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Hi everyone,
I am planning to make my own strop. Not yet certain about whether I want a paddle one or a hanging one, but that is not the question anyways.
I have read, and watched, about other guys experiences here in the str8razorplace (or would it be "str8razorplA" ;-) ) and mostly everyone is using thick vegetal-treated leather, mainly from cows, but some other ones too. Any reason for not trying a thin chromium-treated leather? I have a piece I could use for this.
TIA
Martin
Not sure about the treatment but thick leather stays flat which is ideal for a strop
The treatment I am referring to might be called "tanning", but I am not sure (google translator here). Vegetable-treated leather is rigid, wear resistant, and stands well for water. Usually used for shoes' outsoles.Quote:
Originally Posted by JTmke
Chrome treated is just the opposite: Thin, stands well to traction, very flexible. Used for wallets, jackets, and shoes' upper part.
There are lots of treatments in-between (called "curtido vegetal re-curtido cromo" in Spanish), those are just the two extremes.
Rgds.
Does not really matter especially when starting out and stropping skill is way more important than how the leather was tanned.
Any smooth leather will work, it use on a paddle thickness does not matter, just glue with most any glue, it does not have to be super strong, to a flat substrate, wood works well. 3X 12 in is minimal size up to about 18 in length.
You do not need to treat with anything either. Just use lite pressure when stropping, keep the spine on the strop at all times and stop forward motion completely before flipping.
Thanks, Euclid. I have been stropping for a few months, and recently changed the pressure (lightly). I've found some advice about using a strip of newspaper paper to practice the right pressure. Even when all of my strops are paddled, I try to make the pressure I felt with the strip of paper without tearing it out.
My question was about thickness (if everyone around was making it with thick leather it is probably the only right way to do so) and also tanning treatment (chromium might be an abrasive beyond plain leather's "grain").
I'll get a strip of wood and give it a try.
Rgds.
Martin
No, thickness does not matter, I use Kangaroo leather some times, that is very thin and also have some Latigo that is almost a ¼ inch thick. They all perform similar.
Tanning can make a difference on the very high end of stropping, buy only once you have perfected your stropping technique.
We all chase what we call the 2 percent, the keenest, smoothest edge that is really only 2 percent better than the rest. Different kinds of tanning, is in that 2 percent range, maybe make a difference, maybe not.
Smooth leather will give you great results. I also strop on paper strops for use as sub-micron pasted strops. Paper is surprisingly strong.
I like MDF wood for paddle strops it is very flat, and inexpensive.
You said what I have thought for a long time, that the material dictated the thickness of the strop. They all get the job done, but individual shavers have preferences. I think I prefer them all!Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440