Roma 51 Horse Hide Strop

[Chisanga]

Hi Guys,

I recently purchased a second hand Roma 51 strop that seems in very good condition. On one side is imprinted "Sharpen" and nothing on the other (aside from the stamp "British made").

Can anyone tell me if both sides are the same? To my uneducated eye they seem very similar.

Thanks for your help

James

[Stubear]

Pics of both sides would definately be a help here!

On my strop the side I use is the smoother side, and the rough scratchy side is not used for anything.

[Chisanga]

Unfortunately I don't have my camera available at the moment. On a closer inspection the side with "Sharpen" appears to be a single piece of leather whilst the other side looks like it is made from two pieces of leather stuck together.

[Chisanga]

This probably doesn't help much but here is the picture from the Auction site

[PhatMan]

Chisanga,

The 'Sharpen' side is usually impregnated with some form of abrasive.

There are some examples here from Mr Neil Millers' site:

Roma Leather Hanging Strop for Straight Razors

Vintage Roma Double Leather Straight Razor Strop

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