Linen fire hose strops

My last Illinois strop was a 827. It was rough and bumpy, the fabric was hard and really zippy.
Did not like it, personally.

So as I found this 361, it is smooth and has nice medium draw. Reminds me of good English bridle. It did, however have that same fabric. I like the hard zippy stuff for workshop/honing use, but wanted something smoother and softer for daily use.

I had a length of old fire-hose linen and proceeded to make me 2 hanging strops and one to fit a lipshaw strop from it.

Attachment 248172

The stuff was grungy, so I cut it into 3 lengths and proceeded to clean them in a way I had done before with some good success.

In the boiling pot of water went the strop, 3 tablespoons of Oxyclean, and a splash of bleach.
Fizzy! :D

Attachment 248174

After 15 minutes or so, the grunge came loose. Coffee, anyone? :rofl2:

Attachment 248175

Dumped the dirty water, put some more on to boil, rinsed the linen inside and out, back in the pot, repeat again twice with clean water.

I then laid out the strop on paper towels, covered with same, and smashed it with a piece of Corian and a fair deal of weight on top for 3 hours or so.
Attachment 248176

The strop came out damp and stiff. I squeezed the sides to open it up and allowed to dry overnite.

Attachment 248177

Next morning it was dry and still stiff, but breaking it over a chair back, pulling back and forth limbered it up to it's previous state. Lots cleaner and smoother.
Before and after!

Attachment 248178

So I wanted a little hand-grip like on my old Kanoyama strop.

Attachment 248179

Went and got some grommets/tool and took the mess over to my Mexican upholstery buddy

He did a fair job, as-always, and it all turned out quite nice!

Attachment 248180

Best part is, being broke at the moment, it only cost 10 bucks for the grommet kit and a 6-pack of Michelob Ultra for my friend!

:y

A great strop and a great bargain at the same time, what else could you want.

Very nice!

There is a guy on eBay selling pieces for stropping, new/unused clean old hose like that. I have 6' myself but have not made it into a strop yet.

Those look great Tom. I know that fabric well, and while never trying it as a strop myself I see the value..
Nice work amigo!

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Originally Posted by AKmik

Very nice!

There is a guy on eBay selling pieces for stropping, new/unused clean old hose like that. I have 6' myself but have not made it into a strop yet.

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Yes, that is where I got this!

Don't do that anymore Tom, I got all the firehouse you need,, 1 grandson, 1 son and one so son in law with the fire department, I now have two rolls of firehouse maybe 50' each, Let ,me know if you want anymore. Tc

I think the actual fire hose is rubber hose.Tc. The linen is the protective covering over it.
Certainly it is poly or something like that these days? I would think the linen is from days gone by.

Who knows? Ask those firemen of yours.....
Anyhoo, it was cheap enough, I think. Bad thing was, I ordered 3 pieces and I got it all in one long piece.
No combined shipping! :rolleyes:

I,ll go look at it tomorrow it's down in my shop. I,m sure it's got a rubber inside de piece but the outside is linen. Tc

Might be a good candidate for the lead bar, Tc?

I've done this too and it works great. I like the ends your friend put on there, I only sealed my ends with super glue but it works alright. Geezer posted something about hanging it to dry with weights and it works to stretch and straighten it.

Wolfpack Mike hangs with the weights as well. Could not figure out a way to do it, but it makes sense.
He also says spray starch is good. I may try to iron/starch one.

Since the laundry-room overhaul, the iron went missing.......Nobody quite knows where it went, nor misses it! :rofl2:

The fire hose that I have used is not lined. Depends on the vintage.

I hang mine to dry using two small pieces of wood on either end c-clamped together so just an inch of the strop is sandwiched. Then I loop rope through the c-clamps on both ends. The loop on the top goes on a hook, the loop on the bottom goes through a 10 pound weight. Looks pretty funky hanging next to shirts and stuff in the laundry room.

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Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

I hang mine to dry using two small pieces of wood on either end c-clamped together so just an inch of the strop is sandwiched. Then I loop rope through the c-clamps on both ends. The loop on the top goes on a hook, the loop on the bottom goes through a 10 pound weight. Looks pretty funky hanging next to shirts and stuff in the laundry room.

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Just goes to show ya, 'Tuzi! I reckon it was not so much my not being able to figure it out......

