Members Ferryman Posted February 20, 2020 Members Report Posted February 20, 2020 Hi I have just been given a few bits of Latigo and wondered if it would be any good for making a strop. Quote
Contributing Member fredk Posted February 20, 2020 Contributing Member Report Posted February 20, 2020 I don't know of any reason it would not do Quote Al speling misteaks aer all mi own werk..
Members Ferryman Posted February 21, 2020 Author Members Report Posted February 21, 2020 Well I have made a double sided strop using the Latigo and loaded one side with Cannings Green Compound so we will see how it goes. Quote
Members battlemunky Posted February 21, 2020 Members Report Posted February 21, 2020 Actually, Latigo leather is nearly how I got introduced to working leather. I needed a strop for a straight razor and found that all the good ones for sale are made from latigo. Being prohibitively expensive, I got to looking at making my own and found that Tandy had some and ended up buying some other stuff and made my own strop. Long story shortened a bit, it can be argued that Latigo IS strop material. But then, the argument can be made that shell cordovan ($$$$$) is as well. Quote
Members Arturomex Posted February 21, 2020 Members Report Posted February 21, 2020 (edited) Look forward to your report on this. My big criteria when I'm making a strop is the firmness of the leather. I think that softer tempered leathers tend to "curl" around the blade and I don't think they deliver optimum performance. I use 3 X 3/4 inch milled oak for my blanks. I buy four or six foot boards at a box store and have them cut it into 12 inch lengths on their saw. I use contact cement to glue a slightly oversize piece of leather onto the blank leaving 3 1/2 inches bare on one end. After I have the leather affixed I roll it with my kitchen rolling pin making sure the edges and two corners are on tight and then trim at the edges of the blank. I usually go grain side up with the hardest, firmest 2 to 3 or 3 to 4 ounce veg tan I can find. Depending on what I'm doing, I will put olive oil on a strop before applying a compound like white rouge. I find that after a while the oil has a tendency to soften the leather a bit and I watch closely for sponginess. (Again, the curl around the blade.) Regards, Arturo Edited February 21, 2020 by Arturomex Quote
Members Ferryman Posted February 21, 2020 Author Members Report Posted February 21, 2020 I followed ART's instructions at the beginning of this thread and used a little neatsfoot oil when I loaded the strop. Quote
Members Ferryman Posted February 22, 2020 Author Members Report Posted February 22, 2020 well here is the finished item. Quote
Members Arturomex Posted February 22, 2020 Members Report Posted February 22, 2020 (edited) Looks great! How is it working for you? Regards, Arturo Edited February 22, 2020 by Arturomex Quote
Members Ferryman Posted February 23, 2020 Author Members Report Posted February 23, 2020 (edited) works great so far. I do not have a round knife so the 2.5" width is not a problem. I will make the next one wider Edited February 23, 2020 by Ferryman Quote
Members sinpac Posted February 23, 2020 Members Report Posted February 23, 2020 I found this one years ago and I still use it. Definitely homemade, dated 1923 Quote "It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." - Rocky Balboa
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.