HoneyBadger Report post Posted September 29, 2020 Hi, I have made a few strops using various types of leather both with a without compound and they have worked very well. I have a small pocket knife business and would like to supply strops to those who wish to maintain the edges on their knives. I want to make 100 or so to test the market. What type of equipment would I need to cut leather into about 2.5” x 8” pieces. The ultimate size will be based on what size wood I can get to glue them on that would require the least amount of machining. Another option I guess would be to have someone handle this for us. We are based in SoCal. Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handstitched Report post Posted October 1, 2020 G'Day, welcome to the forum I guess you could start with a strap cutter. They can easily cut that width , but mainly ' stiff' leathers like veg tan etc. What leather are you thinking of using? I'm from Australia, so where is SoCal ? HS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toxo Report post Posted October 1, 2020 On 9/29/2020 at 10:32 PM, HoneyBadger said: Hi, I have made a few strops using various types of leather both with a without compound and they have worked very well. I have a small pocket knife business and would like to supply strops to those who wish to maintain the edges on their knives. I want to make 100 or so to test the market. What type of equipment would I need to cut leather into about 2.5” x 8” pieces. The ultimate size will be based on what size wood I can get to glue them on that would require the least amount of machining. Another option I guess would be to have someone handle this for us. We are based in SoCal. Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks. You don't need wood. Just a decent thickness of veg tan leather. Both sides can be used usually with a rubbing compound. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zuludog Report post Posted October 1, 2020 Yes, I would think that a strap cutter would do the job No, you don't need a wooden backing for a strop, but it's more usual, and I think many people would prefer it. Could try both and see what the customer reaction is It depends how complicated you want to be. Could make a presentation box to contain a knife, a small piece of stropping compound, a small diamond sharpening stone or paddle of some kind, and a strop on the lid. Or put it all in a blister pack or similar Search YouTube for how to make a strop. Most of the videos will be for one - off strops, but you might get some ideas You might be able to use offcuts or second grade leather, but that would mean more work for yourself in selecting and fiddling around Although this forum is based in USA there are people on it from all over the world, such as myself. I happen to know that SoCal = Southern California, but not everyone does; you could have made that clear Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toxo Report post Posted October 1, 2020 The reason some inc myself don't use a backing is so that the flesh side with a different grade of compound gives an alternate strop before using the finer grain side. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GatoGordo Report post Posted October 1, 2020 6 hours ago, Handstitched said: I'm from Australia, so where is SoCal ? HS Southern California, USA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chiefjason Report post Posted October 1, 2020 I have about 8 oz veg tan glued to a 2x4 piece. Grain on one side, flesh with compound on the other. If you are glueing it to wood you could go with a lighter weight but I would not go lower than about 6 oz. I would look for some type of craft strip for the wood. Pay a bit more but you don't have to do a lot of cutting. Then just glue them on with contact cement. If you are adding these complimentary make them functional, but don't over think or over work it. If you are selling in addition to the knife then the sky is the limit and you could offer different price points for different materials or amount of work involved. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HoneyBadger Report post Posted October 1, 2020 Thanks for the replies. The strap cutter does look like one route to go. I have now also seen the use of clicker dies. Would that also be an option? I have made many one off strops, some single sided and some double sided. I have used latigo, horse but and others. I have found the key is to case the leather first rolling the leather to get really firm and to bring the silicates to the surface. I also yesterday made one using cardboard and it worked very well. https://westernactive.com/honey-badger-knives/cardboard-strop/ Sorry for the SoCal reference. I am in San Diego, Southern California. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
