entry level strop

[zig zag]

Could anyone advise me on an entry level strop. I see Neil Miller has them, though he also seems to have them in different leathers when they're available, if I rightly remember. So what type of leather would be good for starters?

 

[Blades]

3" width is a nice luxury idea and 2.5" width would mean X pattern or cross stropping

B

 

[Proinsias]

I got a fairly basic latigo hanging strop from Tony Miller a few years ago and have never really felt the need to upgrade. I imagine any piece of leather from Neil will do the job nicely, something with a bit of draw may give you a little more feedback as you get used to stropping.

I've got a little 6x2 bench strop which works a treat too, it just takes longer.

Some of Neil's chromium oxide rubbed into a bit of balsa wood makes for a great, cheap, touch up strop.

 

[Blades]

I also made myself custom bench strops but..they are plenty wide even for 7/8 razors as well..X pattern works just as well

B

 

[IanM]

I have owned 2 of Neil's 3" Bridle Leather strops and they work very well.

I went for the 3" to avoid having to do the X-pattern thing.

Ian

 

[Mikael]

I got a fairly basic latigo hanging strop from Tony Miller a few years ago and have never really felt the need to upgrade. I imagine any piece of leather from Neil will do the job nicely, something with a bit of draw may give you a little more feedback as you get used to stropping.

Some of Neil's chromium oxide rubbed into a bit of balsa wood makes for a great, cheap, touch up strop.

+1

 

[man of leisure]

I also made myself custom bench strops but..they are plenty wide even for 7/8 razors as well..X pattern works just as well

B

Can you please explain how the height of the razor (5/8, 6/8, 7/8) has an influence on the width of the strop?, Isn't the length of the blade the deciding factor in choosing the width of a strop?

 

[Neil Miller]

I also made myself custom bench strops but..they are plenty wide even for 7/8 razors as well..X pattern works just as well

B

Can you please explain how the height of the razor (5/8, 6/8, 7/8) has an influence on the width of the strop?, Isn't the length of the blade the deciding factor in choosing the width of a strop?

Not really. The height (or more properly the width) doesn't really enter into it. The length of the cutting edge of the blade only varies a little in standard razors say from 2.25 inches for a small light razor to just under 3 inches for a larger, heftier razor, but all can be stropped ona strop that is less than 2 inches wide. In fact, most of the old barber style strops were less than 2 inches - around 1.75 inches, and the vintage paddles can go down to just over 1 inch.

The same technique applies as when honing - each part of the blade must get equal treatment, so you have hold the razor diagonally and/or do an 'x' pattern. These days 2.5 inches seems about the standard, and 3 inches a bit of a luxury, but it is all down to personal preference. One important thing to remember is that leather is a natural product - animals are curved, not straight, and the wider the strop the more inclined it is to revert to a cupped or crowned contour - the remedy (bottle rolling, edge curling, etc) is usually simple, but its worth pointing out anyway.

Regards,
Neil