Thread: StropTalk!

[COLOR=#000]Welcome to the premiere edition of StropTalk!
My name is MapleLeafAlumnus, and I'm a stropping addict...a stropaholic...a stropping junkie! Do you find yourself daydreaming of stropping whilst propping your feet up on your desk at work? Have you ever "air stropped" when stopped at an interminably long traffic light? Does SWMBO complain that you rub your strop more than her? If this sounds like you, you're not alone! We stropaholics just can't get enough of stropping, hence the nature of our addiction. This is an issue which has confounded rookie cutthroat shavers since time immemorial: stropping! The purpose is to bring to the light of day the regular routines of everyday stroppers. To aid me in this endeavour, I decided to ask SRP's own mediaevalist historian extraordinaire for his insights and witticisms on modern-day stropping...you know him, you love him, the International Brotherhood of Spalted Cap Snaffler's very own CANGOONER!!!

MLA: Cangooner, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule of single-handedly operating Cangooner Enterprises to answer some questions about your stropping addiction. What is your routine stropping regimen? Are you a palm-rubber, or do you use any paste or other such treatment? Do you strop immediately before shaving, or are you like me and do your stropping, then shower, then shave?


Cangooner: To a true stropaholic like your good self, my routine is most likely terribly boring. For the first 2 1/2 years of my straight shaving "career" (why do I always choose careers that pay crap?) I had a single leather strop with no linen/canvas/webbing/whatever else: 3" Tony Miller Heirloom Latigo. It has never been treated with anything other than being rubbed by hand. Last summer I added a linen component to it, also from Tony Miller, so it all matches quite nicely, thank you very much. And of course there was the Cangooner Enterprises Strop #1: also 3" but this one's vegetable tanned cowhide. As for timing, if I'm shaving around shower time, I do the same as you: strop pre-shower so it's ready to go straight away. Otherwise I do strop just prior to use. I'll also strop after shaving as well. After finishing, I rinse and wipe the blade, dry it on a towel, leave it open to air dry as I tidy up, then give it 20 or so laps on the linen and 30 or so on the leather. Pre-shave I'll usually do ~20 linen then somewhere around 50 on leather. These are completely arbitrary numbers and I don't sweat it if there are more or less on a given day.

MLA: How often do you strop? Daily, weekly, what? Have you ever encountered any therapeutic effects of stropping?

Cangooner: Before and after each shave. I find it very relaxing and a big part of the reason I usually shave at night: the whole process is a great way to clear the mind prior to going to bed.

MLA: Is CrOx addictive? Have you ever inhaled it? If so, does it alter your stropping experience?


Cangooner I have never used CrOx, either as a strop additive or as a recreational drug.


MLA: As a favourite son of the fine province of Manitoba, what is your opinion on the prevalence of "stropaholicism" in the Greater Metro-Winnipeg area? Does Manitoba have an illicit, black-market stropping trade?

Cangooner: Sadly, the illicit strop trade in Winnipeg was taken over by Hells Angels in the early 90s. There was a brief but bloody war between them and the Indian Posse circa 1996 (some blame Jets-related angst and stress for kicking the whole thing off) but the Angels emerged victorious and in control. It was a terrible scene. Because of this Winnipeg was briefly the car-theft capital of Canada as the Angels' feeder gangs targeted SUVs with leather upholstery to produce what became known as "North End Specials": strops of varying quality according to the type of vehicle lifted. Point Douglas, North Main, and Transcona became littered with burned-out vehicles as the gangs tried to hide their true intentions. Garages in Tuxedo, Charleswood, Linden Woods, and White Ridge were left empty. It wasn't until the Great Storm of 2001 when torrential rain extinguished fires set in three Escalades in an alley behind the Royal Albert hotel that authorities were able put two and two together. They noticed the seats all had a number of 3"-wide strips of leather removed, while the rest of the vehicles were largely untouched. Luckily a straight-shaver happened to be on the arson squad at the time, and after realizing what was happening, he quickly raced home, destroyed his three North End Specials, then returned to the station to fill in his fellow investigators.


MLA: Are those Winnipegian "North End Specials" now considered collector's items?

Cangooner: The North End Specials enjoyed a brief heyday as collector items after it emerged that none other than local boy done good (and North End hero) Monty Hall had three of them backstage on the set of Let's Make a Deal. However once their provenance was explained to him, he immediately arranged a series of swaps, trades, and deals to get rid of them. No one knows what exactly happened to those famous three strops, but legend has it that one made its way to an obsessed fan in Germany, another is said to have been immured at the legendary Ivar Theater (best known outside of LA to fans of Tom Waits' "Nighthawks at the Diner") during renovations in the late 90s. The last one was, alas lost in the mists of time. Perhaps an SRP member uses it to this day. We shall probably never know. But the upshot of the litigation and the notoriety, was that the North End Special was enveloped in a cloud of shame. And so while there are likely collectors out there, they are much like collectors of Nazi memorabilia in that they really prefer to keep it to themselves.

MLA: You've already expounded upon the strop situation in Winnipeg. What about Ottawa? How does the capital city's strop selection compare to the Kingdom of Mud and Water? Is there any illicit strop trade to be had in SensLand?

