Flattening a strop

C

chococrazy

Joined
Jul 1, 2009
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I need to flatten a piece of horsehide.
I know you are suppose to use an orbital sander, but I don't have an orbital I have an oscillating sander (doesn't move in circles it moves in back and fourth motion).
I was going to use a piece of 400 grit wet/dry. The reason it needs some flattening is when keith gave me this leather it had a couple fold marks in it, and when I glued it down It cam out a bit bumpy.
 
chococrazy said:
I need to flatten a piece of horsehide.
I know you are suppose to use an orbital sander, but I don't have an orbital I have an oscillating sander (doesn't move in circles it moves in back and fourth motion).
I was going to use a piece of 400 grit wet/dry. The reason it needs some flattening is when keith gave me this leather it had a couple fold marks in it, and when I glued it down It cam out a bit bumpy.
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You should have flattened it (by casing and rolling) before you glued it down. Sanding the leather removes the epidermal layer. This is the most important layer of the entire hide when it comes to stropping. It's the densest, firmest, strongest layer of the skin, (having the greatest amount of collagen) and sanding it even with a very fine grit will completely remove it.

Question: Why would a 'good' horsehide strop have fold marks in the leather? Leather is ALWAYS sold rolled and not folded.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
Question: Why would a 'good' horsehide strop have fold marks in the leather? Leather is ALWAYS sold rolled and not folded.

Stitchawl
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I'm guessing it was a freebie thrown in to sweeten any bitter taste left in his mouth from having to wait too long for his order to arrive. Even if that was the case, what good is a creased piece of stropping leather, free or not? But I doubt it was shipping folded.
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
I'm guessing it was a freebie thrown in to sweeten any bitter taste left in his mouth from having to wait too long for his order to arrive. Even if that was the case, what good is a creased piece of stropping leather, free or not? But I doubt it was shipping folded.
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If you'll notice, I used the words 'good horsehide,' not just horsehide. ;)
Often, with cowhide bellies, the end pieces (nearest to the legs) accidentally get folded over in shipping just because they are so thin. You usually find these in the scrap piles of leather or hobby shops. Junk. Throw away stuff.

Giving away a piece of leather for a strop with a crease in it is sort of like giving a child a lollipop that has fallen into the sandbox. It's junk to begin with and needs work to make it at all useful.

Stitchawl
 
There is a distinction between a fine shell leather razor strop and a loaded strop used to sharpen knives. I use backed and loaded strops, and have sanded them many times - then load them up again and go another year or so. I won't take the sander to my old school razor strop, though.
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
I'm guessing it was a freebie thrown in to sweeten any bitter taste left in his mouth from having to wait too long for his order to arrive. Even if that was the case, what good is a creased piece of stropping leather, free or not? But I doubt it was shipping folded.
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Yes it was a freebie, but he packaged it awkwardly in a small priority mail shipping box. (It was more or less pushed in, and the fold end facing the end of the box) got a big fold in it.
 
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