Thread: Kanayama Cordovan Strop 90000 - Not the quality it used to be

Really sorry the strop has these issues.
It might be possible to take out the problem with a LOT of rolling with s beer bottle.
Another method would be rubbing on the back side of the leather with a large spoon.

+1 on what Rolodave said. Id also mention that Naomi San is an old boy in his late 80s/early 90s. Father Time waits for no man.

I have a 70k about 7 years old, No issues. My go to is an old russian shell that i got on the bay for $20.

Originally Posted by Bill31521

I have a 70k about 7 years old, No issues. My go to is an old russian shell that i got on the bay for $20.

My old one also has no issues, this one is pretty much a waste of money. My old strop by Naomi San is the best strop I've ever used.

I'm just not having good luck with strops.
I also have a custom strop made by a highly regarded strop maker and the leather is filled with micro-tears. Hmpfz.



Guess both my supposedly high-end strops are going into my woodworking shop, such a waste of money.

I don’t think Naomi San is the one making them any more, it’s a shame, one of my best strops

Yep, I have a 90K I bought several years ago and it's a work of art.

How was it shipped? Sometimes shipping can do bad things to strops if not done properly.

Something looks strange at the top clamp in the 2nd picture. If the top clamp is bent uneven, it will cause waves which will run down the strop.
If my strop is cupping, I pull it tight and cup it the other way by squeezing the sides with the other hand so the sides are low and the center is high. I then pull my hand down the strop maintaining the upwards cup several times.
Some never need it, but some do frequently. Mostly my thinner strops do this.
A matter of 'training' the leather

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Yep, I have a 90K I bought several years ago and it's a work of art.

How was it shipped? Sometimes shipping can do bad things to strops if not done properly.

It was shipped well.

BUT the box it was shipped in was not damaged, the box of the strop itself had a dent in it and the strop itself was also dented. Like the box was stored against the leg of a storage shelf.

So I do blame the vendor for bad or no QC before shipping. Luckily these strops are very supple and it didn't look like it caused permanent damage.
Silly me for not immediately sending it back, but ack, can't change that now. That's on me.