Thread: Need advice/help with Strops

Because of a recent surgery and as a right handed shaver I can no longer maintain enough strength with my left hand to hold my cordovan and kanayama strops (no D rings or handles) tight enough to strop properly. I have no problem with my D ring strops. I was thinking of adding a piece of 1/2" dowel rod, oak or maple or the like, the width of the strop and somehow adhere it an inch or so of the bottom of the strop to it to make a kind of grip.
I know this may devalue my strops to some extent but I don't plan on selling them. I don't know whether to use contact cement, gorilla glue or what to fasten the dowel and clamp it to the strop end. I don't want to penetrate the leather with any type of fastner but also don't want a mid strop stroke surprise. I am thinking an adhesive could be removed fairly easily with a scalpel when need be with little or no evidence to detract from the strop.
Sorry for being so long winded but would appreciate any advice from any of our members who may have had to do some thing similar to this. Thanks!
Bob

Hi! Sorry to hear that. Do you know anyone who could modify a pair of locking mole grips for you? You could have two flat 3" wide bars welded to the upper and bottom jaws, then lock it onto the bottom of strop - it would be removable and could be used for all your strops? Just a thought...

Regards,
Neil

Thank Neil, I am going over to a friends this afternoon who's garage is half
carpentry/cabinet shop and half machine shop. I will print out your suggestion.
Bob

Have you considered a paddle strop? You would not need tension then.

[QUOTE=lz6;670380. I have no problem with my D ring strops. [/QUOTE]

Easiest solution, maybe:

Get some 2" wide sticky-back Velcro, and a D-ring. [D-rings can be bought in marine supply stores, if there's no other source.]

Attach two pieces of "loop" to the top and bottom of the end of the strop, using the adhesive back.

Run the "hook" part through the D-ring, hook-side in, and stick it onto the "loop" stuff at the end of the strop, so the D-ring is inside the "hook" section.

It'll be plenty strong to handle the tension your left hand can put on it.

Removing the "loop" parts from the strop might be tough -- that adhesive is really sticky.

You could accomplish the same thing by _sewing_ a nylon webbing loop around the D-ring, and onto the end of the strop. Then, the only damage to the strop would be needle holes.

Charles

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

Easiest solution, maybe:

Get some 2" wide sticky-back Velcro, and a D-ring. [D-rings can be bought in marine supply stores, if there's no other source.]

Attach two pieces of "loop" to the top and bottom of the end of the strop, using the adhesive back.

Run the "hook" part through the D-ring, hook-side in, and stick it onto the "loop" stuff at the end of the strop, so the D-ring is inside the "hook" section.

It'll be plenty strong to handle the tension your left hand can put on it.

Removing the "loop" parts from the strop might be tough -- that adhesive is really sticky.

You could accomplish the same thing by _sewing_ a nylon webbing loop around the D-ring, and onto the end of the strop. Then, the only damage to the strop would be needle holes.

Charles

Sounds like a good idea, but I would sew the velcro to the strop - a grained/napped leather would probably he held by the adhesive, but a dressed smooth surface which has an oil content like proper cordovan, latigo, buffalo, etc will not be 'grabbed' by it (except on the coarse flesh side) for long. Better safe than sorry!

If your friend with the workshop can't think of anything Bob, pm me and I'm sure I can come up with something - might mean you have to punch a couple of holes to take screw-rivets, though - I know you don't really want to do this, but if push comes to shove...

Regards,
Neil

Tony Miller has taken a hiatus from making strops but is selling the d-rings, screws, and leather, pre shaped, to attach to the bottom of the strops. You would only need to drill or punch matching holes in your leather. This would look more professional if that is a consideration.

Thank you very much, all of you! I appreciate all the options and am going with adding the D ring to my shell cordovan horween strop. It is so thin that even the extra weight of the D ring will help keep it from cupping, and being able to pull it snug will help with the cupping as well. The Kanayama will have to hang there and look nice and await a few months of physical rehab. You folks are what makes our house here a "home".