wanna make me a DIY strop please advise

i saw a couple of nice DIY strop threads and decided i wanna try make one myself as well for CrO and if its good enough maybe for every other day stropping...

i went to a leather shop and they are selling scrap pieces of leather for ok prices... i looked at the pieces and they seem very nice in the hand , very soft and the leather is thin... not thick....

but the main concern... what am i looking for ... how thick should the leather be? can a good strop be made out of thin cow leather ? or thin goat leather?

is it better if it is thick?

also how should it feel on hand i saw the other post and i will be aware of wrinkels and imperfections...

thanks alot and please let me know what you think i should look for

any opinions apreciated

best regards,

Iulian

Theres two threads going on at the moment which should be useful:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...p-leather.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...e-leather.html

Have a look at those as they should give you some good pointers!

Julian, looking at a number of strops, both new and vintage, they are in the neighborhood of 1/8" thick. Usually horsehide back in the old days. Cowhide works too. There is a member in Australia, IIRC, who has made strops of Kangaroo leather with good results. The default for the old pro barber strops was 2 1/2 wide x 24" long. In more recent times the 3" wide strop is more common. If you know what your preference is, one is probably as good as the other. :gl:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stubear

Theres two threads going on at the moment which should be useful:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...p-leather.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...e-leather.html

Have a look at those as they should give you some good pointers!

---

Thanks for the links stubear i already read those but the thickness wasnt specified that's where i worry ... if the strop will be oo thin ... what then?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Julian, looking at a number of strops, both new and vintage, they are in the neighborhood of 1/8" thick. Usually horsehide back in the old days. Cowhide works too. There is a member in Australia, IIRC, who has made strops of Kangaroo leather with good results. The default for the old pro barber strops was 2 1/2 wide x 24" long. In more recent times the 3" wide strop is more common. If you know what your preference is, one is probably as good as the other. :gl:

---

Thanks for the reply Jimmy it's real helpfull...what is 1/8 of an inch in mm? :D i dont mean to be a pain in the BB but im not realy talented at imperil measurements...

thanks for your patience...

so... in a word if i find a piece of leather that's good enough ... i will try the cow hide... it should be ok right? can the finish on the leather interfere with the stropping? i think the leathers i saw had a finish on them like... they were using them for bags and stuff i think... thanks alot

Best Regards,

Iulian

Not being precise, but looking at my tape measure with both scales, 1/8" appears to be 4 or 5mm. The strops I have all have a slick or top grain finish. Exceptions being a HandAmerican that was purposely roughed up by the maker. None of my vintage or recent strops are of soft leather, such as you'd find with a glove, but firm as with a saddle skirt.

Just so you know, the leather I got from Tandy was a nice thickness, and I think very similar to strops you can purchase from vendors. I can measure the leather and post it later if you want to know the exact thickness. Also, I don't know where you live, but if you want a strip of leather from Tandy, but are afraid to order online, I would be glad to pick it up for you and ship it to you at cost. That way you wouldn't have to worry about imperfections, as I am VERY picky :rofl2:

PM me if you want, and I would be glad to help out. Tandy is only a couple miles from my Barber school that I attend M-F.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by iulian

Thanks for the links stubear i already read those but the thickness wasnt specified that's where i worry ... if the strop will be oo thin ... what then?



Thanks for the reply Jimmy it's real helpfull...what is 1/8 of an inch in mm? :D i dont mean to be a pain in the BB but im not realy talented at imperil measurements...

thanks for your patience...

so... in a word if i find a piece of leather that's good enough ... i will try the cow hide... it should be ok right? can the finish on the leather interfere with the stropping? i think the leathers i saw had a finish on them like... they were using them for bags and stuff i think... thanks alot

Best Regards,

Iulian

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Not being precise, but looking at my tape measure with both scales, 1/8" appears to be 4 or 5mm. The strops I have all have a slick or top grain finish. Exceptions being a HandAmerican that was purposely roughed up by the maker. None of my vintage or recent strops are of soft leather, such as you'd find with a glove, but firm as with a saddle skirt.

---

I understand sir, it looked like that thickness if i recall aproximately :P but the thing is... i do not know if they had thick leather there... i will ask when i go back but just in case i do not find thick and rigid leather... how will i do with a soft leather strop... will it dull my blade with time ? i mean bend the microscopic blade one way or another ( hope you understand me )

Should i get the softer leather in case i do not find thick and rigid or am i better safe than sorry and search some kind of saddle making shop?

