Looking to make some strops: leather suppliers?

[awestib]

For tonight shave, I used the 52100 bluntcut paring and stropped on HH's washboard on old 1 micron compound .. :thumbup:

Nice! One or two sheets of paper Chris?

 

[HeavyHanded]

For tonight shave, I used the 52100 bluntcut paring and stropped on HH's washboard on old 1 micron compound .. :thumbup:

The other day I prepared a bunch of artichokes for steaming. Instead of using scissors to cut the tips from the outer petals, I used the 52100 BC paring knife done up on Washboard with stock compound. Just working the blade in behind each petal easily cut the tips off with a very satisfying 'crik' sound. It truly is a kitchen scalpel.

There is too much to say about stropping in a general sense is tough to begin. For leather stropping use the hardest leather possible on the hair side (smooth). The muscle side (rough) of the leather can be used for larger grit abrasives, but one is generally better off going back to a stone rather than use abrasives much larger than 30 micron or so. The muscle side can work just as well as the smooth side if it compresses down well - influenced by the binder in the compound as much as anything else.

Paper over a stone (or Washboard) will have a much larger margin of error re pressure and as Andy points out, provides more tactile feedback. Balsa also works well, and there is a huge range of backhoning and lapping that can be done on everything from a softer waterstone or jointer stone, to use of a slurry on hardwood, roughed up aluminum, frosted glass etc.

 

[awestib]

For tonight shave, I used the 52100 bluntcut paring and stropped on HH's washboard on old 1 micron compound .. :thumbup:

Nice! One or two sheets of paper Chris?

Sorry, double post...

 

[jac_solar]

All good questions!
IMO, it does not matter much what backing you use (as long as you want to use compound on it), whether leather, wood, denim, linen, nanocloth, the back side of a sanding belt etc. Sure, you need the right technique, for instance on a surface with give, you are of course likely to round the edge/apex more than you should/like. Usually you use edge trailing only and the compound predicts more or less the result. Same compound will have different characteristics depending on the backing. Some backings (the flesh side of leather for instance) have better feedback than others, if very little pressure applied, youn can tell when at the apex.

That bring me to the best solution in my world - printer paper! If used on hard backing with structure (coarse side of a norton crystolon stone for instance or even better on HeavyHanded's washboard) you have enough feedback to tell where you are, it is cheap, clean, disposable, new surface every time, predictable etc. If you use it on the same backing every time then the compounds are very predictable. Sure, you don't want to use expensive CBN emulsions or diamond sprays etc. on paper - for that type of compound I would strongly recommend nanocloth! But for the everyday compounds this is the way to go.

Some may say, and I agree in terms of results, that a well designed and loaded leather strop has a better "3 dimensional" polish, meaning that the very teeth of the apex get polished all around them if you use a backing with "some fibres" sticking out (sorry for this complete non-scientific language) compared to paper but unless you use it on skin (shaving), there is no performance advantage but a loss in 3-finger-stickyness/bite for sure!!

I'd like to hear what others think about this.

Thank you.

For the flesh side, what should I do to prepare it for stropping-usage? There's lots of loose fibers or leather-bits hanging around;

This is the type of leather I use, heavily contrasted in photoshop;

Another

 

[HeavyHanded]

My 2c, if the leather is properly cased and made very hard, the binders in whatever honing compound you are using will finish the effect on the rough side with a bit of use. Is important even with a hardened leather to use relatively light pressure or the apex is guaranteed to round somewhat when the leather expands back to its normal volume as the edge passes overhead.

The following instructions are from member Stitchawl, will work well on vegetable tanned leather, which is what your samples appear to be.

Step by step:
1. Wet the leather. No need to soak it for any length of time. Running it under the tap for a second or two, front and back, is enough.
2. VERY IMPORTANT - let the leather dry for a while. Before you wet it it was a light tan color. Water darkened it a lot. Let it dry until it's about half-way back to its original color. At THAT point it will be almost as squishy as modeling clay.
3. Use a large diameter rolling pin, the heavier the better. Marble pastry pins are great for this, but even a piece of 3-4" PCV pipe will work. Now start rolling on the smooth side of the leather. Roll from end to end evenly, bearing down on the roller. Do this for 4-5 minutes, not just one minute. This will firm up the leather. If you are going to use this for a bare leather strop, roll it for 10-15 minutes. The rolling will force more silicates to migrate to the top of the leather.
4. Let it dry naturally, then glue to a backing or use as a hanging strop.

Keep in mind that any natural oil... ANY oil... is going to soften the leather. Makes no difference if it's Lexol or Olive oil. Lexol is more compatible with leather. Olive oil won't hurt it. But both will soften the leather... Soooo... if you really want a good firm strop, but need to put some sort of strop conditioner on it, dab it on a finger tip and rub it out well. Don't paint it on with a brush, or rub it on with a saturated cloth, or pour it on and rub away the excess. None of the above will harm the leather, but they will significantly soften the leather more than is needed to preserve it. The strop conditioner I use on my grandfathers old hanging strop has the consistency of thicker Vaseline, and I use less than a pea-size for the entire strop once a year. My grandfather used it every day as did my dad. I'm guessing that this stop is about 75 years old... and the leather looks brand new.


Stitchawl

 

[Ribeyeguy]

Check out Woodcraft web site. They sell leather for hones for $16 and I'm going to pick one up myself.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2004242/8620/leather-for-honeslip-makers.aspx

 

[dkb45]

I have checked out the Woodcraft leather, and it is the bad at all. It was hard enough, but still decently pliable. Not bad quality at all, but pretty thin. Another good leather I got was tooling leather from Hobby Lobby (tooling leather should be about the same everywhere). It was really similar to the Woodcraft strop leather but a little more pliable (but not junky) and like $10 for a little more leather.

 

[Ribeyeguy]

I have checked out the Woodcraft leather, and it is the bad at all. It was hard enough, but still decently pliable. Not bad quality at all, but pretty thin. Another good leather I got was tooling leather from Hobby Lobby (tooling leather should be about the same everywhere). It was really similar to the Woodcraft strop leather but a little more pliable (but not junky) and like $10 for a little more leather.

I just checked it out and like you said they offer a little more leather at a cheaper price. I'll take your word for it that it's a little more pliable.
Thanks for the info. :thumbup:

 

[jac_solar]

My 2c, if the leather is properly cased and made very hard, the binders in whatever honing compound you are using will finish the effect on the rough side with a bit of use. Is important even with a hardened leather to use relatively light pressure or the apex is guaranteed to round somewhat when the leather expands back to its normal volume as the edge passes overhead.

The following instructions are from member Stitchawl, will work well on vegetable tanned leather, which is what your samples appear to be.

Thank you.

These are the types of leathers I have, any tips or information on the others? Can I use them as strops? Are they decent strops?

 

[HeavyHanded]

Thank you.

These are the types of leathers I have, any tips or information on the others? Can I use them as strops? Are they decent strops?

I'm no expert, I don't even use leather for stropping anymore and likely won't unless I get into straight razor shaving. That said, the stuff on the far left in the last pic appears to be plain vegetable tanned and should respond well to the treatment described by Stitch. The rest of it might very well work OK, but I would stick with the plain veg tanned stuff first.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Nice! One or two sheets of paper Chris?

2 layers. I usually reuse the paper which compound still has bite left, & store them in different plastic bags. Take them out & re wrap to the WB when needed.