What is so special about leather? Also travel ideas!

I know that leather is traditionally the material for strops, but I am wondering why! Is there something special about the texture or is it the physical material itself, something to do with the nature of it... I have to imagine that a great many other materials could fulfill the needs of a good strop, and it surprises me that none are more commonly used!

Anyway, on another note, I recently was trying to figure out what I should do about traveling, and I realized that the small notebook that I carry around with me everywhere is covered in good leather! 4 total surfaces with the inside and outside of each cover! It is about 9 inches long and seven inches wide, never thought of it before! I use it to take notes on things, write directions, store reciepts, journal sometimes, etc etc, but now it gets a whole new purpose!

Seems to me that the long traditional use of leather strops is one of those if it isn't broke why fix it deals. I am not sure there is many things that can replace a good leather strop and their unique place in straight razor shaving. And given the worlds eating habits there is certainly no shortage of good leathers in abundance. However the
variety of materials that can be used prior to the leather strop is a combination of traditional and new materials and the
same goes to some extent for our honing materials as they range from the very traditional and move into very modern
combinations of ceramics, glass and other man made materials.

Your notebook leather should serve you well given a nice flat surface for the leather to rest on. Good luck!

Remember this shaving thing started a long time ago and there weren't all that many materials available. These days with all the synthetics there might be a better alternative. With the number of straight users I don't think any outfit is going to experiment with a basic strop. maybe some day someone will come up with something else. Until then leather works very well.

I thought "traditionally" strops were made out of horse hide? Moreover, from a certain area. I could be wrong... Its been known to happen ; ).

Is not horsehide Leather?

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Is not horsehide Leather?

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LOL - as soon as I hit Post - I knew that would be the next post lol! Anyway yup it is considered leather too (at least I think it is).

It just seemed to me that the term "leather" was being narrowed down to bovine which I think is actually incorrect but I am not 100% positive. Moreover, the area of the horse hide that used to be used does have something "special" about the membrane as per the OPs original question.

But I don't know all that much about strops - i hope someone who does pipes in.

If I'm not mistaken, any type of tanned mammal skin is considered leather. I'd still like to try one of those old porpoise leather strops.:)

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Originally Posted by Theseus

If I'm not mistaken, any type of tanned mammal skin is considered leather. I'd still like to try one of those old porpoise leather strops.:)

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Really! Porpoise... sweet!

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Originally Posted by Theseus

If I'm not mistaken, any type of tanned mammal skin is considered leather. I'd still like to try one of those old porpoise leather strops.:)

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what would be the porpoise of that?

(sorry, i'm to bad puns like a moth to flame....)

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Originally Posted by ryanjewell

what would be the porpoise of that?(sorry, i'm to bad puns like a moth to flame....)

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I'll take a bad pun over a good one any day of the week.:rofl2:

Probably similar to the Seal Skin Strop I used to have.

Ain't no animal.land or aquatic that can hold a candle to my pine martin strop,bar none.:)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...pinemartin.jpg

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Ain't no animal.land or aquatic that can hold a candle to my pine martin strop,bar none.:)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...pinemartin.jpg

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Are you stropping with a ferret?

Yes,it has other purposes,but stropping is the main use:)

Seems completely reasonable. Must have taken forever to teach him to bite on to the clasp though ;)