So I went on the advice of others here and purchased some leather on ebay. It's dimensions are perfect, however the surface has veins running throughout. I'm used to seeing the surface of strops being completely smooth. What kind of leather should I be looking for avoid the surface veining or does it matter?
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What Kind Of Leather For Stropping?
- Thread starter NorCalQ
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- Feb 11, 2009
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Some like to use the rough side instead of the smooth side of leather to hold more compound.
If you are mounting the leather onto wood to make a strop block, You can even forgo the leather completely and just use the wood.
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- Sep 27, 2018
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vegetable tanned cowhide is the most popular for applying strop material to. And some will use a untreated strop for final finish. I have one treated with 3 micron diamond spray, one with 1 micron diamond spray and finish with a plain strop of kangaroo tail leather. It has a slightly rougher finish and is naturally high in silicones which aid the finish.
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- Nov 23, 2005
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I think for those that like to take things out to the umpteenth degree, they say bare horsehide for the final strop.
I decided to try it for myself and I'm glad I did.
I decided to try it for myself and I'm glad I did.
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- Sep 27, 2018
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Yep Unc, and if you get some cash and wanna try it. Kangaroo tail is better yet! It seems a little rougher but works faster. I guess dragging tail firms it up. They say it’s higher in silicones. I have a 1x6 strip on a paddle for my hapstone m2 and it very nice plain.
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- Apr 12, 2009
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More often than not, it doesn't matter too much if the leather isn't perfectly smooth. Stropping, in the most basic sense, is kind of unique in that it can be done on most anything, for most uses.
Having said that, if your strop happens to be loaded with a very aggressive compound, I'd try to keep the strop surface as uniform as possible. Any abnormal, out-of-place hard 'bumps' or ridges in the strop material, when holding an aggressive compound, could result in uneven results, focusing pressure in small portions of an edge and therefore removing metal more aggressively in some portions and less-so in others. Some strops can remove metal very quickly, depending on the compound used and how heavily it's loaded, relative to the steel's wear resistance.
And if a strop is very bumpy, that can sometimes make it harder to feel flush contact consistently. It's sort of a confidence thing that can be a distraction, if you're still working on technique.
And in bare leather strops, it's the 'silicates' in the leather that can make some difference.
Having said that, if your strop happens to be loaded with a very aggressive compound, I'd try to keep the strop surface as uniform as possible. Any abnormal, out-of-place hard 'bumps' or ridges in the strop material, when holding an aggressive compound, could result in uneven results, focusing pressure in small portions of an edge and therefore removing metal more aggressively in some portions and less-so in others. Some strops can remove metal very quickly, depending on the compound used and how heavily it's loaded, relative to the steel's wear resistance.
And if a strop is very bumpy, that can sometimes make it harder to feel flush contact consistently. It's sort of a confidence thing that can be a distraction, if you're still working on technique.
And in bare leather strops, it's the 'silicates' in the leather that can make some difference.