Thread: Strop grits?

Originally Posted by FAL

I have three Long cordovan strops, will Kanoyama rebuild them? It seems they would have to do that any way and I would like to know how they Finish the surface and with what Material?

Here is a short tutorial how to make a paddle strop. I used the method described in Iwasaki's book. Pretty sure that is what Kanoyama does with their strops.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-tutorial.html


Here is the book in question:

I have had nothing but good things to say about Fendrihans. They sell a large range of products, not limited to shaving products. I have two Kanayama's from them both #70000. After exchanging emails prior to buying them, it was clear that they had no real imagination of what grit was let alone alleging maliciously that one strop was this or that, in fact they have two Kanayama strops marked #6300 and #2196, now only a dope would conclude that figures of this type refer to grit as in particle size. C'mon guys, if some one offered you a Stone with a grit of 2196, what would you reasonably conclude. Retailers stock items made by other people, as Kanayama strops are sold over the world. To suggest that any company would assert a strop had a grit rating just tells you they don't shave with straights. It is unwise to suggest or allege maliciousness referring to trade practice mis-conduct.

You are correct Phrank,
What has been suggested as 'Stupid' and 'misleading' in this thread is information used by a favoured retailer in Aframestokyo. Company bashing is against the rules for this exact reason.

Perhaps, this will help explain the finish, it is more about the leather, AND the finish that produces the Shell shinny finish.

From an article in the Gentleman’s Gazette, blog, on Horween’s and the Cordovan leather making process.

Here is the link to the article. Cordovan Leather from Horween.

Since the mid 19th century, the term Cordovan has been generally applied to leather made from the shell of horse butts. Unlike other leather, the shell is a membrane in the middle of two epidermis layers in the rear portion of a horse butt. It begins about 24″ from the tail and extends about 24″ to 28″ on each side. The exact size depends on the particular horse.

In the late 19th century, German tanners had mastered the art of tanning shell cordovan butts. The product was sold as “Spiegelware”, which literally translates to “mirror goods.” The name is a reference to the fact that polished cordovan achieves a mirror-like finish. Unlike other leathers, its pores are not visible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, the leather was still rather firm or stout and hence not ideally suited for the shoe production.