. If a piece of leather was very very cupped, you could run water through it, because it would look like a halfpipe. So imagine a less drastic version of a halfpipe.

Here's a picture of a halfpipe: http://wiki.fisski.com/images/thumb/...ty_WC_2009.jpg

Ok I see. Such a strop would need to be stretched with excessive force if it's thick. But if it's thin (cordovan type) maybe stretching would work.

In my experience, thin leather is pretty nice. Sure it can cup, bend and do weird things more easily, but it's also easier to get it straight again. I have a vintage cordovan strop that has a few bends in it, but when I pull it taut, the leather is thin enough that none of that makes a difference.
All my experience has been with fairly narrow strops (2-2.5 inches), so I don't know what it would be like to have a thin (leather) and wide (3-4 inches) strop.

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

Why 4" wide? And besides if it is custom to YOU, why ask US what size YOU want it?

Some blades are over 3" long. That's the only reason you might want a wider strop I can think of.

It seems to me that a 4" wide piece of leather if more likely to have a problem with cupping than a 3" wide piece. A 3" long blade is very rare IME with 2 1/2 from heel to point being far more common. The old pro barber strops were pretty much universally 2 1/2. If it was me I would go with one of the two more common widths. If there is any benefit to a 4" strop I can't imagine what it is.