I’ve cleaned up a nice old Wade & Butcher straight for a friend of mine. It came to me in great shape so was able to remove the rust, keep the scales, give it a polish, and it took an edge beautifully. This is a gift which he’s very excited about (he picked it out of my stock). It’s shave ready, but, of course, he needs a strop to go with it. I have a couple, but was cruising the Bay to find him one and, for some reason, I’m suspicious of the new ones offered there. Was looking for an older one that I could clean up for him (thanks JoeB for your post on this), but realized as I was browsing, how do I know I’m getting him a good one, one that will last and be kind to his new blade? I’ve got a couple which were bought in a ‘gut feel’ way. Did I just luck out twice, or is leather just leather? Name-brands aside, what should I be focusing on in this search, or am I obsessing here? Just wanting his transition to straights to be as ‘BBS’ as possible (get it?). Looking for a 3” wide, nick-free, leather/linen. PS – I would eventually like to make a strop for myself. Any advice on leather types (cow, goat, kangaroo, seal), treatments, processes, etc. would also be welcomed. Thanks for letting me pick your brains.
Star Shaving Big Daddy in black latigo should fit the bill for you. They run about thirty bucks or so I believe.
Take a look at the vintage strops on the bay. MAke sure that it has all the hardware and both the linen and the of course leather. Make sure there are few if any nicks and and your good to go. Be prepaired to do a little sanding and get some baseball glove oil ( my favorite for old strops).
I was worried about bying one on ebay too. I went to a shop locally and they wanted $80 for what looked like crap and it was very short. So, I made my own. The First one was just simple cowhide and it worked pretty good. Then I went and bought some distressed leather, which is really just cowhide that has been buffed. that made it have a slower draw. I really can't decide with one does a better job. ' As for linen, I made one out of denim. Took an old pair of jeans and cut it and then folded it to look like a strop. I would say this has worked better then I could have dreamed. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/home-made-denim-strop.22266/
Tandy leather can be your friend. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/leather-belts-leather-straps/4576-191.aspx At 66" in length, you can make two strops. One to learn on and one to use after you've sliced up the first one. Lavachild's idea is elegantly simple and awesome.
I'd get a modern strop for yourself to use regularly as you restore a vintage - that way you have a solid baseline for how the restored version performs (Not all can be fixed or do a good job). I'm partial to the Illinois strops myself, they're inexpensive and very high quality.
