# Leather strop



## drewrosenberg23 (May 21, 2019)

Can anyone recommend a firm leather strop to buy online please! Thank you


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## Kgp (May 21, 2019)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FLAT-Leath...m4b44eded46:g:G7gAAOSwze5bt8vf&frcectupt=true

I got this from Ebay. Very nice for the money.
Ken


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## bahamaroot (May 21, 2019)

I bought a strip of tanned leather and made my own strops. A lot cheaper that way.


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## chinacats (May 21, 2019)

I like the razor strops... plenty of good quality to choose from.


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## Ivan Hersh (May 21, 2019)

*Kriegar Extra Wide Double Sided Hanging Strop - Smooth Buffalo Leather, Coarse Suede - Swivel Hook - Yields Sharpest Blade Edges Possible - Great for Pocket Knives, *
*Google it at Amazon it's the one i bought and it works well.*


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## krx927 (May 21, 2019)

I have one to sell brand new of you are on eu.


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## Michi (May 21, 2019)

This one is nicely made and very good quality:

https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/12-XL-Double-Sided-Paddle-Strop-P314C11.aspx


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## Sailor (May 26, 2019)

One of the best strops I’ve seen and used is from Garrett Wade Tools. It’s a paddle strop with magnets to hold the strops which are adhered to wood in place. The idea being that you easily switch strops from laden to bare.


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## podzap (May 26, 2019)

No LIKE available, Sailor...


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## Sailor (May 27, 2019)

Oh okay, sorry.


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## Michi (May 27, 2019)

@Angie Could we have a like button for this forum too, please?


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## podzap (May 27, 2019)

Sailor said:


> Oh okay, sorry.



I just meant that I was going to like your post but the like button is not here now.


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## Edge (May 27, 2019)

"Like" is back.


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## bahamaroot (May 27, 2019)

Sailor said:


> One of the best strops I’ve seen and used is from Garrett Wade Tools. It’s a paddle strop with magnets to hold the strops which are adhered to wood in place. The idea being that you easily switch strops from laden to bare.


I have a strop base from Handamerican that is a thick piece of plexiglass with feet and has a thin piece of sheet metal attached to the top. I have several strops from leather, felt and balsa, loaded and unloaded, with magnetic backing that I use. I made most of the strops myself too. It's so cheap and easy to do.


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## CoteRotie (May 27, 2019)

Sailor said:


> One of the best strops I’ve seen and used is from Garrett Wade Tools. It’s a paddle strop with magnets to hold the strops which are adhered to wood in place. The idea being that you easily switch strops from laden to bare.



Wow, that's deluxe. If I didn't have a strop I was happy with I'd definitely get one of those. I'll probably wind up getting one anyway, LOL.


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## streak (Jun 4, 2019)

Drew, not sure where you are located. Plenty places to buy leather.
Veg tanned, latigo etc.
I wet and roll mine with a heavy roller. Then after it's dry I cut it to size and glue it onto a piece of wood.
If you're going to apply compound to it it's really not that important which type you use.

Here is 12"x3" one, rough side up which I made for my larger knives. I have smooth version with no compound too.


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## Alwayzbakin (Jun 16, 2019)

streak said:


> Drew, not sure where you are located. Plenty places to buy leather.
> Veg tanned, latigo etc.
> I wet and roll mine with a heavy roller. Then after it's dry I cut it to size and glue it onto a piece of wood.
> If you're going to apply compound to it it's really not that important which type you use.
> ...



Would you mind explaining the purpose/process of wetting and rolling the leather? 
I often find belts from thrift stores to use as strops. I usually use compound but if I were to go bare is there anything to look for in particular for good leather for a strop? Anything tactile or visible under a loupe perhaps?


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## streak (Jun 16, 2019)

I did a lot of reading on Bladeforums and found this information there. It apparently firms up the leather and also brings the silicates to the surface. If you're going to use compound then it will take the place of the silicates and also the quality of the leather is less important. However if you are going to use high quality the bare leather then this step makes a difference specially with good leather like horse hide . Credit to Stitchawl.

"Once you have your leather, remember that it's up to you to 'process' it into a good quality strop. (Called'casing' leather)
Wet the leather on both sides in the sink, just for a few seconds, then let it dry for an hour or two. It will be almost as pliable as modeling clay. Then using some sort of rolling pin or smooth pipe, roll and compress the leather over and over on a smooth, hard surface. Do this for as long as you can... 15 minutes is good, 30 minutes is better. If you have the determination, do it for 45 minutes and you'll have a strop that's better than almost anything you can purchase for under $100! Set the leather aside to dry for 2-3 days while you make the base (or hanging hook and handle,) then using ordinary contact cement, (apply a thin layer to BOTH the rough side of the leather and the top of the base, let it dry for 15-20 minutes, then press together and roll on it to really set the bond,) glue it to the base and let it dry. Trim it to size. Then use 3-4 pea sized 'dots' of ordinary shoe cream (NOT shoe polish or wax!) that you can buy in any shoe store, department store, Walmart, Target, most supermarkets, etc., rub the cream into the surface of the leather. Rub it in well using the heel of your hand. Let the strop sit over night, then using a clean cloth gently rub off any excess cream. The End.
You now have a strop (or three) better than 98% of those being sold anywhere for any amount of money! It's as simple as that!
The right leather is important."

"I will never use any other bare leather for stropping than horsehide." You can feel the difference in the very first stroke. It feels as if the hide were covered with thick molasses even though the leather is smooth and bare. You can feel the drag of the blade as you bring it down the leather, and almost visualize teeny tiny little fingers polishing the edge.""


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## stringer (Jun 17, 2019)

I made mine following this guide. But I am cheap and lazy so I ignored the nice horsehide part. I bought some leather trim pieces from Michael's craft store and made a paddle with some plywood I had lying around. I made two. I rotate them between work and home. I have a jumbo rolling pin at work to do my rolling with. I use them until the surface is black with swarf. Then I recondition with green compound. Roll them some more. Use them until black again. I have bare leather on the other side. I will probably rip the bare leather off and replace with horsehide. The cheap random leather doesn't work well for bare stropping. Even with proper treatment. I do use it for cheap stainless to deburr a little between stones, but the pasted side is much better for really polishing an edge. For the pasted side, mine isn't as smooth as if I used good leather, but it's improving with time. The quality of the leather is less important. I just reapplied green stuff to this one.




Here is one that has a lot less use and less rolling. It's got less uniform surface to do it's job so it's not as efficient and you can'tget quite as sharp as an edge.


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## streak (Jun 17, 2019)

The ones I made with veg tanned latigo leather with smooth side up worked out very well both with an without compound.
I am going to try and make one with horse hide to see the difference.


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