Thread: Question re: leather for homemade / DIY strop

Okay, so I think I've done enough research on the topic since I started googling it 2 hours ago (just kidding, more like 4), so now I'd like to ask some questions!

Smoothness:
How smooth is smooth? If it has small but visible wrinkles like those on your knee or elbow but you can still run your hand along it just fine, is that smooth enough? Or does it need to be even smoother, like (exaggerating a bit here) glass?

Suppleness:
I picked up and held a few pieces at the store today, some of them felt sort of like...plastic. It bent, it wasn't totally stiff but wasn't exactly what I imagine as "supple" either, though maybe this was due to the size. Is there some sort of standardized scale or good tests for suppleness?
- Is this different from softness?

Leather types:
Okay, so it sounds like a properly made strop with top-grade material is the most important thing, so what exactly should I ask for? Vegetable tanned? Grade one?

- How would you rank the various types of hide in terms of quality? I ask because I'd like to purchase a high-grade "top-tier" hide (horsehide or shell cordovan? doubt we have kangaroo here...), and maybe also pick up a piece of high-grade "mid-tier" hide, like latigo or something (are there different types?). So basically a high-end and mid-range leather that I should try out.

Blade Type
So I have an extra-hollow ground blade (4/8" I think), and I hear it's more prone to curling at the cutting edge if stropped improperly. Does this affect the type of leather I should get, and the set-up (hanging vs. strop)?

Paddle vs. Hanging strops
What's better for a newbie who 1) needs to learn technique and 2) makes a lot of mistakes?

Width:
Also, optimal width? For hanging vs paddle? Most of the pre-cut strips at this store are 2" across and fairly long.

Thanks in advance, looking forward to trying to build a strop instead of shelling out $40 for one at AoS or someplace similar!