Steerhide Strops | TomoNagura.Com | Keith V. Johnson

Angel Eyes - 3” with Linen

Sun, 25 Oct 2015 19:48:28 -0400

Angel Eyes - the baddest of the three.
This is a dual-action 3" steerhide strop, with an attached vintage cotton linen component. It's over 29" long, 3" wide, and the realistic stropping area is 19-20". The hide is thick, but it's very supple. The draw is faster than medium, almost fast - but not as speedy as Horween Cordovan. Still - it's faster than velvet-finish horsehide, Bridle, or Latigo.
Linen then leather, as they say in the trade. First we strop on the cloth, which dries and conditions the edge. Then - we follow with some work on the leather to put the finishing touches on the razor's edge. Here - we have a perfectly matched linen component made of 100% cotton that, visibly - strikes a 1950s barbershop chord.\
The steerhide is heavyweight stuff, it's cut from a 9 oz veg tanned hide. the edges are beveled and the burnished. The cotton component is vintage stuff, with dual racing stripes in fire engine red running parallel to the edges. Each end has been fitted with a horsehide bolster, and a nickel-plated d-ring. The top bolster is also horsehide, and the wide-gate swivel hook is nickel-plated steel.
This is an heirloom strop - worthy of inclusion into any den. While some strops out there might possibly have fancier hardware or tooling or whatever - they don't have 1/2 the mojo this one does. When you touch it, you'll know what I mean. While handling this strop during the photo session, I was thinking, "wow, this is lush - whoever gets this one is gonna be reallllly happy".
About the materials.
This is a natural leather strop - the hide it was cut from was exceedingly high-quality, but that doesn't mean the animal lived in a vacuum. There are some underlying marks/scars and some variation in the coloring. These character traits add to the uniqueness of each strop, and they are to be contemplated, understood and enjoyed.
The Cotton component was, obviously, made on a machine but given the age - I'm guessing that there was a lot of human interaction there. It's slightly yellowed from age, but not annoyingly so - there are some nearly invisible marks here/there in the weave, but nothing to be alarmed about. Actually - you have to really look for them to see anything.
Like all of my strops - most of the components are sourced here in the USA, and I fabricate and assemble them here in Brooklyn NYC.
Basic Approximate Specs.
Leather/Cotton Width: 3.0"
Overall length: 29.5" / 75 cm
Total Stropping Area: 22" / 56 cm
Realistic Stropping Area: 20" / 51 cm

Tuco - 2.5"

Sat, 24 Oct 2015 20:05:03 -0400

The Tuco Steerhide strop combines high quality leather with a simplified design. The width is just about 2.5” or so; sometimes a bit wider or thinner. The lengths will vary a bit but I strive to allow at least 12-13” of realistic stropping space.
For what it's worth, a shorter strop is easier to control and work with, it's much more difficult to keep a very long strops consitently taught throughout a stropping session.

Each strop I make is cut by hand and it’s not an exacting science; plus, sometimes the hide won’t accommodate my wishes and they wind up with slightly different dimensions. The bolsters are cut from the same hide, and the hardware is nickel-plated steel.

The draw is faster than Latigos and most English Bridle strops. I would say the draw is fast but it’s not as slick as Horween Cordovan. The feedback is good, clear, and easy to read – but not as direct as what the horsehide strops deliver.

The leather I’m using is sourced here in the USA; they’re vegetable dyed/tanned and finished with a smooth surface. These thick 9 oz hides are a little softer, so the strops come out with a broken-in feel. I pick and choose these hides, and I cut them down myself so I can be sure that each strop is on-point.

The bolsters are cut from the same hide, and the hardware is nickel-plated steel. Everything but the swivel-hook is sourced here in the USA, and I design and assemble them here in Brooklyn NYC.
Approximate Specs.
Width: 2.44" / 62 mm
Overall Length: 21" / 53.3 cm
Total Stropping Area: 14.5" / 36.8 cm
Realistic Stropping Area: 13..5" / 34 cm
Bolsters: Steerhide
Hardware: Nickel-Plated Steel

Blondie - 3"

Sat, 24 Oct 2015 18:15:57 -0400

The 3” Blondie Strop is cut from a formidable slab of 9 oz steerhide, the edges are beveled and the sides are burnished. The vegetable dyed/tanned leather is thick but supple, offering great feedback and a quick break-in period also.

The working surface is smooth and fast. One might say it’s slick, but not quite as speedy as Horween Cordovan. The top of the hide is polished, but not to a high gloss; the draw is comfortable, with good feedback that’s a bit softer than the hard-rolled horsehide delivers.

Admittedly, the Blondie is a bit of a beast, but it’s not unwieldy or difficult to manage. It has sort of a ‘friendly’ nature to it, instead of standing out in the rack, the Blondie tends to blend in quietly as though it’s always been there.

The working surface sports a typical tanned and rolled type of finish, with a few underlying marks in the hide showing through – these are natural hides, and this is to be expected and understood to be unique character markings. Over time, with use, this leather will develop a gorgeous golden-brown patina with a classic vintage look.

The hides I choose for these strops are from the USA, and I trim and finish them into strops here in Brooklyn NYC. Because they are natural products, one should expect slight variations in color and markings. Like people, each steer is unique is his own special way. Every hide reflects that character with each mark, color variance and subtle shift in shading. These traits are to be admired and cherished.

Approximate Specifications.

Width: 3.0” / 76 mm

Overall Length: 25” / 63.5 cm

Total Stropping Surface: 17” / 43 cm

Realistic Stropping Area: 16” / 41 cm

Bolsters: Horsehide Leather

Hardware: Nickel-Plated Steel