Thread: Shell Cordovan Strop Question

Originally Posted by altshaver

I am very skeptical of shell leather being used in strop making. In my talks with Keith De'Grau of HandAmerican, Keith told me that leather tanneries producing leather for strops made little distinction between horsehide, horse shell, and horse butt strip when producing leather for strops. Vintage strops labeled as Shell strops could possibly have other leather involved. Personally, I believe that it was more of a marketing thing back then. Also, I have been told by Nick Horween that shells large enough for making a 24" long strop are pretty rare today (shell leather is getting rarer and rarer in total as well).

If you are looking for a good strop, you don't need shell leather. There are a lot of good strops being made today, and most are not made from shell leather. As others have mentioned, the treatment is just as, if not more, important than the leather.

If you have to have a shell strop, talk with your vendors and manufacturers to make sure you are getting what you want. In the end, you may never be 100% sure that your strop is going to be made of shell leather. In this case, you'll just have to place trust in your vendors and manufacturers.

Good luck and happy shopping!

There is no need to be skeptical about my shell cordovan leather strops. If I list something as 'genuine shell cordovan' then that is exactly what it is. 100%.

We do have a Trade Descriptions Act here in the UK...

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

If I list something as 'genuine shell cordovan' then that is exactly what it is. 100%.

I could take this to pm, but maybe others have the same question I do - what exactly is genuine shell cordovan?

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I could take this to pm, but maybe others have the same question I do - what exactly is genuine shell cordovan?

It is just what altshaver quotes re: his talk with Nick. To list the specifics:

• it comes from a horses posterior in the form of two small ovals,
• it cannot really be termed hide, because it lies under the actual hide,
• it is not composed of strands like hide is - this makes it wrinkle-free and very water resistant,
• the tanning process takes a full six months,
• machines cannot do the processing - it is done by hand,
• the process is a veg-tan process,
• the shells are set on glass frames to dry, then hand shaved to fully expose the shell,
• the shells are dyed then hand glazed,
• there are (reputedly) only two tanneries in the world that carry out this process.

In summation, the name itself - 'shell cordovan' - tells the story: shells (only available from horses) are tanned in the Cordovan fashion ('cordovan' being a corruption of Cordoba, the Spanish city that originated the technique). Simple, isn't it?!

Regards,
Neil

Really the main thing that causes my doubt button to come on is when I read about either Horsehide or Cordovan have such wonderful draw in addition to many of the comparisons that come from these statements. Modern Horsehide and the Cordovan that I have seen, start out so slick that you can hardly keep a razor on them and only after an extensive or a heavy method of breaking in, do they reach their optimum resistance which in all that I have seen is very very nice.

Many of the DIY strop makers out there just make strops based on what they see is popular and from popular materials. I believe and this is only my personal opinion, that strops have their own personalities and provide different results if you really test them. The normal guy though, need not worry with this as he will just have one strop and so long as the razor gives a good shave following it's use, all is well.

It seems we have these same discussion regarding razors, hones and many other kit items and it is pretty cool to see peoples opinions and well as the spread from DIY to superior craftsmanship that is out there. I still believe that you get what you pay for.

I have put well over 1000 razors to task on my Kanayama's and all of these strops have broken in well and produced good shaving results. I found that they broke in after just a few weeks of hand rubbing and needed no other assistance. I have also extensively tested Corween Horsehide and Cordovan. They both needed a couple months of hand rubbing and several applications of neats foot oil. Both also produced improved shaving results during the process.

Oh the choices.........

Have fun,

Lynn

Originally Posted by Lynn

Really the main thing that causes my doubt button to come on is when I read about either Horsehide or Cordovan have such wonderful draw in addition to many of the comparisons that come from these statements. Modern Horsehide and the Cordovan that I have seen, start out so slick that you can hardly keep a razor on them and only after an extensive or a heavy method of breaking in, do they reach their optimum resistance which in all that I have seen is very very nice.

Many of the DIY strop makers out there just make strops based on what they see is popular and from popular materials. I believe and this is only my personal opinion, that strops have their own personalities and provide different results if you really test them. The normal guy though, need not worry with this as he will just have one strop and so long as the razor gives a good shave following it's use, all is well.

It seems we have these same discussion regarding razors, hones and many other kit items and it is pretty cool to see peoples opinions and well as the spread from DIY to superior craftsmanship that is out there. I still believe that you get what you pay for.

I have put well over 1000 razors to task on my Kanayama's and all of these strops have broken in well and produced good shaving results. I found that they broke in after just a few weeks of hand rubbing and needed no other assistance. I have also extensively tested Corween Horsehide and Cordovan. They both needed a couple months of hand rubbing and several applications of neats foot oil. Both also produced improved shaving results during the process.

Oh the choices.........

Have fun,

Lynn

Well said, Lynn!

I agree about the slickness totally, and that they improve with use. I always make prototypes and use them extensively to familiarise myself with the qualities of the leather, so my experience here echoes yours.

In some of my listings I point out that shell and horse hide are not for the inexperienced user. I consider that anyone paying these sort of prices for a strop has already taken the time to familiarise themselves with the qualities of the product - either by extensive research, personal recommendation or by asking the vendor questions - anything else would be rather foolish IMO! I mean, you don't go out and by yourself a special tank-like utility vehicle with off-road capability when you live in the centre of a crowded town with difficult parking, etc, just because the SUV costs a bomb. You do the the research and get the vehicle that best suits you (which as the enlightened amongst us all know is a motorcycle... cue for heated discussion here!).

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I mean, you don't go out and by yourself a special tank-like utility vehicle with off-road capability when you live in the centre of a crowded town with difficult parking, etc, just because the SUV costs a bomb. You do the the research and get the vehicle that best suits you (which as the enlightened amongst us all know is a motorcycle... cue for heated discussion here!).

No, no, no ..... If it costs more it has to be better ! ( I rarely get the excuse to use the emoticon wagging a finger)