My new strop!...Sorta.

Hey folks.

Until recently, I made do with a paddle strop. This kept my razor in good nick, but the weight of the strop in my hand all the time was irritating and I wasn't able to strop particularly effectively.

Today, while at the local flea-market, I purchased a second-hand hanging-strop! Finally! Here's a few photos:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ophanging1.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ophanging2.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ophanging3.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ophanging4.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ophanging5.jpg

It's in good condition and I have cleaned it up a bit. The photos you see here were how the strop looked the moment I got it home.

I have a few questions about it.

1. Why is it set up the way it is? Instead of a swivel at the top, it's got the rollers which lets me pull on one or the other end of the strop, to use either side of the leather.

2. How old is it? I'm assuming it has to be pretty old, because it was very heavily patina'd, as you can see in some of the photos.

Strop's about two and a bit inches wide, about 12-14 inches of usable leather, probably about 15 inches of leather in all. Leather is smooth, without nicks or cuts or rips and perfect for regular razor-maintenance.

At the moment, this hangs on the back of my bathroom door. I added a length of chain (about twelve inches) to the hook at the top of the strop so that it hangs down a bit lower from the clothes-hooks at the back of the door, that way I can grab it more effectively and I don't have to stretch my arms all the way up.

That looks like a home-made strop to me. The mechanism at the top is from (or looks to be from) one of those ratchet style nylon strap tie-downs used to secure motorcycles or other items to trailers. It looks as if someone used that portion of it and riveted on the handles. Regardless, if it functions, the form doesn't matter.

bill

Actually, looking at the top mechanism, it more resembles the cam action tie downs than the ratchet. In the cam styles you loosen the cam clamp, pull the webbed strap through tightening down the tie down, then snap the cam closed on the webbing to secure it. It looks as if the webbed strap has been replaced with leather.

Hi Bill,

I kinda suspected that this might be home-made, it looked pretty unconventional, but I reckon it works well and it looked to be in good condition, so I bought it.

LOOKS LIKE A GREAT BUY, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO NOW IS A FEW DROPS OF NEETSFOOT OIL ON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND AND AS LYNN A. HAS RECOMENDED MANY TIME, RUB WITH YOUR HAND BACK AND FORTH 50 OR 100 TIMES SEMI-DAILY AND IT SHOULD BE AND OR STAY SUPPLE AND GIVE YOU RAZOR A GREAT ''DRAW''. I LOVE THE PHOTOS ALSO BY THE WAY!!

TINKERSD OF 'SRP'!

Hi Tinker!

Thanks for the compliments! I'm honestly a terrible photographer! I'm amazed these turned out so good.

What fluids or oils can I add to the leather to give it strength and look after it? I don't have any neetsfoot oil with me anywhere. I have read about rubbing the strop with one's hands, but is there anything else that I might/should need to add to the strop? I'm not interested in sharpening pastes or anything, just something to keep the integrity of the leather.

I don't think it's home made. I was perusing a junk shop two days ago, and encountered a strop exactly like that, but not in quite as good condition. The shopkeeper wasn't exactly sure if it was a razor strop or not, and it looked pretty strange to me, so I passed on it. Now I'm intrigued, I think I'll go take a closer look on Monday.

Shangas, if you can find some neatsfoot oil, a tiny bottle will last a lifetime. Some drugstores will have it, not many, but you might try a sporting goods store where baseball gloves and such are sold. Or if you have a farm supply nearby they'll almost certainly have it for saddles or bridles. A few ounces will cost $5 or so but it's all you'll ever need. Lexol is another good saddle or bridle creme that could be used and will do almost as good a job on brittle leather as neatsfoot oil. I've heard some say mineral oil will work, I can't attest to this as I use the neatsfoot. One time per year and sparingly at that.

Skin oils from your palm of your hand, around your nose and forehead, work too. You just don't get enough in a single try to work an entire piece of leather..it'd take a while.

Have fun!
bill

with the two handles and the mechanised center this kinda looks like it was ment for a DE blade, see the side where theres a pin split down the middle and space for a blade to slide in?

Hey K/boi,

I had considered a DE blade strop, but I'm not sure. I have seen one similar to what you describe, but I think that was for the disposable SE razors, not DE razors. I'm really not sure exactly what this is. All I know is that it's a strop and that's good enough for me. I'm stroppin' the razor on it :) But if anyone has any extra insight...that'd be great.

I aint sure either but I have seen very similar strops on the bay so Im guessin it aint home made , and they have mostly been DE related as KalgoorlieBoi suggested ...hmmm long as she gets done alls good

It's a wonderful strop.

I've done some thinking and research, guys, and the only thing that keeps coming back is what I saw in this video:

YouTube - how to use an automatic stropper

That's the only explanation (weak though it be) that I can think for the strop's design.

Also, to counteract the deficiencies in my own eyesight with regards to where the strop-leather ended and the handles began, I decided to polish off the patina on the strop, to make it easier for me to see what I was doing. Careful application of fine sandpaper yielded the following results...

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...roppolish3.jpg

...as opposed to this sorry sight, earlier today...

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ophanging5.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shangas

Hey K/boi,

I had considered a DE blade strop, but I'm not sure. I have seen one similar to what you describe, but I think that was for the disposable SE razors, not DE razors. I'm really not sure exactly what this is. All I know is that it's a strop and that's good enough for me. I'm stroppin' the razor on it :) But if anyone has any extra insight...that'd be great.

---

Just picked one of these up today! The guy at the antique store recons it's circa 1930ish and is deffinately for de blades only two things is i can't figure out how to easily get the blade back out after use and the leather on mine quite literally pulled to bits after the first few 'strops' :( now I gotta figure out were I'm gonna get leather that'll work for this baby.
hope helps ^_^

So I was right. It is for double-edged blades! Interesting. But it works just as well for straight-razors, I've found. The leather on my strop seems to be in great condition. It's put up with dozens of stroppings by now, and it's still in great condition. It hangs on my bathroom towel-rail now, where I can grab it easily when I need it.

I must say. That is pretty cool.

What a cool and unique strop. I'd use it every day.

Nice autostrop you got there
Have you been able to figure out what kind of blade will slide into the slot?

Heres another variation http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...ostropper.html

Hey you two, yes it is rather special and unique...to me, at least. I do use it every day, to strop my straight-razor.

I did suspect it was an automatic stropper, but I don't know what kind of blades it would take. I don't think DE blades, it looks a bit wide for that.

Possibly it's for single edge blades like the Rolls Razor style ?

Yes, that sounds like a much more likely prospect. But I haven't figured out how the blades fit into the strop. But that's not really my concern, since I would never use the strop like that anyway.

This link to Popular Mechanics magazine (April 1911 issue) shows how the blade fits into a separate holder - the link should open at page 163.

Regards,
Neil

Are you trying to tell me I have 99-year-old automatic SE razor stropper?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shangas

Are you trying to tell me I have 99-year-old automatic SE razor stropper?

---

Well - it's a similar design. I guess that some things don't need improving much (straight razors have been around for centuries, after all - they still look pretty much the same), so it probably stayed in vogue for quite some time.

What I said was that this is a way a blade (DE) fitted into the mechanism...:)

The linked-to article also says that old-style razors could be stropped with it - my father once saw something like this in use for straight razors in a barbers.

Regards,
Neil

Def not homemade. I know where an identical one of these is hanging in an antique shop right now here in Florida.. Looked at it myself but the leather seemed a bit narrow to me for a str8. probably 2" wide and about 13"-16" long maybe? I think it was $15 if anyone's interested.