Thread: How to make a custom strop?

Before I start I should point out that I am a *strictly* amateur strop maker in every sense of the word! I have made three so far (and will add a fourth once I pick up some more D-rings) and while they work they also serve as a reminder of the skill and craftsmanship of the true pros. So take this for what it's worth...

Do you have a leather shop handy? My local shop is a Tandy affiliate but I honestly don't know whether the leather that I have bought from them is the same as is available via Tandy or their own stuff. Either way, I would *strongly* encourage you only to buy the leather in person if at all possible. The first strops I made were from vegetable tanned cowhide and it worked really well although I noticed a flaw towards one end of the strip. I made two from that piece, selling one to a friend and keeping the one with the flaw for myself. Last weekend I picked up a piece of brown buffalo that is *flawless* in its entire length. This is why I encourage you to pick it out in person if at all possible! Having learned my lesson from my first attempt, I carefully examined five strips (they were 3" x about 51", different widths were available) and four of them had flaws that I easily could have overlooked. Because I was able to pick out the piece in person, I'll be sure to get two v.good strops from that piece.

In terms of tools and hardware, I used an x-acto type knife and a straightedge to cut to length, a 5/16 punch (like this Tandy Leather Factory - Craftool Round Drive Punches ) to cut out notches to fit my D-rings, another (a cheaper version of this Tandy Leather Factory - Craftool Pro Rotary Leather Punch ) to make the holes for the rivets, some double-cap rivets, and a hammer for the riveting. That's about it. For Hardware, I put a D-ring at each end, and have a clip that I use to fix the strop to my anchor point.

I just realized I should add pics... Will come back and add those shortly.

Anyway, I'd encourage you to have a go! It is fun and while you won't end up with a strop that rivals anything done by a pro, I find it very satisfying to use something that I made from scratch as part of my shaving ritual. Good luck!