Thanks alot and i hope i did not repeat the same details others have discussed in the same DYI topics... although i did read the kangaroo strop thread and the others DYI and i still didnt read about the leather being very soft :) like a glove leather...

Best regards,

Iulian

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by avatar1999

Just so you know, the leather I got from Tandy was a nice thickness, and I think very similar to strops you can purchase from vendors. I can measure the leather and post it later if you want to know the exact thickness. Also, I don't know where you live, but if you want a strip of leather from Tandy, but are afraid to order online, I would be glad to pick it up for you and ship it to you at cost. That way you wouldn't have to worry about imperfections, as I am VERY picky :rofl2:

PM me if you want, and I would be glad to help out. Tandy is only a couple miles from my Barber school that I attend M-F.

---

Thank you very much sir for you kind offering but i live in europe (austria) and i think that the shipping costs will challenge the principle of a DYI strop :P and as much i am being tempted to accept your proposal, i would like to learn how to inspect those imperfections in the leather and the quallities of a good strop leather in the shop by myself even if it means spending a couple of hours there :D and cut everything just like in the Roo strop thread :)

But out of curiosity would you have any idea how much will it cost for a couple of strips of leather to be shipped to europe (austria) ?

dont answer if you dont know ... just let someone who experienced it answer... because it is a long way and it takes some time...

Have a nice afternoon...

eleathersupply.com sells three-inch-wide belts of latigo leather 72 inches long and 1/8-inch thick. Belt Blanks and Latigo leather Straps

I had a prototype strop made of considerably thinner latigo for quite a while, and it did a much better job than the compressed-leather strops I'd owned before. Now I have a strop made by Doug Marcotte of Tucson, in seriously thick latigo treated with neatsfoot, and it's even better.

I wouldn't personally try anything of a lesser grade. Plain cowhide is fine for treating with diamond or chrome oxide grit for a lapping strop, but a smooth, hard surface and a little "grab" from being slightly oiled seem best for regular stropping.

Just finished two DIY strops. One is latigo and the second is English bridle leather. I had the strips of leather cut out of top quality hides by my friends at Berlin Leather from Berlin, Ohio in the heart of Amish country. I wanted extra long strops as I have 36 inch sleeves. The strops are both 3 inches wide, are .188 inches thick and the finished strop area is 24 inches. The OAL is 34 inches. I added a cotton cloth strop to the back side of the EBL strop. I made the handles from a piece of scrap latigo that I procured from a saddle shop locally. I used chrome Chicago screws and craft cement to to assemble all.

How do they work? Absolutely great. I had a couple using razors that I thought needed some work on my CRO2 paddle but 25 laps on the EBL then 25 on the latigo and they passed the HHT easily. The draw especially on the EBL was incredible. Much better than the shell horsehide Medal of Award I was using.

Having said all of this let me just say that I spent a lot of time on these strops and the chances of screwing them up was high. I invested more money into them than I thought (the best quality leather strips were $15 apiece) and by the time you pay for hardware, etc. you are better off buying a top quality Tony Miller, SRD or Neil Miller strop and don't look back. In fact I will own a TM latigo/linen strop as soon as my ship comes in. There is little chance that you can match the quality, fit and finish of the products made by these master craftsmen.

But if your heart is set on a "make your own" it can be fun if you need a journeyman tool and you don't care what it looks like. Be especially careful about the quality of the leather as this is where the razor meets the road.
Denny
300WSM :gwh:

Awsome

i just finnished documenting my first DIY strop making experience that i will post soon enough after i sort through the pics...

But i have a question ... because the leather i got was a cowhide more natural looking but after the finished piece it didnt look so top grain like the scrub leather on my modular paddle ...

and the question--- How do i know top grain leather in the belt shop when i will buy my next piece of leather ?

AND ... i looked at horsehide but it is very soft at touch and not rigid... will this make for a good strop? the leather was thin nothing like cowhide...

i also lathered up the new cowhide strop i made we'll see how that increases the draw ...

Thanks alot for posting your strop looks very nice i couldn't find any hardware here must look harder...

Cheers

I left the choice of leather up to the experts and I am glad I did. The boys at Berlin Leather picked the perfect material and it worked. These guys build harnesses and other carriage equipment out of latigo and bridle leather that is used every day in sometimes terrible conditions. They build top quality equipment that lasts.

I do not know enough about your material to answer your leather questions but there is probably someone close to where you live who does. Find someone who is knowledgeable and ask away. They can help you. Good luck with your project.
Denny
300WSM :gwh: