Originally Posted by
DaveW
What is the chance of finding a leather supplier in australia that supplies 8/9 ounce vegetable tanned leather with one rough and one smooth side?
Here in the states, you can get it on ebay for about $12 per square foot, and when it's fresh and undamaged, I have not been able to beat the edge I get with it with any strop. I don't know how long it'll be good, but my best edges thus far have been using it as a last step, completely clean and untreated, laid on top of a strop that has trouble getting my edges to the same level.
i.e., I take it and lay it on top of an inferior strop with regular tension for about 25 strops after I use the strop that's not so great (a 3" strop in my case).
at about $30 with shipping for 2 sq feet, you have tons of it to play with, and hopefully that would be unwrinkled stuff. For whatever reason, all three of my strops get less impressive as I add stuff to the leather to keep it soft, be it shaving soap, strop dressing or mineral oil. They all do OK, but the low price plain smooth vege tanned (cow) leather takes the edge over the top (as in HHT-5 level vs. HHT-2/3) and isn't something you'd need to rely on a shaving supply place to supply.