Strop recommendations

Dansco

Dansco

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814
I'm looking for a new paddle strop for my straight razors.

I currently have one with leather and canvas but would like one that's leather and leather. Got up to about £80 to spend... enough for one of the Invisible Edge ones with the removable beds, but I'm wondering if I could get something or a similar quality for less.

Thanks in advance
 
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Dansco said:
I'm looking for a new paddle strop for my straight razors.

I currently have one with leatherand canvas but would like one that's leather and leather. Got up to about £80 to spend... enough for one of the Invisible Edge ones with the removable beds, but I'm wonderingif I could get something or a similar quality for less.

Thanks in advance
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The Strop-It strop with the removable beds from the Invisible Edge are excellent. Especially the English Bridle and napped leather (it's properly napped not suede). They are heavy though. Make sure you get the razor version with the sprung beds.

Billyji1 on eBay sells good strops. I have two hanging - the leather and linen he uses is very very nice. The d ring is a bit puny, although it has turned out to have survived abuse well enough. Over all excellent strops. I haven't tried his paddle strops though but seen him listing them. He isn't showing anything for sale at the moment but tends to have stuff up again quite quickly.

The place to get strops in the UK used to be Peters Eaters but the website looks dead.

It's not hard to make a paddle strop. I made one out of an IKEA cheese board years ago - the ones with a handle. I assume they still have them. I glued a layer of rubber to it and then the leather on top.
 
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Thank you for your reply. I'm almost sold on the Invisible Edge ones I think. Nice to know others would recommend them.

My first strop was from Peter of Peter's Eaters. It is ok, but the leather has started to come away at the corners and it wasn't 100% flat when I got it, as far as I'm concerned, but I'm no expert. It was good for a cheap starter, but I'm willing to pay more this time.

I was looking at rasurpur.de recently but they also seem to have no strops now
 
Dansco said:
Thank you for your reply. I'm almost sold on the Invisible Edge ones I think. Nice to know others would recommend them.

My first strop was from Peter of Peter's Eaters. It is ok, but the leather has started to come away at the corners and it wasn't 100% flat when I got it, as far as I'm concerned, but I'm no expert. It was good for a cheap starter, but I'm willing to pay more this time.

I was looking at rasurpur.de recently but they also seem to have no strops now
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Have you tried gluing and reworking it? I have brought a few strops back from the dead with neatsfoot and 2000 grit wet n' dry.

I keep intending to get a couple more beds for my Strop-It strop. As I say, the napped leather is really nice for pastes. There is also a suede / rough bed. I don't like suede strops much and that one is no exception. The black smooth leather is very shiny, the English Bridle has a little more tooth.
 
Hard to say - I have a strop where the raw side has been left and it's great with FerOx on it. So if you have a surface you like I'd say use it and if it doesn't work then sand it with fine wet and dry pair and try again.

Generally I like to go finer if I can and bring up a you on it with 1k or 2k paper. That way you get a really close application. Other people like a suede for pastes and sprays. You can maintain a rough suede surface using a wire suede brush.

I don't think there are any rules just experimentation and preference.

I am continually amazed with leather - how you can abuse it and bring it back to something useable. I have been pretty blasé with my strops in the past.
 
I really like the French Strop-it-strop, price is not bad either over at Invisible Edge but as I am cheap DIY is a tempting option, not going for such an elaborate design, keeping it simple guessing cutting leather neat and straight might be the biggest problem.
 
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Both (got a big piece of leather really cheap)

Not sure yet about paddle design but as for hanging I have got a Mountain Mike strop with Chicago rivets that I am going to try and copy
mountain_mike_ strop.jpg
 
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Nisse said:
Noticed that the Strop-it-strop also comes in a simpler and cheaper knife version, how important is a sprung design for straight razors?
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Who really knows. I mean I stropped for years on stiff paddle strops. But supposedly it does. Personally I think a rubber layer under the leather is more effective.
 
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