Cangooner: Although I was born here, I am just newly returned to this fair city and so do not have the kind of insider knowledge that I possess of Winnipeg. However I suspect that the entire Beaver Tail industry is nothing more than a front for a deep-fried pastry stropping initiative. I'll ask for CrOx on mine next time rather than lime, sugar, and cinnamon and let you know what happens...

MLA: How many strops have you destroyed? Do you still have and/or use your 1st strop? What kind is it?

Cangooner: None! I still have and use my original strop on 90% of days. It's a Tony Miller 3" latigo with a linen component added earlier this year.

MLA: Are you a self-taught stropper? Are any family members stroppers? What does SWMBO think of your stropping issues?


Cangooner: Initially 100% self-taught, with much learned since thanks to SRP, and am flying solo in terms of the family. Although to be fair most of the family have slowly shifted from "He's completely insane" to "That's kind of interesting..." SWMBO is not an issue at the moment (working on that...)
MLA: What qualities does your "dream strop" possess?
Cangooner: It would most likely involve some method of dispensing extremely expensive single malt whiskys.

MLA: For beginning stroppers (aka "newly addicted"), what is the single best piece of instruction you have?[/COLOR

Cangooner: Take it slow, but don't be hesitant. Think of it as an almost meditative process, relax, and enjoy the process. Don't sweat the details. I. E. It really doesn't matter whether you do *exactly* x-number of laps.


MLA: As a gov't. employee, are you aware of any gov't.-sponsored programmes to aid in developing adaptive stropping strategies and techniques?

Cangooner: All stropping - related questions must submitted directly to PMO for vetting. Our Dear Leader keeps a tight lid on all government communication related to strops, stropping, and strop-related paraphernalia.
MLA: Can over-stropping lead to hairy palms, blindness, etc?



Cangooner: As a Doctor (of Philosophy) I am of course eminently unqualified to speak to any number of stropping-related ailments. And so any medical advice should be taken cum grano salis. Over-stropping can of course lead to a number of conditions such as tendinitis, bursitis, blisters, cramping, and of course the tragic condition of 'stropping finger' in which an enormous and painful callous develops between thumb and forefinger from the constant flipping of the blade, leading to difficulty in eating soup and throwing frisbees. We won't even get into the dangers of stropping nude here. Just don't do it. However I am happy to report that hairy palms and blindness cannot be blamed on stropping and so one must search elsewhere for an explanation.


MLA: Are you an "X-stroker" or a 3" wuss? Are you an ambidextrous stropper?
Cangooner: 3" all the way! I will probably never know if I am ambidextrous as I'm not willing to risk my strops to find out.
MLA: Have you/would you ever let someone else use your strop?

Cangooner: Yes, and yes. But not just anyone. I'd have to be pretty sure I trust their hand - eye coordination. If I had a bunch of extra strops I would be more liberal on that front, but I can't afford a replacement right now, and like my strops too much to sacrifice them lightly.


MLA: Do you ever find yourself stressed out at work and dream of stropping to relieve the tension?

Cangooner: Stressed out at work? Definitely. But my thoughts usually turn to other more important things such as whether Arsenal should take advantage of Demba Ba' s buy-out clause in January , our need for reinforcements at left-back, and whether our long-term sustainable approach can really compete with the financial doping at Chelsea, Man City, etc in the short to medium term...

MLA: What new innovative products can we see from Cangooner Enterprises in 2013?

Cangooner: They are all still at a high-level planning stage so it would be premature to speculate. I would hate to raise false hopes...

MLA: Would you be so kind as to provide a picture of Cangooner Enterprises "Big Board?"

Cangooner: I'll see what I can do!
MLA: Lastly, Cangooner Enterprises has recently founded a Strop Works division. What will set their strops apart from other strop manufacturers?

Cangooner: Their incredible scarcity and rarity: there are two in existence in the entire world. :-) If I can source some bison leather to test, there may be three. Other than that, their greatest feature is the tribute they pay to the fit and finish of strops made by pros who actually know what they are doing. :-) Hmmm... I wonder how Bison leather would work for a strop? As for Bison, I'm going to head over to our local leather shop one of these days and see if they sell it. If they do, I'm *definitely* making one! How can a Manitoba boy pass up on an idea like that?


I'd like to thank I.B.S.C.S. Brother Cangooner for taking time out of his busy schedule to participate in this interview. Tune in next week for another exciting chapter of StropTalk! We'll meet a Canuck stuck in Kansas who uses sunflower stalks for stropping -- either that, or some good ol' boy down in Texas who's renowned for his honing... Until then, Strop Till You Drop!

Welcome back Skipper.

Yuuup, welcome back MLA!

Good to have you back MLA... Great read!

Ha ha, hilarious, great to see you back, can't wait for the next installment.

Not only was that great, but Nighthawks at the Diner is one of my favorite albums!

Huzzah!

Originally Posted by maddafinga

Not only was that great, but Nighthawks at the Diner is one of my favorite albums!

Huzzah!

Yeah, it's right up there on my list of best live albums of all time.