THE LATEST ADDITION TO MY STROP SELECTIONS! A PREMIUM HAND CRAFTED ITALIAN HORSEHIDE HANGING STROP.
When we shave with our straight razors, the edge gets taken out of alignment. Stropping between shaves realigns that edge to keep it keen and helps extend the time between honing.
I am pleased to offer this very nice high-quality 3" wide hand crafted Italian horsehide strop. The belts are 21" long, and the total length with the hardware is about 25". It has a one-piece backing belt that offers both polypro webbing and 100% cotton.
I know that some people like synthetic materials like poly or nylon, and others prefer natural cotton as a backing. So, I decided to add both to my strops so the user has a choice. Both linens can be used as well if desired. It has a swivel to easily rotate from leather to the linen backings.
The leather is a beautiful, very high-quality piece of full grain, macchiato colored vegetable tanned horse rump horse hide that was produced at the Maryam tannery in Tuscany Italy. Maryam uses time-honored slower methods to produce some amazing premium leathers. Some of the finest footwear in the world is made from their leathers.
For those of you who would like to own a horsehide strop but don't want to pay around $250 for a shell cordovan horsehide strop, this is an excellent alternative. The stropping feel is very similar to a cordovan strop as it has a draw on the lighter side, is fairly fast, silky-smooth, but still has a nice tactile feel between the leather and the razors steel. The Maryam tannery says this is as close to shell cordovan leather as you can get because of the way it is produced. The leather will develop a beautiful patina over the years.
Since this is a hobby & passion I love, I am making & selling these strops at only a small mark-up over the cost of making and shipping them.
I want people who enjoy straight razor shaving to have an opportunity to get a top-notch strop at a fair, affordable & reasonable price. I craft these strops by hand here in the Duke City Albuquerque, New Mexico. There are no plastic or low quality parts on these strops. All the materials are quality & with proper care, the strop should easily last a lifetime.
I ship the strops in a 12" long box. They are packaged in a C shape and not folded, so you don't have to worry about creases or fold markings when you receive it.
I include 2 hooks for hanging and using the strop. One hook to hang the strop, and a second hook you can use to hold the top leather belt when accessing the cotton part of the backing belt. To access the polypro part of the backing belt, you simply rotate the strop over with the swivel.
Note: Leather is a natural material, so the hides can have some minor cosmetic imperfections like little scars, blemishes, small scratches from the handling process, etc. This is absolutely normal, especially with high quality full grain leathers that have not been surfaced, and have their full structure. I make sure my strops have a surface that is perfectly suitable for stropping. Any minor aesthetic imperfections will be minimal, and are merely cosmetic that will not affect stropping in any way.
This listing is for the macchiato colored Italian horsehide leather. If you would like to see other strop options available, please see my listings for current availability.
FAQ'S:
Q: HOW DO I CONDITION THE LEATHER?
A: PALM STROPPING WILL IMPART OILS FROM YOUR SKIN INTO THE LEATHER KEEPING IT NATURALLY CONDITIONED INDEFINITELY. IT WILL ALSO HELP SPEED UP THE BREAK IN PROCESS. ALTERNATIVELY YOU CAN USE A PRODUCT LIKE NEATSFOOTS OIL, MINK OIL, ETC A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR.
Q: WHICH ONE OF YOUR STROPS IS BEST?
A: THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND IS A PERSONAL OPINION BASED ON THINGS LIKE COLOR, FEEL, DRAW, ETC. ALL MY STROPS ARE HIGH QUALITY VEG TAN AND DO AN EQUALLY EXCELLENT JOB OF MAINTAINING AN EDGE WHEN USED PROPERLY.
Q: WHAT IS THE FABRIC STRIP FOR?
A: THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE FABRIC IS TO PREPARE THE BLADE FOR THE FINE LEATHER. IT WILL CLEAR THE EDGE OF POSSIBLE THINGS LIKE DUST, SOAP SCUM, MICRO BURRS, ECT. ALSO FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO USE ABRASIVE SUBSTANCES LIKE COMPOUNDS, PASTES, OR SPRAYS , IT CAN SERVE AS A PLATFORM TO APPLY THEM.
Q: I AM NEW TO USING A STROP & I AM WORRIED I WILL CUT AND RUIN THE LEATHER, WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND?
A: THE MAIN REASON LEATHER GETS CUT IS BECAUSE OF TRYING TO STROP TO FAST OR INACCURATELY. SPEED IS ABSOLUTELY NOT NECESSARY WHEN STROPPING. STROP SLOW & METHODICALLY BEING MINDFUL TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE ROTATING ON THE SPINE WITHOUT LIFTING THE RAZOR. GO AS SLOW AS NEEDED TO ASSURE YOU ARE DOING IT PROPERLY. ALWAYS EDGE TRAILING, AND NEVER EDGE LEADING STROKES. STROPPING IMPROPERLY CAN NOT ONLY CUT THE LEATHER BUT CAUSE PREMATURE BLUNTING OF THE EDGE. WATCHING VIDEOS FOR A VISUAL AID CAN BE VERY HELPFUL. PRACTICE ON ONE OF FABRICS BEFORE USING THE LEATHER. IF YOU GO SLOW AND EASY YOU WONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CUTTING INTO THE LEATHER. AS YOU BUILD UP MUSCLE MEMORY YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR PACE IF DESIRED.
STRAIGHT RAZOR SHAVING IS ALL ABOUT TAKING YOUR TIME AND ENJOYING THE WHOLE PROCESS & EXPERIENCE!
Thank you for looking & Happy shaving, everyone!