STROPS
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- This topic has 34 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 4 months ago by Redtail.
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18 December 2012 at 3:56 am #5079
I make a lot of strops because they get a little gouged up in the school. Mostly I use upholstery hide because I use it in some of the furniture for upholstered seats. That being so I find that the non-smooth side gives me the best results because it holds the buffing compound best. I stretch the leather as much as I can and that seems to stop it rucking up and causing ripples. I am afraid a chamois will be a little stretchy. Also, I started using double sided tape some months back and that really works well with the upholstery hide. I am not talking carpet double sided tape, though that would indeed work, but more the double sided mounting tape. I have some strops made months ago that have held better than any.
Anonymous18 December 2012 at 7:56 am #5081Hi Paul,
The brown suede in the picture is also upholstery grade with one side grained and finished. The finished side is definitely unsuitable for strops due to the variety of applied finishes.
Chamois actually works very well, but glued down – using either contact adhesive or PVA – throughout it’s length and width and clamped overnight beneath a caul, as double sided mounting tape wouldn’t necessarily adhere very well to it’s underside. Using this method I’ve found chamois is held in tension and doesn’t displace during use. It serves just as well as suede. The chamois strop – pictured – is three years old and still going strong. 😉
Understanding the need to retain compound within the leather, my preference for using the smooth face of butt leather is based on what I know from long term use of open razors. The courser side is excellent for edge prep, but an even finer edge can be gotten from using the smoother finished face (Loaded or unloaded).
One of my razor strops laid across my chamois strop;
I mounted a piece of elk hide flesh side up on an oak board and use a green polishing compound that was included with my Dremel. I chose this type of hide because I had a piece in the house and I initially felt that it would be to delicate. This set up has performed very well so far.
Anonymous19 December 2012 at 12:51 am #5173Hi Kevin,
From my time living and working for my family’s timber company in western Canada (From 1979 – 91 near Fernie, B.C.), I recall both Caribou and Elk skin make fine strops, as well as moccasin. 🙂
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The debate surrounding whether flesh or fur side should be used could go on for an age, but everyone’s free to source, experiment and decide which works best for themselves. 🙂 I should have pictures of the process and materials I settled upon by mid morning today and you’ll at least have a starting point. 🙂
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