Thread: Bill Barber AKA Pixelfixed, loom strop recreation.

Evening gentlemen.
I’ve started this thread to capture the journey of recreating one of the finest examples of a loom strop I’ve ever seen, but not held.
Bill Barber, Pixelfixed, was a member of SRP that has sadly gone ahead but will be missed as well as remembered by many members of the forum still here and still shaving.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/strops/...oom-strop.html

The above is the thread to the strop that was the inspiration for the challenge for this thread.
A beautiful strop made from exotic hardwoods and organic materials fused with modern steel and brass hardware, and quality latigo leather. Precisely built, with effective tensioning as well as lateral rigidity.

Sounds easy, lol.

Being who I am I wanted to make more than one as the expected mistakes along the way may ruin one prototype, but not likely all three of them.

I was stuck at the theory point of the project for almost a year as I was busy, and didn’t have anything but the above thread to build from. No measurements and no way to take it apart to reverse engineer.
Thankfully the owner and no longer active member took some measures for me and sent them my way just this winter. Thanks John, Miss you on here buddy.
With those dimensions, and a part purchased after the holidays for my little metal lathe I had everything needed to start into it.

So for your viewing and copying pleasures see below;

Started with my approximate sizes of 3 3x2x1” blocks of cocobolo, babinga, and ebony respectively. All cut from a single block of each material.
These all get slightly smaller as you plane sand and dial these in. But I maintained grain direction and orientation throughout the builds.

Acquired and cut horsehide, not latigo into 2 1/2” wide strop strips for the strops.

8mm stainless steel rods, threaded down to 5/16 thread provides the alignment and strength of the finished strops.
More to come.
Cheers.

I went slightly astray from Bill’s design in my choice of brass threaded inserts in the base blocks , but think he’d approve the deviation.


Custom turned top caps which are something I never would have thought of but really think help set the finished piece apart.

And handles comprised of multiple materials all keyed together before bonding, then Turned to final shape.

All coming together to look like this.

But after staining the initial 5 Oz hide with some dye from Michaels and leaving the strops under tension a few nights I discovered the hide is separating.

I left them quite taut, but that was the point of the test, and to me the leather, or dye has failed.
Not being a leatherologist I am experimenting here and think the dye hardened the surface maybe, and then when I stretch it on the loom, it cracked along little fissures and the results, well, no good for strops.
So plan B is go with aniline dye, which I have for wood projects predominantly, but hear is really good on leather too.

This stuff is more translucent and actually leaves a very soft, almost buttery feel to the leather.
The black test piece is a solvent base, the gray, the aniline.
Anyway, that’s where I’m at now.
Think the aniline stuff is more like a tattoo and will get into the cells without casehardening the skin. The leather strips I already did in black will be ok for hanging strops as they never get stretched like a loom, so not a total loss. Just the price of educating myself.
Cheers guys.
Thanks for looking.

Very nice Mike. A fine job you have done. A little more work and the leather will work out great.

Thanks for sharing Mike, does the threaded rod go all the way through?

If it is any consolation, natural leather is beautiful, in fact I prefer it not dyed. However I understand your tenacious requirement to solve all puzzles thrown at your feet. The project looks amazing. I’m glad to see you making progress on your long planned project, and the fingers working better and better.

Originally Posted by tintin

Thanks for sharing Mike, does the threaded rod go all the way through?

The center rod is 3/8th and is threaded such that it floats through the upper wood and threads into the second bar which is the top of the leather strop section.


The bases are threaded into the brass inserts, then locked down with brass washers and jam nuts.

The tops, lock by spinning the tops down first against the washers, then snugging everything tight from underneath on the jamb nuts there.
In use as the handle is twisted it either draws the second wooden bar closer or further from the top and controls the leather tension that way.

And regarding the dye, I hear ya shaun and will be keeping the babinga and brass one au natural but do want to figure this out so I’m running some tests swabs.

Appreciate the feedback all. Really has/is taken a while, but so what. It’s fun.
Hell, I spent hours just chasing the threads such that’s when it’s all together there isn't any unnecessary threads above the jamb nuts. And since so far, I haven’t pooched any of the sets, but they are all slightly different sizes, there was a lot of assemble, measure, disassemble, clamp, count turns and repeat.

My wife has stopped asking me if I’m almost done, she doesn’t believe my ‘yup, almost’ anymore, hehe.

So cool Mike, I remember Bill would occasionally post one of these superb creations of his, was never the right time, I'd always just purchased a new razor, and it'd be gone within minutes.

Looks great, and another fine job my friend! :-)

Andrew. Good to see your still around. Finally got a bottle of blue Floyd from Dave at the Texas meet. Then promptly dropped it and broke it. So I need to call mission impossible guys up to figure out how to smuggler that bottle you have. I haven’t cryed since I wrecked an old Harley. But that bottle hitting the pavement hurt my feelings��

Blue Floyd braised brisket and bourbon anyone??
Hmmm..