I just went to Tandy leather myself. The have pre cut cowhide pieces that are 3 inches wide by 4 ft, I believe. I made some paddles, and the leather is awesome. I didn't have to do anything to it...
Yes, Draw is resistance, and a lot of it is personal preference. You'll hear lot's of stories about putting all kinds of stuff on your leather...I never do.
I just rub them with the palm of hand...
If you had to clean up some leather with saddlesoap for instance, then, and only then would I condition it with Neetsfoot oil, and btw, a little goes a long way....
Check out their Cowhide, tell the what your doing, The guys by me in Jacksonville were very, very helpful. He even gave some tips on leather workng...
I have pics on here somewhere of my paddles, you can check out the leather...I'll see if I can find it...
Here ya go:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...dle-strop.html
It two on the right...the lighter colored leather...