Originally Posted by
RayClem
I have been using my new shell cordovan strop for a while. When I first got it, the strop had quite a bit of draw, surprising considering how "slick" the leather looked. Matt said that he ships the leather just as the manufacturer leaves it. He suggested that I wipe the leather with a clean cloth to remove any excess waxes, etc. left over from the tanning process. When I did that, the draw became faster, but is still greater than my Tony Miller fast bridle.
My current procedure is to strop about 20 lap on latigo, 30 laps on fast bridle, and 40 laps on shell. That gives a wonderful edge, a little better than using either the latigo or fast bridle alone or in combination.
I have not tried stropping on the shell alone, but it would probably give a similar edge. I use three strops because I can.
I really like the "linen" portion of the strop. I believe it is made from cotton. It is not nearly as zippy as the cotton on my TM strop, or the polyester webbing that came on my latigo.