Attn Leather Pros: Homemade Strop - Shiny Leather?

Hi guys. I just made a big strop on a perfectly flat piece of maple I picked up, almost 4 inches by 16". The leather I found at the leather shop, cowhide as you can see. I glued it down one side suede-face down, and one side grain-side down.

I feel like the grain side is too smooth. Is it normal to rough it up a little? It has literally almost no pull to it and is almost like glass. I would have bought latigo for this, but at the store I was at, they only sold latigo in the full half cow piece. See pics.

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If you rough it up as you would a baseball you will notice a much greater performance in generating friction. If you are looking for a uniform breaking of the shine you can sand the leather with 150 grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge.

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Originally Posted by Kenrup

If you rough it up as you would a baseball you will notice a much greater performance in generating friction. If you are looking for a uniform breaking of the shine you can sand the leather with 150 grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge.

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Great, thanks!

Yup, that will work almost any glue will work, just make sure the glue is smooth or you will feel it, when you strop, White or Yellow glue is what I use, paint it on thin on both wood and leather, let tack a little, then join and add weight.

You can sand lightly or use a sharp cabinet scraper to raise the grain or smooth the rough side.

Strop on a piece of rubber drawer liner, to keep it clean and stable. Looks like you might have enough to make a pasted strop.

Yes, the spray stuff for automotive interior trim works well. 3M makes 2 grades I know of. The yellow and the clear.
The yellow is sufficient for this and is a bit more forgiving, while the clear sticks pretty fast and solid.
I would recommend the yellow for thin leather, the clear for thick.

I apologize! The OP's question was on the leather. If it is slick, palm rub it often, even when not using.
If the processed leather is quality, this will increase draw in increments till you love it. :)

isn't shell cordovan very slick? it's considered a prime strop material. some people like a fast draw.

Cordovan is slick. And it is a prime strop material. You can have it both ways but a fast draw is going to require more laps to get things done. However; as Cordovan ages the slickness will sometimes diminish.

That's the normal grain surface for vegetable tanned leather. That shiny surface is the skin layer of the leather, and will soften up with use. It will have less draw than Latigo would. You can rough it up with a fine sand paper, or as mentioned just rub it with your hand a few times each week until it breaks in.

Thanks for all the great thoughts. I upped my pre-shave strokes (and speed/pressure) on it from 50-60 to 100 and all my razors are shaving nicely.