Thread: Compressed Latigo?

I went to my local leather shop and told them that I was planning on making a hanging leather strop. They told me in no uncertain terms that all strops were made out of compressed horse hide and that they don't carry that. I then told them that folks have been using latigo with great results, to which they replied it has to be compressed. So my question is, does it have to be compressed or can I use latigo for the strop? I don't recall in my research ever seeing the need for compressed latigo leather. Thanks.

Bryce

From what little I know about it I think "latigo" can have several meanings in terms of processing leathers and may or may not be compressed. Of course many leathers are used in strop making ranging from cow, horse, calf, kangaroo and even shark I believe and probably others as well. Personally I do not care for latigo strops just because they have to much drag for my preference.
We do have experts here who will add information here, I hope.

Nothing to add other than Black Latigo is my fave. Subscribed!

I guess going into a leather shop and getting advice about strops is like going into a knife shop and asking about straights.

They are clueless.

bigspendur, I didn't even ask for their opinion. I told them what I wanted it for and they denied me the sale because they didn't think I knew what I was talking about. This is the third time I've walked into the same shop with some questions and the third time they haven't known what they're talking about. Go figure.

They were feeding you a crock of B.S. Go to any other tack shop and tell them what you want and they'll find a nice piece of latigo and cut it for you. Get a piece 3.5 x 28", punch a hole in one end for a tie strap and cut a simple handle on the other. Viola! It'll cost you $10.

Aren’t expert opinions great?

I not an expert, but have made a few strops, some leather ones even. Almost any smooth leather will improve a razor edge.

I am sure there is something, treatment, tanning or type of leather that will get the last ounce of performance from a strop... like most things. But it is probably beyond my ability to notice.

Learning how to strop is half the battle and as a novice stropper you will most probably slice up a few leather strops before you get the hang of it.

Buy any flat, smooth leather 3 X 18 -20 inches to make a 16 in stropping surface and you are good to go.

Latigo does have a draw to it until broken in, it may take some time and that I believe may make the learning process a bit more difficult. I recommend plain old veg tanned leather to learn on and for your first strop.

Originally Posted by lt12b

bigspendur, I didn't even ask for their opinion. I told them what I wanted it for and they denied me the sale because they didn't think I knew what I was talking about. This is the third time I've walked into the same shop with some questions and the third time they haven't known what they're talking about. Go figure.

I have bought leather online and told vendors what I am doing with it. I get a nice piece for cheap. I got 1 horse hide with a stain on it and wrote the seller that I could not sell it with a stain. He sent me another piece free of charge. I bought more :<0) You don't ask leather sales people anything. You tell them. In the case of horse I say " 3" by (whatever) thickest you have (which is butt) You can find it online. Sometimes the search takes time but it's out there. Horse is very smooth and thinner.

Thanks everyone. My next stop is going to be a tack shop. I've been treated poorly by this particular shop before, but they are the only "leather" shop in town. Will not be going back.

As said already, they don't know what they are talking about. Have you seen those shows on tv where they ask a bunch of kids what some words mean? The kids that dont know are usually inclined to make something up. Some adults retain the habit. The ones in that shop have.

With regard to latigo, we became familiar with the extra-oily type that was available years ago. Since then there are at least three easily available types: heavy, medium and ver slick draw latigos, so opinions vary wildly because we aren't all talking about the same type, so recommendations are useless unless you listen to one person and buy an identical model from the same outlet.

There were a fair number of compressed leather strops available many decades ago. The ones with double leather strops marked 'sharpen' and 'finish' are an example, the sharpen side had an abrasive dust rolled under pressure into the surface. These were only lightly compressed, though.

Others, like russian leather strops were compressed much more. In centuries gone by russian leather was a definite article. Not only was it tanned using specific vegetable matter, it was also impregnated with aromatic oils (eg birch) to protect it from rot and water. It was also pulled tightly over a curved surface and the loose fleshy side worked off br dragging razor sharp cutting wires, etc, over it at opposing 45 degree angles, giving the back a diamond check appearance. The back was not meant to be used, and the leather was not compressed.

Over time it got such a good reputation that strop makers began to use it, but the old way of making it had long since ceased, so they invented their own process. This consisted of rolling the leather under opposing rollers, one plain and one with a checker pattern on it, under heavy pressure. This has the same effect as hammering - it makes the leather very stiff indeed, so much so that there were elaborate methods of breaking them in.

What got forgotten along the way is the reason the checker pattern was there in the first place, so like the kids in that tv program the adults made something up. They decided it was a pre-stropping or sharpening side. The fact that it appears to work only helped sales.

You can still get these so-called russian strops today, but I cannot think of another mechanically compressed leather that is widely available for strops.

Regards,
Neil