I am just plain LAZY! :roflmao

Besides, I was doing 3 almost at once!

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Originally Posted by 32t

The fire hose that I have used is not lined. Depends on the vintage.

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Yeah, recent experience showed me that modern 3 inch hose (used by HFD) is now red and all rubber stuff. No fabric covering..

I remember seeing the stuff hanging in hotel corridors back in the day, under glass.
Big valve and brass nozzle in there as well.

..........:rofl2: Yeah, and besides if they are not already matched up with some leather who cares if they shrink?

Now a days the brass nozzle wouldn't last a day!:rofl2:

Despite saying "Quaker City Rubber Co." this one is not lined with rubber.
Attachment 248198

I think the fabric-covered hose is/was a space-saving thing. Seems it is coiled flat in the fire truck and went round as the water-pressure hit. Rubber inside must have been quite thin.

Reminds of an old Andy Griffith movie. "Angel in my pocket'. Andy played a new preacher in a small town.
Grandpa had a still in the church basement. As it blew up and the church was burning, the FD arrived and their hoses were like Swiss cheese! Church burned down!

TBH, they still use fabric covered hoses for the big boys, coiled on the truck.
Lots of hose flattened out in a small space.

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Originally Posted by xiaotuzi

Despite saying "Quaker City Rubber Co." this one is not lined with rubber.
Attachment 248198

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It may have been 'property of' there?
Perhaps it is impregnated with rubber? I mean it seems to have the brass fitting still attached?
Could the linen be woven tight enough to make an actual hose?
We have much to learn, I suppose!

Lazy! :popcorn:

Got a couple of pieces of the Scottish flax hose from ebay.
Very clean and is definitely my favorite linen.

There is no rubber anywhere. My theory is that the hose gets wet, even drips but the linen swells and keeps almost all of the water inside. Then when the hose gets dragged through some fire or hot coals or whatever is does not burn because it's wet. Sorta like the way you can boil water in a paper cup over a fire and the cup doesn't burn.

That must be it! I mistakenly assumed there must be a lining in there.

Apparently not!

Yeah, but I have seen them with rubber adhered to the inside also. Newer (or less old) ones maybe?

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

I think the actual fire hose is rubber hose.Tc. The linen is the protective covering over it.
Certainly it is poly or something like that these days? I would think the linen is from days gone by.

Who knows? Ask those firemen of yours.....
Anyhoo, it was cheap enough, I think. Bad thing was, I ordered 3 pieces and I got it all in one long piece.
No combined shipping! :rolleyes:

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Yup newer firehose is made of synthetics with a solid rubber liner inside. The natural coton/linen jacketed hose is a rare sight on a fire truck these days.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I have about 60ft of vintage linen hose without a rubber liner. It hung in an accordion style rack so it has some creases in it but it's never been used.
If anyone wants some to play with I'm in it about a buck a foot. Just send me a pm if you want a piece or all of it.

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

I,ll go look at it tomorrow it's down in my shop. I,m sure it's got a rubber inside de piece but the outside is linen. Tc

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Years ago, when I was a union ironworker, some of the old school welders used to get firehose and make a pouch for their welding rods. They'd get a length of firehose and cut it to the correct length with a loop for their belt, and cut a hunk of wood in a circle and nail it at the bottom of the hose. Carried their stick welding rod in it. The rubber inside helped keep the rods dry, and the linen was plenty durable. Was better than the commercial leather rod holders, cause it held its shape, and most of all, kept moisture away from the rods.

Wow! That is very clever and a nice way to recycle material.

Where our resident Fireman when we need him hehe. I have seen these things in action at my local fire station during events when the community can bring their kids to check out the cool gear. Of course the had a Fireman demonstrating the shear power of a pump truck and hose set up. Seemed to me that the hose oozed water through out its length as the man was shooting tons of water at a little fire he made. Probably no rubber needed for some of those things.

Very nice, I've only ever had 1 use for the hose! ;)

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Originally Posted by Firefighter2

Very nice, I've only ever had 1 use for the hose! ;)

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Stop that! :roflmao

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Originally Posted by Firefighter2

Very nice, I've only ever had 1 use for the hose! ;)

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,,,,,,,,,,,,,:gaah:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Stop that! :roflmao

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Not what I meant, LOL