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I'm headed out on a 12 day motorcycle trip next month and am putting together a travel shave kit. I would like to pack a couple of my strAights and need a suggestion for a strop. I think that a small roll up strop would work better with my packing than a paddle strop. Any suggestions on a strop that might work for me?
thanks
John
The only strops I have ever heard are good for rolling up are kangaroo strops. I know SRD sells one but don't know if it can be rolled. I would email them and ask. I know legion use to sell travel ones like you want but I don't think he is anymore.
Some of the wooden travel cases have a strop on the lid. If all else fails you could use your jeans!
Steve
I was thinking use your chaps, or hang 1 off each handle bar grip. I would think you could roll up any leather strop for short periods, just don't fold it or roll it too tight. I used to store girth straps and other long leather straps rolled up in a wooden box. I would roll it smooth side out and be careful not to let it get scratched. If it's dried out leather it will crack of course.
Get yourself a 2" 'roo hide strop or knock one up for yourself with a 2" strip of grade one hide and a couple of dee's riveted on the ends. You can use the flesh (rough) side for the linen part. For a really easy to roll up 'roo strop for the DIY person, a length of laceing, a small section of brass tube about the diameter of a pencil, a 13/64 drill bit (with a drill), a small wire hook or *fishing line and some patience, a bit of contact cement and needle and thread.
Instructions
1/ Cut your strap to width and just over your preferred length approx 1/2" extra.
2/ Cut your tubing to same width as strap that is now going to be called 'strop' as that is what it has become.
3/ Find centre of tube length and drill hole through sidewall (Just one hole, not one through both sides. This is a professional job not some slap-up :))
4/ Wrap one end of strop around the tube tightly with a bit of overhang approx 1/4"
5/ Find where hole in tube will locate itself on the strop and mark it.
6/ Punch 13/16 hole in strop.
7/ Apply contact cement as per instructions to rough side of strop and tube, taking care to not apply too much down the strop.
8/ Carefully align holes and edges in tube and strop and ensuring that hole is following an imaginary line straight out from the strop, clamp the strop as close to the tube as possible. Allow glue to dry.
9/ Stitch the strop as close to the tube as possible (I recommend using a saddle stitch. One length of thread, needle at each end. Through the first stitching hole to halfway along thread. Push a needle through the next hole and pull through loosely. Push the next needle through the same hole from the opposite side and pull through loose. Pull both needles in opposite directions to tighten. Repeat until done then go back a few. Tie off and add a small drop of glue to knot.)
10/ Feed lacing through the tube and using the wire hook, pull a loop through the hole. Keep it small for the moment, tie a thumb knot at each end of the tube, and ensuring there is excess lace at each end to poke out the ends, pull loop all the way out from the drill hole. The knots will come up against each other and you can see how much loop you have. If it's too much, pull either or both ends back to expose a knot. Make sure you don't lose your loop back through the hole. Move the knot to shorten the fully extended loop. You only need about an 1.5" of loop, give or take.
You now have a strop with a barbers grip at one end and a loop for hooking onto a nail in the wall. If you like, the loop can be made just long enough to be able to feed the strop all the way through. This will enable you to attach to a bathroom towel rail or similar fixed at both ends device.
* If you can't find any other way to hook out the lace with any degree of ease (it can be a right royal pain in the ar$e) then you may have some luck with pushing a loop of fishing line through the hole from the outside to form a sort of a snare. Feed your lace through the tube and through the "snare". Pull your snare tight and through the hole. The difficulty of getting the lace through will depend on the width of lace used. a little wider to fill the hole nicely looks better and is sure of staying put. Thinner lace will come through easier, but if it's too thin it might not lock in properly, nor will it be very strong.
Mick