Thread: Finished my new paddle strop

It's been a bit since I last posted. I finally got some time and thought I'd share this project I finished a couple of weeks ago.

I decided to make a new paddle strop since I haven't cut my original in a while, kind of a self-reward thing . I wanted to do something a little different and went with hemp webbing and horsehide. The handle material I chose was oak.



I got some 3" webbing with a herringbone pattern from https://www.rawganique.com/hemp-webbing-s/122.htm They had good customer service and the price was right.

The horse hide I got from https://www.zackwhite.com/Horse-Leather_c_265.html I went with the 7/9oz option and the piece I got was closer to 7.

After cutting and shaping the paddle I decided to torch the wood a little to bring out the grain and finished it off with some dark walnut stain.



I cut a slightly oversize piece of the leather and glued it up. After it thoroughly dried I trimmed it to the edge of the paddle.



I treated the webbing by soaking and pounding it with a smooth mallet until no color came out in the soak and the edges were nice and flat. I also did a bunch of "shoe shine" work over a smooth metal pole. I brought out the torch again to burn off any loose fibers and to further soften the material (recommended by the seller).

I ran a line of fray check across the webbing and cut through the line of fray check. After gluing I repeated the fray check/cut to trim off the long end.



Finally, I burnished the leather with a highly polished piece of ebony until it had a nice glossy/satin finish and added a piece of brown and tan nylon boot lace to hang it up.



I've used it a few times now and am quite pleased with it. It's not perfect, but I'm happy. The horsehide is a lot harder and denser than my cowhide strop, and the draw was a lot faster. I slowed it down a bit with a few oil treatments. It's still faster, but I like the feel and my edges are still giving good shaves.

Very nice. I've used horsehide from Zack White as well. Sometimes they roll the leather the wrong way out in shipping, so it's important to notify them in advance while placing the order.

Nice work. Enjoy it.

Nice project. When I made a hemp fabric piece for my hanging strop I did pretty much the same thing and from what appears a similar source.
:-)

Really nice, I love this! I recently did something similar too. My kids got a hold of my Tony Miller vegan strop but there was a section that was about 14 inches that was still usable so I carved a handle from birch and then glued it on. It definitely takes some getting used to as it doesn't have even the flex that nice thick piece of leather offers. I didn't even consider putting a fabric component on the reverse side! How do you folks -- Rez, JellyJar, and anyone else who has tried -- find the fabric on a paddle?

Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by ppetresen

Really nice, I love this! I recently did something similar too. My kids got a hold of my Tony Miller vegan strop but there was a section that was about 14 inches that was still usable so I carved a handle from birch and then glued it on. It definitely takes some getting used to as it doesn't have even the flex that nice thick piece of leather offers. I didn't even consider putting a fabric component on the reverse side! How do you folks -- Rez, JellyJar, and anyone else who has tried -- find the fabric on a paddle?

Ooh, sorry to hear about your strop. At least you were able to salvage something from it.

I can't really comment on hanging vs. paddle since (believe it or not) have never used a hanging strop. I started with paddle strops for woodworking several decades ago and just used what I knew when I started in with the straights. The first fabric/leather strop I did was a fairly thin piece of canvas glued to pine. It was a bit stiff and had very little give. I eventually added two additional layers of the same fabric and it added some cushion. I've heard of some paddle strops using a layer of felt under the fabric side to add some give. This particular webbing was quite a bit thicker than the fabric I used for my first, so I went with it as is, and it seems to work fine. I imagine it has a much stiffer/less forgiving feel than a hanging strop, but I'm used to it so...

I did not put the hemp fabric on a paddle strop, it is on a hanging strop. I do like the hemp fabric on the hanging strop. I do have a paddle and it’s treated leather. I also have a lipshaw bench strop. I love to strop!