Thread: Ranking of strop materials

Does anyone know where to get cordovan shells at this point? For someone who might like to make their own strop?

Allen Edmonds is still making shoes with cordovan last I looked, and getting shells from Horween. Will horween sell a small amount of it?

Kangaroo sounds fine, but it seems when barbers had the choice of anything and everything, they chose shell first and horse butt second.

I imagine that getting Kangaroo leather in North America and throughout most of Europe might have been pretty difficult. I don't think that just because that's what they used to choose means that it is the best NOW.

Why would it have been difficult? Barbers could get natural stones from Japan, quite good ones back then.

Presumably australians tanned kangaroos for the last several hundred years.

It's possible that it may have been difficult at the retail level, but the trades have always had access to nearly anything accessible from around the world. I can't find anything about it, though, only barber guides that suggest shell cordovan is the best leather for a strop.

Out of curiosity, I checked some of the manuals listed in the library here. It does list kangaroo as being readily available at any barber shop (and says it is a good choice, along with some other oddballs), but it does also specify that russian leather and horsehide are favorites, which is easy to see going through any antique dealer shop where there is old barber stuff present.

I'm guessing the reason that shell was used was because it was preferred. Horween's site is goofed right now, and I have no idea where an individual would get shells. I've been using horse butt strops for a while and like them much better than any cowhide, but I'd like to give cordovan a try without spending $100-$300 on a single strop.

Originally Posted by DaveW

Does anyone know where to get cordovan shells at this point? For someone who might like to make their own strop?

.

Horween still makes cordovan here a nice article about the process.
Cordovan Leather from Horween

I am curious about the kangaroo. When I was a teenager I did some amateur boxing and the boxing shoes were made from kangaroo leather. The uppers were so soft and thin. Really luxurious. I've just got so many strops and most really good that it doesn't make sense to add yet another ..... but I probably will eventually ..... I've never been known for having any sense when it comes to stuff.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I am curious about the kangaroo. When I was a teenager I did some amateur boxing and the boxing shoes were made from kangaroo leather. The uppers were so soft and thin. Really luxurious. I've just got so many strops and most really good that it doesn't make sense to add yet another ..... but I probably will eventually ..... I've never been known for having any sense when it comes to stuff.

Jimmy I'm curious about horse, maybe we can trade for a week or two, I'll give you my beloved Kangaroo and you can give me a horse strop to try. PM me or call me.

I had tried Latigo (lots of draw). SRD premium 1 with hardly any draw, but stiff (needs to be broken in). And my favorite, the Kangaroo with light draw, thin and suppled. I think form is key for good results with any leather strop. So what ever draw makes you have best form for speed, that would be your favorite (that's my opinion).

Pick one and learn it, thats what I did before venturing to the Kangaroo. I was sent the Premium 1 by mistake and was told to keep it, so Thanks to SRD (I hope I didn't get any one into trouble). You can get used to any leather really. The proof is in the shave! Double O

So, in the ongoing horween curiosity that only interests me, I see from the imperial page that horween actually *treats* the cordovan for imperial, a special treatment specifically for strops. So horween certainly doesn't just supply shell for the high $ shoe and wallet industry.

Of course, it's unlikely they'd sell such a thing to me, I wouldn't expect them to, even if they do get back to me and I win the lottery (i.e. they will sell me a couple of shells or tell me where to get them). It does prove that they still know strops, though.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Horween still makes cordovan here a nice article about the process.
Cordovan Leather from Horween

Right, from my previous message:

Will horween sell a small amount of it?

Their web page is goofed so you can't view much information, but maybe I will call them. It sounds like it will still be expensive even to purchase as raw material. Someone me may only want to have enough to make a few strops, that's got to be a hassle for them.

Originally Posted by DaveW

Does anyone know where to get cordovan shells at this point? For someone who might like to make their own strop?

Allen Edmonds is still making shoes with cordovan last I looked, and getting shells from Horween. Will horween sell a small amount of it?

Kangaroo sounds fine, but it seems when barbers had the choice of anything and everything, they chose shell first and horse butt second.

Horween will actually sell in small quantities. You want to contact their retail division at Tannery Row - Contacts
I emailed Eric a while back and he got right back to me with pricing. From memory the largest size shell (what you'd need for strops) was somewhere around $250 for one. I'll stick with my Horse butt and vintage shell strops (didn't pay over $20 for any of them).

Matt