- Joined
- Oct 13, 2004
- Messages
- 474
I've really been getting into shaving with a straight razor, and have come to enjoy it very much. The thing is, when you first get started, you realize how much sh*t you need to do it right. Things like strops, decent shaving soap, and a decent brush, on top of a good, sharp razor. (My collection jumped from 1 to 11 in the last month 
...I finally found 3 I like, so I alternate those)
Well, I usually make my own strops. I'm a knifemaker (part-time), and sharpen up a lot of people's stuff, so I figured I was ok. Then, I decided to get a store-bought strop, just to see if it made any difference. I got a cheap-charlie leather/"canvas" strop off FleaBay. When I got it, I was shocked that it wasn't really that much different from my homemade ones, except I use 10oz. veg. tanned, and this one was about 12oz, with an almost waxy finish. The other interesting thing was this: the "canvas" was actually vinyl, like they used to use to make car seats, with the sort of fabric backing. Pakistan...go figure. Anyway, I was sorta pissed, because I wanted canvas and got fabric-backed vinyl. The amazing thing is, it actually works pretty well for what it's designed to do. One day, I'll invest in one of those monstrously expensive Russian leather/canvas strops, but for now, my cheapie Fleabay strop works ok. I made another huge strop out of some oil-tanned latigo leather I had lying around, and it works too, but my cheapie's not bad. I'm wondering, though, whether I oughta just call HandAmerican and order a couple square feet of the Red Diamond and vegetable tanned, with some .5 micron boron carbide abrasive, and make a couple sharpening strops and hanging strops and be done with it. 1 sq. foot of Red Diamond, 1 foot of veg. tanned, and some BC would set me back about $50 bucks, or about half the price of the store-bought top of the line Russian leather strop. Plus, HandAmerican'll custom cut it into 3"x24", so I'd have 4 pieces of leather the right size, ready to go.
...I finally found 3 I like, so I alternate those) Well, I usually make my own strops. I'm a knifemaker (part-time), and sharpen up a lot of people's stuff, so I figured I was ok. Then, I decided to get a store-bought strop, just to see if it made any difference. I got a cheap-charlie leather/"canvas" strop off FleaBay. When I got it, I was shocked that it wasn't really that much different from my homemade ones, except I use 10oz. veg. tanned, and this one was about 12oz, with an almost waxy finish. The other interesting thing was this: the "canvas" was actually vinyl, like they used to use to make car seats, with the sort of fabric backing. Pakistan...go figure. Anyway, I was sorta pissed, because I wanted canvas and got fabric-backed vinyl. The amazing thing is, it actually works pretty well for what it's designed to do. One day, I'll invest in one of those monstrously expensive Russian leather/canvas strops, but for now, my cheapie Fleabay strop works ok. I made another huge strop out of some oil-tanned latigo leather I had lying around, and it works too, but my cheapie's not bad. I'm wondering, though, whether I oughta just call HandAmerican and order a couple square feet of the Red Diamond and vegetable tanned, with some .5 micron boron carbide abrasive, and make a couple sharpening strops and hanging strops and be done with it. 1 sq. foot of Red Diamond, 1 foot of veg. tanned, and some BC would set me back about $50 bucks, or about half the price of the store-bought top of the line Russian leather strop. Plus, HandAmerican'll custom cut it into 3"x24", so I'd have 4 pieces of leather the right size, ready to go.